American Classic II, PICTURE HEAVY **56K BEWARE**

[Dolomite_supafly]

This thread is about the American Classic (AC) I recently purchased.

First let me say that the fit of the AC’s slide and frame is very tight. When compared to the only other 1911 I own, a Colt 1991A1, the tolerances are magnitudes better on the AC than on the Colt. The Colt has frame to slide plat while the AC’s play is nonexistent. The barrel bushing on the AC is also very tight fitting when compared to the Colt. The barrel on the Colt has play while locked while the AC has absolutely no play whatsoever.

The finish of the gun is a very bright and shiny blue on the sides of the slide. On the top of the slide as well as the frame it has more of a matt finish. The frame and slide are supposedly forged like the original design called for.

The slide has front and rear cocking serrations that are sharp, deep and angled rearward. The slide is also dovetailed front and rear for sights. The sights appear as though they are Novak three dot even though they are not Novaks. They work really well and both the front and rear are drift adjustable with the rear having a setscrew to keep the adjustments from moving because it does move easier than the front. Even though it is easier it still requires it to be tapped to be moved. The front sight is so tight I seriously doubt they will move unintentionally.

The only modifications I did upon disassembling the pistol were the addition of a buffer and a better trigger. Not that the factory trigger was bad but the trigger I installed allowed me to reduce take up to a bare minimum. There isn’t a whole lot of take up on the factory trigger but I have always installed this type of trigger on 1911’s I have built in the past. It does not affect the pull in any way and as a matter of fact the factory trigger has a polished bow and is adjustable for over travel. The trigger also has a stop to prevent over travel. The trigger breaks cleanly at just over 4 pounds with no grittiness or slop.

The barrel appears to be a standard 1911 barrel. It fits the slide well with no gaps. It is bright and crisp and seems easy to clean. The link pin is normal 1911 fare and the pin that holds it in place stays put. The barrel bushing is also very tight on the barrel, like everything else on the AC, when compared to the fit of the Colt. I can feel no discernable movement when the slide is all the way forward. I cannot say the same for the Colt.

The gun had a Hogue over molded finger groove grips and they do feel really good as most Hogue grips do.

The various pins in the frame are very tight and must be pushed out. The pins in the AC will not fall out like on other 1911 style pistols. They almost remind me of the oversized pin kits you can buy to tighten up a standard 1911. The hammer pin fits the frame and the hammer tightly insuring there is not wobble in the hammer. The hammer also has side cuts to keep the side of it from rubbing on the slide like some 1911’s. The hammer does have a decorative design in the hole.

The recoil spring and plug are standard 1911 with nothing out of the ordinary. All of the internal parts are standard 1911 and appear to be well built and to original spec. It comes with an extended slide stop, extended thumb safety and a standard sized magazine release, which works well. The plunger tube is properly stacked in place like a 1911 should be. The flat, checkered main spring housing appears as though it is a cast part. The fit and finish of the main spring housing is great.

When firing I had zero malfunctions when using factory ammo. I did have one failure to go into battery with a hand load but I blame the hand load and not the gun. My initial groups had me worried as they were holding around three inches at 15 yards from a rest. Then I realized that shooting only striker fired pistols for the last 5 years may have a negative impact. So I settled down and concentrated on all the fundamentals. I was rewarded with numerous five shot groups where all rounds were touching. I am sure the pistol is more capable than I am, at least until I get used to firing SA pistols again. The magazine that came with the AC is a 8 rounder with a bumper pad and it functioned flawlessly, locking the slide back on the last round. I also tested various other GI magazines and all of those functioned flawlessly as well.

Even though I am very happy with the pistol it does have some issues. The biggest issue is the finish. Although nice, the bluing wears very easily. Even though this pistol was new it did have some wear marks from sliding around in its case. I would not expect to see bluing being worn by plastic but it did. This was a point I used to get the AC a little cheaper. I had planned on coating the firearm from the beginning because it will be carried. The next thing is that the extractor is sticking out slightly from the rear of the slide. This isn’t going to affect function but those who are accustomed to higher end pistols will see this as a cosmetic defect.

Pictures:

Most of the shiny spots on the internals were from me firing approximately 100 rounds.

Overall I am very happy with the price I paid for the gun. I would recommend this gun to anyone who is looking for a budget 1911. If you can get over a few of the minor flaws I have mentioned you will find yourself with a pistol that will be great, especially for the asking price.

If you have any questions or want specific picture please ask. I literally took 3x to 4x as many pictures as you see here.

Dolomite

[Dolomite_supafly]

And to add something else.

My first mods are going to be done to increase reliability. They are outlined here. After that I will probably do a few other custom things I try to do to each 1911 I have owned.

Dolomite

[chemprof]

Thanks for posting these!

[JPS]

Good review - looks like a decent 1911.

[Guest Oaklands]

I own one of these and feel it is one of the best buys for the money you can get. Mine has been flawless since day one. Honestly, the reliability of this gun from the start has been better than my Kimbers and Dan Wessons.

[StPatrick]

I'll ask here before I start a new thread, since the forum is a bit heavy on intro-to-1911 questions at the moment...

3" 1911s have a rough reputation, due to the extreme slide velocities and high spring tensions making FTF / FTE issues more likely as the recoil and mag springs age. This is a generally agreed-upon thing, though not all guns have that issue, of course. Without getting into the argument about 3" 1911s, here's my question: does anybody make a 1911 with a commander-length barrel on an officer-sized grip? If not, why? The grip is the hardest part of a pistol to conceal, so it's not like having that extra inch in the pants matters (that's NOT what she said...heh).

[Dolomite_supafly]

I'll ask here before I start a new thread, since the forum is a bit heavy on intro-to-1911 questions at the moment...

3" 1911s have a rough reputation, due to the extreme slide velocities and high spring tensions making FTF / FTE issues more likely as the recoil and mag springs age. This is a generally agreed-upon thing, though not all guns have that issue, of course. Without getting into the argument about 3" 1911s, here's my question: does anybody make a 1911 with a commander-length barrel on an officer-sized grip? If not, why? The grip is the hardest part of a pistol to conceal, so it's not like having that extra inch in the pants matters (that's NOT what she said...heh).

I do not believe there are any "ready made" guns like what you are looking for. Having a commander length slide fitted to a officer's frame wouldn't be that hard to do, at least no harder than fitting any other slide and frame. As far as hiding the grip I would look at having it bobtailed. Bobtailing seems to help the gun blend in more when concealed without a loss of capacity. It is the sharp corner on the bottom rear of the grip that seems to stand out more than anything. If you can blend and bobtail the frame then I think it will reduce the profile a lot more.

Over the years I have carried officer's models, compact models as well as full size guns. In the end I like having a fuill size gun on me, the benefits of a full size outweigh the benefits of the smaller guns IMHO. The capacity, velocity and sight radius are much better in the full size guns and for these reasons I prefer the full size guns. The officers and compact guns are easier to conceal but you are giving something up for that ease.

I still need to test but I suspect the compact's muzzle velocity is going to be 100+ fps slower when compared to a full size gun. Couple this with the reduced capacity and the shorter sight radius and IMHO I think you are giving up too much. This is why I also carried a full size 9mm as opposed to a compact, for the extra capacity and velocity. When you consider that your firearm doesn't need to be completely concealed in thsi state I think the small size isn't worth the other losses.

Dolomite

[USMCJG]

I'll ask here before I start a new thread, since the forum is a bit heavy on intro-to-1911 questions at the moment...

3" 1911s have a rough reputation, due to the extreme slide velocities and high spring tensions making FTF / FTE issues more likely as the recoil and mag springs age. This is a generally agreed-upon thing, though not all guns have that issue, of course. Without getting into the argument about 3" 1911s, here's my question: does anybody make a 1911 with a commander-length barrel on an officer-sized grip? If not, why? The grip is the hardest part of a pistol to conceal, so it's not like having that extra inch in the pants matters (that's NOT what she said...heh).

Several companies make 1911s with commander slides and officer frames. Kimber makes the Compact Stainless II and Compact CDP II. Sig makes the C3, RCS, and Compact Stainless. STI makes the Guardian. Even S&W has gotten into the act now with the 108310. The Kimbers and the STI aren't really true Commander frames though, but they are close. Of course there are many manufacturers who make bobtailed 1911s as well.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Thanks, I did a quick search and couldn't find any. I am not up to date on all the different models which is probably why I din't think they were making them.

Dolomite

[A.J. Holst]

I bought an AC Commander at the Knox gun show yesterday, very pleased with the fit; jury's out on the finish as it is just new.

It is my first 1911. I researched both RIA and AC; the AC has a few more features over a RIA GI for a nominal increase in price. The RIA "tacticals" appear to be harder to find and price seems to be a bit higher than an equivalent AC.

I couldn't find a RIA Commander at all, none at the gun show nor the brand-name on-line retailers.

I did a basic breakdown and cleaning, didn't fully strip it as you did, but other than heavy oil, no metal shavings, etc on the internals.

My feed ramp appears to be a little "rougher" on the leading edge than yours.

The only thing I plan on is adding an ambi-safety, being a southpaw shooter.

1911 QUESTION --- I have heard you use grease as opposed to gun oil on the slide; what kind of grease???

My $.02 regarding the Officer / Compact question, I didn't like the grip as it is just short enough to be uncomfortable. I carry either a SP101 or P95 at the 10 - 11 o'clock postion with an untucked shirt, the commander 1911 is similar in size and I have no printing issues due to the grip size of the Rugers.

[Guest Moody]

Thanks for the review - I've had my eye on one of these for about 8 months, and would love to pick one up in the near-future.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I will update a problem I did have. The extractor nose was a bit long and a little too squared. This casued a problem with ejecting live FMJ rounds. About 2 minutes rounding and recontouring the nose with a file fixed the problem. Extractor bind is common on a lot of 1911's especially new ones.

If anyone wants I and post and illustration and the fix in case you are having silimar problems.

I can say that after doing what I did it smoothed everything out even more and really slicked it up. Now I can ride the slide forward (not that I normally would) and it will chamber the round and lock up just fine. It made a huge difference in how it fells. It honestly feels like a $1000+ gun, especially with all the features.

I measured the trigger pull after cleaning the gun and lubing it up with some good moly grease. I breaks at 4lb 3oz without any work by me.

I am replacing the sear, disconnect and springs with know brands but not because the factory ones are causing a problems. After I get the new parts I will do a trigger job to reduce the takeup, it isn't bad now but I do notice it. In doing the trigger I will have to fit the beavertail to make sure it works. I have built a number of 1911's in the past and this one is a very nicely fitted gun that would work well as is or as a basis for a very nice custom gun, way batter than the Norinco's that were so popular for customizing.

Dolomite

[StPatrick]

Several companies make 1911s with commander slides and officer frames. Kimber makes the Compact Stainless II and Compact CDP II. Sig makes the C3, RCS, and Compact Stainless. STI makes the Guardian. Even S&W has gotten into the act now with the 108310. The Kimbers and the STI aren't really true Commander frames though, but they are close. Of course there are many manufacturers who make bobtailed 1911s as well.

That's a great start on my shopping list, along with 4" bobbed models. Now I just need to find the right deal...

1911 QUESTION --- I have heard you use grease as opposed to gun oil on the slide; what kind of grease???

I've been using SlideGlide, and have can say that my Sig 229, XDm, and MkIII all run better (and are easier to clean) than using an oil such as No. 9. Especially with the Sig, it's great. Their pistols run best "wet", since the slide and receiver are deliberately loose, and oil will flow over time, and leave dry spots unless you re-lube, whereas grease stays where you put it. You can pick it up at Brian Enos - Competition Shooting Books, Slide-Glide, DVDs & Reloading , and the site is pretty entertaining as well.

[Ebow1]

I just picked up an AC 1911A1 yesterday. I've done absolutely nothing with it other then put new grips on and then load it. I am confused, as the manual says 7 round cap, but the 8 round mags fit in it fine, and feed at least the round I keep in the chamber. I will be shooting it, probably Monday if schedule permits, putting 100 rounds through to see how it does. This is the first non-used firearm I've known so I'm excited to be able to be the person to do all the testing as opposed to trying to figure out what the previous owner did with it and what I need to do.

[Bubba0031]

I purchased one back in June and found the same discrepancy relative to mag capacity. It's the only 1911 I've ever owned and don't really know what a higher end gun might have that this one doesn't.

The manual, which for mine looks more like something that was produced in an office copy machine, doesn't discuss a break in period. I have less that a hundred rounds through mine and it has had some feed/return to battery issues. I'm waiting till I have more rounds through it to determine if it will be reliable.

[Il Duce]

I almost bought one of these when I found my SA. looks good