Colt 1911 Recon model:





Bought it from a friend who didn't need yet another drawer gun.

The Recon is kind of an odd duck, as it's a full sized frame married to a compact slide. Colt ran a few of these types of runs (the Recon was under a thousand), and this one wasn't really popular.

Can't wait to take it to the range later this week!

Nice gun. Always good to get a gun from someone you know. They deserve a good home.

Your friend keeps guns in his drawers? Doesn't that get kind of cold in the winter?

Nice weapon!

Cheers!

Rick...

Looks like my 1991-A1. How are the grips?. Looks awesome by the way.



Bullet

Nice!

How do you find the extended slide release? Easy to operate with the normal right hand thumb? I'm just curious as to why those aren't more popular among 1911 users...seems like the only heavily used autopistol that isn't normally seen with a slide release that can be used by the shooting hand...I mean, it would be easy for mfg's to offer it, easy for users to retrofit, but most seem to avoid that "upgrade" and I'm curious about why.

If it's aftermarket, would you know who made it?

Oversized beavertail, oversized slide release, skeletized hammer and trigger. Colt. Awesome.
I see you are already starting an "idiot scratch" so don't let that bother you.
Only complaint: fingered grips. Yuck. Personal dislike. I would rather you dress them up with a nice aggresive set of VZ Recons...

Oh yeah you know I linked it...

When it comes to Colt 1911s, I never hear complaints about how they shoot/run. They are fantastic platforms.
You will be pleased.

Interesting, I thought it was a Commander.

Officer barrel on a Commander frame - well spotted! It's counter-intuitive that they would be put together, but the balance is really spot on, and I expect there will be little fatigue (I shoot offhand, being taught by guys who never put two hands together when one is holding a pistol)

I'm kind of meh on getting away from stock - the oversized release works as one would expect, but I never really had a problem with the original kind.

I'm really suprised by the grips. I'm a bit of a purist, but they're actually comfortable and don't interfere with my small "lady hands" (as a certain Platoon Sergeant of mine used to call them).

Since I'm going to take it to the range, I've only done a once over for operability and safety; I'll do a big cleaning when I've put some rounds through it.

Btw, when did magazines go through the roof in price? Is there now some kind of SuperMagicAlloy they're made of or something? Sheesh.

Yep, love the Colts. My Officers ACP is one of my prized possessions.

Dart, you are gonna have to spend some $$$ to get the good dependable always-goes-bang magazines.
Bestest: Wilson Combat mags. Also Nighthawk and Metalform. These mags have the solid polymer followers.
Next bestest: Novak, and then maybe Chip McCormick if you have run out of selections...

Afterthought: Dart, be sure and troll the "Classified Section" of local Gun Forums. Or even some of the big national ones.
You can *always* find a good deal on stuff, as someone is always selling some gun related item to get another gun related item.

Glocktalk, XDTalk, AR15.com, etc. Check for local State "Hunting & Fishing" forums. Texashuntingforum.com is really active.

They're really one time purchases, so I'll bit the bullet on the cost; it just shocked me to see some of the prices. I've never had a .45 mag fail on me.

"Idiot scratch?" Are you talking about the chip to the duracoat at the slide release?

Once the airplane is done and flying I'm thinking of fleshing out the guns. Crazy how M1 Carbines are suddenly gold plated - I think when that time comes I'm just going to buy one of the newly manufactured carbines - it'll be less expensive and just as good (if not better).

Then maybe an AR-15/M4 variant that looks as close to an issue M16 as I can get. I don't get all the crap they hang on them today. Take out the batteries and learn to shoot, young man! Zero at 25 meters and you can hit out to 350 no problem.

My sister has my Ruger Security Six buried somewhere in her house and promised to look for it; I'm not too concerned as I had cleaned it before putting it in the box and it's been in a cool, dry place for the last 25 years. Might need to replace the ammo, though.

Yes sir, the scratch just below the slide release is refered to as "the idiot scratch".
You feel like an idiot when you bind the slide release trying to get it back in place, and it scratches the finish on the frame.
It can be reassembled with out hurting the finish, but a rare thing to find as it just happens. HA!
I like to see 'usage' wear on pistols. Not abuse, mind you, but wear from someone that is not afraid to carry and use their pistol.
"Barbeque Guns" are cool but not practical.

Spend the money on the Wilson Combat mags. Won't regret it, and they will not let you down.
And yes I have shot my .45 enough to have experienced bad magazines. Sucks when it won't feed well and you get a FTF/Stovepipe out of it.

IMO the Tripp Research Cobra mags are even better than the Wilsons, although I have never tried the newest Wilsons.

Another set of 1911 parts I'd recommend are the Cylinder and Slide spring steel extractor and the EGW square firing pin stop.