Yeah... HAD.
Coincidentally, my wife has a brand new Para LTC 9mm Commander...
But seriously, last I checked they still had the one under glass, but when my wife examined hers during purchase on Sunday (during a big IPSC shoot) there was a LOT of interest...
We ran about 140 rounds through it Sunday (50 UMC 124gr FMJ, 50 WWB FMJ 124gr, 20 WWB 124gr. BEB and 20 Speer Gold Dot 124 gr.)
Looks
When we first looked at it she went straight for it, appreciating the fact it looked like a little version of my TRP Operator. She liked the finish on the gun, enjoying the covert black finish quite a lot. The sights look to be painted three-dot Novaks and I bet are easy to remove. I admit I have not looked at how the sights are mounted but that is easy to amend.
Feel
When you pick up the gun it feels very comfortable in the hand and the controls are all within easy reach. The gun pointed naturally for me and did somewhat the same for my wife, a wheelgun fan.
Controls
The controls, as mentioned are all within easy reach and the texture and tension was just right for a new 1911A1. The thumb safety is the standard and is positive. The slide release worked very well, dropping the slide on a full mag was smooth, crisp and easy. The mag release was a bit stiff at first but after a few mag drops seemed to loosen up just fine. The hammer was well designed but a little light form the looks of it. Not a problem for this pistol considering that there were no light strikes in any of the rounds we fired. My wife had a little trouble bringing the slide back with the hammer down, so those of you who are thinkning about getting this pistol should keep in mind the hammer trick if you are not very agressive with your firearms. The trigger was nice, a bit heavy but nice. The break was pretty crisp and is not something to complain about. I figure it was about 4.5 or 5 lbs.
Takedown
Before we hit the range we took the pistol down to a fieldstrip and cleaned her up before we brought her up to speed. After checking clear (three times, what can I say, I have OCD when it comes to firearms safety) we took her down in the standard 1911A1 fashion. A note though, keep the bushing wrench handy as it was stiff and with the open faced recoil spring cap it is a handy thing to have. I tried for about ten minutes to take her down without using the wrench and had nothing to show for it. After the bushing was off it was smooth sailing so we removed all the grease inside and cleaned her up, keeping an eye out for machine tailings left behind on any bearing surfaces and in any catches and sears we could see. The manufacture was clean and the fit up precise. After we cleaned her up we put her back together and there was nary a rattle with the slide fitting quite nicely to the frame. I think that the recoil spring cap ought to be replaced if you have a chance and it should loosen up to the point where you won't need the wrench after awhile.
Reliability
Before I let her shoot the gun we did a few drills with snapcaps and the first few times I had her rack the slide on a snapcap the round failed to eject, so I took the gun and gave the ol' college try and figured that the problem was not enough energy being put in the (manual) racking of the slide. After that there were no more troubles with ejection.
The UMC went through very smooth.
The WWB FMJ was as good.
Then I had her run 9 rounds of the Gold Dot through it as a function test. There were two stoppages with this ammo (very minor FTRB) that were easily dealt with.
Next we did the WWB BEB and had a series of FTRB (about 1 in 3) that seemed to begin clearing up by the end of the BEB.
Then I ran another 12 Gold Dot through the handgun and had no stoppages.
I figure that the pistol just needs to smooth things out, probably another 300 rounds and it'll be up to speed. Of note is that the pistol liked ball ammo, but has a tendancy to FTRB with "flat nosed" stuff (BEB & GD) at first. I will have her run another 300 rounds at least before we do another HP function test. The FTRB was nothing big, the slide stopped about 1/8" out from battery each time. She also got a quick tutorial (and some practice) regarding IA drills too.
Accuracy was good in my opinion. My wife has some ways to go with marksmanship, but her first shot printed in the 8 ring of a standard TSE Bullseye at 5m. She did a good job of putting the rounds into the target and had no trouble keeping all of the rounds she fired in an eight inch pattern, really not bad for a novice with a new gun. The ammo I fired came up in the Bullseye 15 rounds out of 19 and I know the guy behind the gun was the weakest link.
The gun can be had at TSE for $899.00 as of this post... if that one under glass is still there that is. It was a positive first new gun experience for my wife and she really had fun learning the ins and outs of purchasing a new gun. Is this gun worth $899.00? Considering the name on the side and the quality of the firearm combined with the fact that this is a less costly, yet "respectable" caliber, yes. I think it is worth the price asked by TSE.
