I have one of the "Canadian" (never made it to Jardine) ones. The trigger is very nice, the slide to frame fit is very good, the bushing to barrel fit is very sloppy. I like the melt finish where all the sharp edges have been smoothed, and the beavertail is a big help compared to my Colt Gold Cup National Match which gives me hammer bite in two-handed shooting. The Valtro was my IPSC gun and I still use it for PPC. Good gun for the price; but that price is NOT $4-$5K. I got this one second-hand for a grand in "good used" condition.
Found a Valtro to add to 1911 stable. :)
- Thread starter Hrcboy
- Start date
I've had mine for roughly 10 years and it's my go to 1911.
When i got mine the trigger was ok but not great. I had Dlask tune it up and it is now perfect. Slide to frame fit is perfect, bushing to barrel fit is what I would call excellent, needs a wrench but easy to turn and take off. My talon is so tight it's a real pain in my ass to take down (although it is an extremely accurate gun). I would say the timing on my Valtro is the best I've fealt in terms of how it feeds, fires and ejects, not sure if this is related to the way the barrel is fit but it's just a real smooth shooting and cycling gun. I've never had to tune the extractor, it still works like a champ. The rear sight leaf broke off at one point so I had an STI rear sight installed.
I currently run Ahrends slim grips on it but even with the stock grips it has a distinctly better feal than any other 1911 I've fealt.
When i got mine the trigger was ok but not great. I had Dlask tune it up and it is now perfect. Slide to frame fit is perfect, bushing to barrel fit is what I would call excellent, needs a wrench but easy to turn and take off. My talon is so tight it's a real pain in my ass to take down (although it is an extremely accurate gun). I would say the timing on my Valtro is the best I've fealt in terms of how it feeds, fires and ejects, not sure if this is related to the way the barrel is fit but it's just a real smooth shooting and cycling gun. I've never had to tune the extractor, it still works like a champ. The rear sight leaf broke off at one point so I had an STI rear sight installed.
I currently run Ahrends slim grips on it but even with the stock grips it has a distinctly better feal than any other 1911 I've fealt.
I have a Canadian Valtro, #309, it is tight and very smooth and I agree the grip feels much better than my other 1911's, I think it is because of the undercut on the trigger guard and the deeply cut beaver tail, overall it sits much lower in my hand. I just picked up a Sig 1911 Target and it doesn't really compare even though they were both about the same price new (all be it 12 years apart), my Armco tuned STI Ranger II is about as close as I've come with a factory pistol to an action as smooth as the Valtro. The Sig over all is mediocre at best, given my time back I would have held off and tracked down something better. The Valtro's bushing requires a wrench to turn and needs to be tapped out. Accuracy wise it is a standout, from a rest at 25 yards it will cut a 1 inch circle. That being said it is not perfect, the hammer sear engagement is too short and doesn't engage unless you rack the slide with authority and when I got it there was a burr which inhibited the disconnecter from moving freely, easily rectified. Would I part with it, perhaps, but I would need an Ed Brown or Nighthawk to replace it and that is why I think the inherent value seems to be so high, the way Jardine designed it made for a very appealing handgun and once you have shot one you are spoiled for anything less than a $3k gun.
Congrats on your Valtro!
I bought my Valtro second hand rather cheap, but it had been molested a bit. After I cleaned it up, I can say it is an exceptional production 1911. The trigger is one of the best I have pulled, and I have had the privilege to shoot Ed Brown, Wilson, and a non-Valtro John Jardine (although the Jardine had a carry trigger pull of 4.5 pounds) pistols. The trigger pull on my Valtro is measured at 3.5 pounds with no take up and the trigger reset is insanely short. The slide to frame fit is very tight with no side to side or vertical play. This must contribute to the accuracy, as it is VERY accurate. When I bought the pistol I had to change out the ambi thumb safety as it was very loose and I didn't like the gas pedal width of the safety. The previous owner must have changed out the mainspring housing to a flat plastic one, as I'm almost certain that the Valtro would have come with a steel one (can someone confirm this for me? TIA). I didn't receive the original grips and replaced the ugly Pachmyr wrap a round grips with some nice Rosewood. I have fired it without reservation and it has fed and fired everything. One thing of note is that the Safariland ALS holster does not work with this pistol as the melted feature doesn't leave enough edge for the ALS lock to lock onto. Mine usually resides in a Milt Sparks VMII when I'm at the range. Yeah, my Valtro would be one of the last pistols I sold, if ever.
I have a friend who visits John Jardine and he related that Jardine was/is VERY unhappy with the rerouted Valtro 1998 pistols that were sold in Canada. Apparently this was not supposed to have happened. Jardine inspected every Valtro that sold out of his shop. His work is quite in demand, and he isn't even taking orders.
#4XX
I bought my Valtro second hand rather cheap, but it had been molested a bit. After I cleaned it up, I can say it is an exceptional production 1911. The trigger is one of the best I have pulled, and I have had the privilege to shoot Ed Brown, Wilson, and a non-Valtro John Jardine (although the Jardine had a carry trigger pull of 4.5 pounds) pistols. The trigger pull on my Valtro is measured at 3.5 pounds with no take up and the trigger reset is insanely short. The slide to frame fit is very tight with no side to side or vertical play. This must contribute to the accuracy, as it is VERY accurate. When I bought the pistol I had to change out the ambi thumb safety as it was very loose and I didn't like the gas pedal width of the safety. The previous owner must have changed out the mainspring housing to a flat plastic one, as I'm almost certain that the Valtro would have come with a steel one (can someone confirm this for me? TIA). I didn't receive the original grips and replaced the ugly Pachmyr wrap a round grips with some nice Rosewood. I have fired it without reservation and it has fed and fired everything. One thing of note is that the Safariland ALS holster does not work with this pistol as the melted feature doesn't leave enough edge for the ALS lock to lock onto. Mine usually resides in a Milt Sparks VMII when I'm at the range. Yeah, my Valtro would be one of the last pistols I sold, if ever.
I have a friend who visits John Jardine and he related that Jardine was/is VERY unhappy with the rerouted Valtro 1998 pistols that were sold in Canada. Apparently this was not supposed to have happened. Jardine inspected every Valtro that sold out of his shop. His work is quite in demand, and he isn't even taking orders.
#4XX
The mainspring housing is steel checkout my pics it's stamped with serial no.
I have to agree the trigger feels awesome. The reset is insanely short. I also heard the story about Jardine not being very happy with Valtro selling these without going through him as agreed.
I have to agree the trigger feels awesome. The reset is insanely short. I also heard the story about Jardine not being very happy with Valtro selling these without going through him as agreed.
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- Location
- Toronto (GTA), Ontario
And one of the reason he was no happy is because of all the problems the Italian guns had that he did not QC personally in his shop. He did not want the Valtros to get a bad reputation after attaching his name to them. Poor production quality in Italy was one of the reasons Valtro is no longer in business producing pistols.
Or maybe it's a good rumor the Jardine leaked out cause Valtro sold behind his back after he designed the pistol. Lol. Great way to get people to only buy thru him.
No such problems of the 3 Valtro's I've come across. All have been outstanding builds and awesome shooters.
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Well, the factory LPA rear sight on mine self-destructed during an IPSC match, with the adjusting screw coming apart and the sight flying up to the top of the travel. It took me a while to figure out why all my shots were going a foot or two above the target! But I blame LPA for that and not Valtro.
about 12 yards standing.
I'm not that accurate as you can see from 8 rounds groupings. My buddy shot the middle one 8 rounds later and he says it's a damn accurate 1911.
Put about 400 rounds of Norinco ammo thru it not one hiccup. Practiced some double taps as well felt nicer than my tuned Trojan.
I'm not that accurate as you can see from 8 rounds groupings. My buddy shot the middle one 8 rounds later and he says it's a damn accurate 1911.
Put about 400 rounds of Norinco ammo thru it not one hiccup. Practiced some double taps as well felt nicer than my tuned Trojan.
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New to this forum but got my first Valtro in 2001. You are right they are identical and in fact aside from the frame address (Berkshire Arms etc..) being the same, the outer boxes they were shipped in had the Valtro U.S address as well. It is a shame and wrong that J Jardine was by passed . The base Valtro's are selling in the low 5 figures in the states today. The "Jardine Custom" models are going for more. It is absolutely and ethically a must when buying or selling these guns to disclose where they came from, but they are the same as the base U.S Valtro's less John's inspection and will only continue to go up in value. There of course may be guns that wouldn't pass muster that ended up here, but I have yet to see one that was way out.
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Someone at the range recently offered me $2000 on the spot after letting him try mine out. When I shook my head sideways he then upped it another $500. Did think about it for a second but could bear myself to letting it go. Who knows when I might come across another one. It just feels so right in the hand and such a pleasure to shoot. Groups amazing! So glad I jump on this one. Just racking puts a smile on my face. Everything is so tight yet buttery smooth. I know two others who have one and both told me this would be the last 1911 they would sell. It's a shame that they stop making them.
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An update. Wasn't getting enough use out of it. Put in on EE and was sold in 15 mins with plenty of back up offers! Then another popped up a few days later and was sold in less than an hour and it was asking $2650. Fair to say the Valtro is very sought after! Will miss this fine pistol. At least I can say I had the chace to own and shoot one of these beauties!
I kick myself in the ass for not buying one. They had been available back in 2002 at the local shop with a pricetag of $1200. I did not comprehend the value attached to a "custom" 1911 at the time and bought an HK instead. I had the opportunity to fire one and I was impressed with the fit and feel of it. Great gun for $1200 but once you sail past $2000 for a used one it does not seem worth it.
