Range Report:
I took my recently purchased Auto-Ordinance 1911 Deluxe to the range. The Deluxe is a stock 1911 with upgraded, three dot sights and rubber wrap-around grips. This is a new production gun, meaning that the pistol was manufactured after Kahr took over Auto-Ordinance.
The pistol was not new, but rather, LNIB. The pistol had been taken out of the box for the SHOT show and displayed and fondled, and put back in the box and sold to me essentially unfired. When I took it out of the box, it included nothing but the pistol and one spare mag. I had to download the manual from the AO webpage (www.tommygun.com) and print it. We disassembled it, and cleaned it. While the gun was not filthy, it was not clean either, and exhibited a hint of surface rust. We liberally applied CLP and cleaned and lubed the gun well, then set it aside for the night.
The next day, I purchased 100 rounds of S&B 230 gr FMJ (8.99 / 50 at J&G), and 50 rounds of UMC (Remington) 230gr FMJ ($14/50 at Wal-Mart).
We shot outdoors at an undetermined range - however, it was all fairly close; probably within 10 yards. All shooting was done off-hand at the mish-mash of targets that we found at the shooting spot - coke cans, a cardboard box, the cardboard boxes that the ammunition came in, and a UPS that we found.
Participants were myself, my girlfriend, and three friends, one of whom is interested in purchasing the same pistol that I have. Everyone is familiar with and enjoys shooting, with the exception of my girlfriend. The only pistol that she had shot before was my TZ99 (whose grip and trigger reach is too much for her) and a CZ-75, which I think she liked better.
We only had one magazine available; the factory 7 round that came with the pistol. We each took turns loading up the magazine and emptying it at the targets.
The trigger is (obviously) single action, and very, very light - we estimate it at about 3 lbs, with very little travel before the hammer is tripped. This is a huge difference from the TZ99's trigger travel, which is quite long (almost 1/2", I estimate). The trigger is serated and did not bother myself, but my girlfriend complained that her trigger finger felt raw after the shooting.
Recoil was not what I expected. The TZ99 in 9mm almost 'snaps' when it is fired - a quick pop that jerks the pistol upwards. The 1911's recoil does not snap, and does not pop - I thought it felt marvelous. The grip is very narrow compared to the TZ99, and it fit my hand perfectly. The recoil was a bit much at first for my girlfriend, but after she got used to it, she decided that she liked shooting the 1911 much better than the TZ99!
Accuracy was hard to determine. Several of the shooters felt that the pistol shot low, but we had neglected to bring any paper targets to confirm this. However, it was easy to make soda cans go flying at the 10 yard range. The excellent trigger contributed to this. The sights were decent - nothing special, but not horrible.
We encountered ZERO jams in the shooting session - the pistol performed flawlessly, never failing to lock back on an empty magazine. It recoiled nicely, felt nice in my hand. We experienced zero hammer bite, except for one friend who is used to choking up very high. The rest of us escaped unscathed, despite the non-beavertail grip safety.
Overall Impression:
This pistol is definately a keeper. While I have not had the opportunity to fire nicer pistols (say, a Wilson CQB
), I can definately see why even stock, the 1911 has served our country for 80 years. The pistol feels marvelous in the hand. The trigger is the best I've ever personally handled. The recoil is not stout, but rather very pleasant. I honestly enjoyed shooting this pistol. For $319, I feel that I got a very good deal, and stuck my foot into the door of the 1911 world. I wholeheartedly approve of the new Auto Ordinance 1911 pistols.
I took my recently purchased Auto-Ordinance 1911 Deluxe to the range. The Deluxe is a stock 1911 with upgraded, three dot sights and rubber wrap-around grips. This is a new production gun, meaning that the pistol was manufactured after Kahr took over Auto-Ordinance.
The pistol was not new, but rather, LNIB. The pistol had been taken out of the box for the SHOT show and displayed and fondled, and put back in the box and sold to me essentially unfired. When I took it out of the box, it included nothing but the pistol and one spare mag. I had to download the manual from the AO webpage (www.tommygun.com) and print it. We disassembled it, and cleaned it. While the gun was not filthy, it was not clean either, and exhibited a hint of surface rust. We liberally applied CLP and cleaned and lubed the gun well, then set it aside for the night.
The next day, I purchased 100 rounds of S&B 230 gr FMJ (8.99 / 50 at J&G), and 50 rounds of UMC (Remington) 230gr FMJ ($14/50 at Wal-Mart).
We shot outdoors at an undetermined range - however, it was all fairly close; probably within 10 yards. All shooting was done off-hand at the mish-mash of targets that we found at the shooting spot - coke cans, a cardboard box, the cardboard boxes that the ammunition came in, and a UPS that we found.
Participants were myself, my girlfriend, and three friends, one of whom is interested in purchasing the same pistol that I have. Everyone is familiar with and enjoys shooting, with the exception of my girlfriend. The only pistol that she had shot before was my TZ99 (whose grip and trigger reach is too much for her) and a CZ-75, which I think she liked better.
We only had one magazine available; the factory 7 round that came with the pistol. We each took turns loading up the magazine and emptying it at the targets.
The trigger is (obviously) single action, and very, very light - we estimate it at about 3 lbs, with very little travel before the hammer is tripped. This is a huge difference from the TZ99's trigger travel, which is quite long (almost 1/2", I estimate). The trigger is serated and did not bother myself, but my girlfriend complained that her trigger finger felt raw after the shooting.
Recoil was not what I expected. The TZ99 in 9mm almost 'snaps' when it is fired - a quick pop that jerks the pistol upwards. The 1911's recoil does not snap, and does not pop - I thought it felt marvelous. The grip is very narrow compared to the TZ99, and it fit my hand perfectly. The recoil was a bit much at first for my girlfriend, but after she got used to it, she decided that she liked shooting the 1911 much better than the TZ99!
Accuracy was hard to determine. Several of the shooters felt that the pistol shot low, but we had neglected to bring any paper targets to confirm this. However, it was easy to make soda cans go flying at the 10 yard range. The excellent trigger contributed to this. The sights were decent - nothing special, but not horrible.
We encountered ZERO jams in the shooting session - the pistol performed flawlessly, never failing to lock back on an empty magazine. It recoiled nicely, felt nice in my hand. We experienced zero hammer bite, except for one friend who is used to choking up very high. The rest of us escaped unscathed, despite the non-beavertail grip safety.
Overall Impression:
This pistol is definately a keeper. While I have not had the opportunity to fire nicer pistols (say, a Wilson CQB
), I can definately see why even stock, the 1911 has served our country for 80 years. The pistol feels marvelous in the hand. The trigger is the best I've ever personally handled. The recoil is not stout, but rather very pleasant. I honestly enjoyed shooting this pistol. For $319, I feel that I got a very good deal, and stuck my foot into the door of the 1911 world. I wholeheartedly approve of the new Auto Ordinance 1911 pistols.
