Got my new M5 Govt in 40 S&W from Marstar today. Just had to get it to the range, and as someone was asking for a test report, here is one !
Overall fit and finish is very good. Slide is tight on the rails, and barrel lock up is tight, no slop. Everything works like it should, safety is crisp, trigger is as advertised, about 4 lbs, no creep. The barrel has an integrated feed ramp, a la Para, or Browning Hi Power.
Serrated post front, and 'melted' rear. No sharp edges. Nice sight picture. (Note, I have a blind spot in the centre of my master eye which tends to make things the size of a front sight look a bit bendy. A bit like looking thru a pane of glass with a raindrop on it. So I NEED nice sights !)
I never wanted a plastic frame gun, but the options for me were not viable. Nearest competition to this gun is a Para, but I am not a fan of the firing pin block. Could have bought an Edge, but how can a mid class shooter like me justify $2500. (Nice gun, though).
And frankly, I like 1911's, and am not fond of the CZ design.
So how does this M5 shoot ? I had loaded up some 175 gr LSWC over 4.2 of Titegroup to test it. At the range I did a mixture of slow fire, with and without a rest, and some IPSC courses left over from a recent fun match.
The gun shot dead on POA, and as you can see from the 20 yard group, can hold it's own with anything out of the box. I thought I might notice a change in recoil characteristics after shooting my Para 45, but found the Bul to be very manageable, a bit snappier, but easier to keep on target than the 45.
NOT ONE MALFUNCTION !
Mag changes were as fast and easy as the Para, and although I wasn't shooting quite as fast as I could have, the shots were mostly 'A's'.
Plus Points: Cheap, $699 is a bargain. Accurate. Well finished. Nice sights. Good trigger. Good controls (safety, mag button, slide lock) No 'Series 80' bits to make disassembly/reassembly difficult.
Negative points: None that I can think of, although the disassembly instructions have been borrowed from a standard Government model WITH a barrel bushing ! AND I'd like it in a steel frame, of course.
This gun is a keeper. However, ask me in a years time how it has stood up to the rigours of IPSC.
Here's a 9 shot group, from rest, 20 yards. (Actually, to be truthful, it's a 10 shot group, but a fly landed on my arm as a bead of sweat went in my eye, so the 'flyer' (first shot of the string) is out of the picture. Still made the scoring rings, though.
Overall fit and finish is very good. Slide is tight on the rails, and barrel lock up is tight, no slop. Everything works like it should, safety is crisp, trigger is as advertised, about 4 lbs, no creep. The barrel has an integrated feed ramp, a la Para, or Browning Hi Power.
Serrated post front, and 'melted' rear. No sharp edges. Nice sight picture. (Note, I have a blind spot in the centre of my master eye which tends to make things the size of a front sight look a bit bendy. A bit like looking thru a pane of glass with a raindrop on it. So I NEED nice sights !)
I never wanted a plastic frame gun, but the options for me were not viable. Nearest competition to this gun is a Para, but I am not a fan of the firing pin block. Could have bought an Edge, but how can a mid class shooter like me justify $2500. (Nice gun, though).
And frankly, I like 1911's, and am not fond of the CZ design.
So how does this M5 shoot ? I had loaded up some 175 gr LSWC over 4.2 of Titegroup to test it. At the range I did a mixture of slow fire, with and without a rest, and some IPSC courses left over from a recent fun match.
The gun shot dead on POA, and as you can see from the 20 yard group, can hold it's own with anything out of the box. I thought I might notice a change in recoil characteristics after shooting my Para 45, but found the Bul to be very manageable, a bit snappier, but easier to keep on target than the 45.
NOT ONE MALFUNCTION !
Mag changes were as fast and easy as the Para, and although I wasn't shooting quite as fast as I could have, the shots were mostly 'A's'.
Plus Points: Cheap, $699 is a bargain. Accurate. Well finished. Nice sights. Good trigger. Good controls (safety, mag button, slide lock) No 'Series 80' bits to make disassembly/reassembly difficult.
Negative points: None that I can think of, although the disassembly instructions have been borrowed from a standard Government model WITH a barrel bushing ! AND I'd like it in a steel frame, of course.
This gun is a keeper. However, ask me in a years time how it has stood up to the rigours of IPSC.
Here's a 9 shot group, from rest, 20 yards. (Actually, to be truthful, it's a 10 shot group, but a fly landed on my arm as a bead of sweat went in my eye, so the 'flyer' (first shot of the string) is out of the picture. Still made the scoring rings, though.
