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After almost a century in production, the grand
old 1911 style auto pistol is still considered one of the finest
ever built, and is still the preferred choice of many
professionals who carry a big pistol on a daily basis.
Also, in competition, the 1911 design is the basis for many of
the world’s best target guns, whether the game calls for
speed, accuracy, or both. The 1911 still rules the roost, and is
found in the hands of most top competitors.
The days are gone when a shooter had to start
with a bare 1911, strip it down, and pay a pistolsmith to work
his magic by polishing, fitting, and adding parts to make the
gun more user-friendly, reliable, and accurate. Many pistol
manufacturers now make very reliable 1911 pistols, and the
top-of-the-line guns come with all of the accessories to make
the 1911 a perfect fighting pistol, or competitive on the
shooting range. Usually these high-end tricked out 1911s carry a
price exceeding one thousand dollars, and sometimes more than
double that amount.
Back about sixteen months ago, I reviewed the
then-new Taurus PT1911,
which is their version of the .45 ACP 1911 auto pistol. I stated
then that the Taurus was a lot of gun for the money, having
nearly all of the custom work built in from the factory. That
has not changed at all. The only difference between that early
test gun and this one is that this new PT1911 is made mostly of
forged stainless steel, instead of blued carbon steel. The
stainless PT1911 weighs 39.4 ounces unloaded, with magazine in
place.
The stainless PT1911, like its blued
counterpart, has just about every feature desired by most
shooters, right out of the box. No need to outlay cash for
upgrades. The Taurus has it all…almost. The only
addition that I would make, and that is only if carried it as a
fighting gun, would be to add tritium
night sights. The PT1911 already has a fine set of Heinie
sights, but I just prefer tritium inserts myself on a fighting
pistol. Other than that, there is nothing - nothing at all -
that I would add to this Taurus pistol.
The chamber is throated to feed hollowpoint and
wadcutter ammo with ease. The grips are thinner than normal 1911
grips, and have a very good feel to them. The mainspring housing
and front strap are already finely checkered for a positive
grip. The grip safety is of the high beavertail style, and the
pistol wears a rounded Commander-style hammer. The frame and
slide are made of forged stainless steel. The pistol has a
full-length stainless guide rod. The ejection port is
lowered and flared. The ejector is elongated for more positive
ejection of spent cases. The eight-shot magazines, of which two
are supplied, wear an extended base pad. The magazine well is
slightly beveled for easier insertion of the magazine. The
magazine release button is checkered and extended. The slide has
deep grooves fore and aft to aid in easy operation. Both
front and rear sights are dovetailed into the slide, and both
are adjustable for windage correction. The manual thumb safety
is extended, and thankfully, ambidextrous. There are pistols on
the market that cost hundreds more that do not have an
ambidextrous safety. As a left-handed shooter, that is important
to me. Competitors also need an ambidextrous safety in many of
the shooting sports. Thanks, Taurus!
For safety features, in addition to the thumb
safety and grip safety, the PT1911 has a passive firing pin
safety that prevents the gun from firing unless the trigger is
pulled, and the Taurus Security System key lock, for
those who want to use that feature.
Shooting the stainless PT1911 proved that it is
just as reliable, and just as accurate, as its blued
counterpart. I expected nothing less. The Taurus delivered. It
was one hundred percent reliable with every type of factory
ammunition that I had available. It also functioned flawlessly
with my favorite .45 ACP handload. The trigger pull on the
PT1911 released at a clean, crisp five pounds, two ounces.
For carrying the new PT1911, I tried out a
couple of very good, very practical holsters. For duty carry, I
really like the Blackhawk CQC carbon fiber holster with
the Serpa lock. I recommend this holster often to police
officers who ask my advice for a secure duty holster that is
hard for a thug to snatch from the officer’s holster, but can
still be drawn very quickly by the officer when needed. As the
gun is being drawn, the user must push the Serpa retention
release with his trigger finger. It is fast and natural to
operate quickly. The Blackhawk CQC Serpa comes with both belt
attachment slots, and with a paddle, so that the user can carry
as needed. The Blackhawk Serpa is a very fast, very secure
design. I highly recommend it.
For field carry and concealment, I carried the
PT1911 in a Simply Rugged pancake that is crafted out of
shark skin. The shark skin is tough, thin, and has a unique
pattern. Under a loose shirt, it hides the big 1911 well. It
also has a piece of leather between the gun and the wearer to
protect the gun’s finish and the wearer’s clothes or skin
from abrasion. The Simply Rugged belt carries the weight of the
PT1911 well, and the magazine pouch makes carrying the loaded
spare very handy. I highly recommend Simply Rugged
holsters, and use them often. They are well-crafted one at a
time from quality materials, and priced right.
Speaking of price, the Taurus stainless PT1911
is priced well below most of its competition, especially when
considering all of the added features on the PT1911. It, like
its blued stable mate, is a lot of gun for the money.
Check out the Taurus auto pistols online at www.taurususa.com.
For the location of a Taurus dealer near you,
click on the DEALER LOCATOR button at www.lipseys.com.
For a look at the fine holsters featured here,
go to www.simplyrugged.com
and www.blackhawk.com.
Jeff Quinn
For a list of dealers where you can
buy this gun, go to: |

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The Taurus PT1911 proved 100% reliable with
a wide variety of factory loads and handloads.





Blackhawk CQC holster.








Simply Rugged pancake holster, belt, and
magazine pouch.



The PT1911 proved to be capable of
match-grade accuracy.

 
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Click pictures for a larger version.

Taurus' stainless PT1911 .45 ACP pistol.



The stainless PT1911 comes with fitted hard case, two
magazines, keys, and bushing wrench.



Grip panels are thin checkered plastic, offering a
positive grip and a pleasing appearance.



Mainspring housing (top), front strap (center), and
underside of trigger guard (bottom) are
finely checkered.

Beavertail grip safety and Commander-style hammer.




Ambidextrous thumb safety is a welcome feature for
Southpaws like Jeff.



Full length stainless guide rod.



Chamber is polished and throated for maximum
reliability.

Taurus Security System.

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