Colt 21st Century Commander 1911

By Ebbs On April 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment

I wish this was a handgun review. Alas in all honesty it isn’t, but I got the chance to fondle one of these last Friday and I grabbed a quick pic because I just had to share. Of all the 1911s I’ve caressed in the past ooooh 3 years, this one feels the most comfortable in my hand. Why? Well it’s a concept famed gun writer/personality Mr. Wiley Clapp invoked when he helped design this special TALO edition 1911 Commander pistol. The grip panels are slimmed and tapered towards the front of the grip frame. So the full width of the grip narrows toward the front strap making it narrower overall and the feel in your hand is MIND BLOWING! Colt calls these “Tactical Oval Grips.” Write that down so you can suggest that EVERY custom 1911 grip panel maker can add them to their inventory to sell.

Colt along with several other 1911 makers (several fine Sig Sauer 1911s I’ve seen recently) seem to be going to a more compact but still flared/extended ambidextrous safety a bit more true to the original design. The Colt Rail Gun I played with on this same day had it, and though this 21st Century Commander Wiley Clapp Series 70 pistol didn’t have the ambidextrous safety, it did have the minimized yet extended safety which was a cinch to flip on and off. The angled slide serrations front and back are a welcome addition and trust me when I tell you how perfect the checkering on the front strap and finger shaped checkering on those tapered grip panels is. I absolutely cannot get the feel of this gun in my hand out of my mind.