From the Vault: U.S. Army C.I.C. Colt 1911 Commander

Brownells Gun Tech™ Keith Ford shows us his early-production Colt Commander from 1951. In 1949, the U.S. Army issued requirements for a pistol to replace the Colt 1903s and 1911 Government Models issued to officers. It was to be chambered in 9mm, with an aluminum frame, and was to be no longer than 7" overall. Colt submitted the Commander and Smith & Wesson their Model 39. The Army ultimately rejected both, but both made it to the commercial market. Keith's Commander is chambered in .38 Super, though 9mm Luger (9x19mm Parabellum) and .45 ACP were far more common. Colt factory documentation indicates this gun was originally sold to an officer in the 441st Counter Intelligence Corps serving in Korea. CIC personnel seem to have favored the .38 Super chambering.

Keith's gun has the original wood-look plastic grips, and he tells us why he is careful NOT to remove them from the gun. It's critical to replace a Colt Commander's recoil spring regularly. The excess slide battering caused by a weak spring will lead to a cracked aluminum frame. In fact, around 1969, Colt introduced a steel frame version of the Commander, the alloy frame variant becoming the Lightweight Commander. The early guns are excellent, lightweight carry guns. But why do their slides turn purple? Keith explains. (Hint: they have not been re-blued.)

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