DoubleStar’s New 1911 .45 ACP Auto Pistol

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

Mat 11th, 2009

 

 

 

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DoubleStar Corporation of Winchester, Kentucky has been producing high quality AR-15 and M-16 style rifles for several years now. They offer some unique and reliable Star-15 rifles, as they brand theirs, and I have had one of my own that has served me very well. DoubleStar is an offshoot of J&T Distributing, which has been in the AR parts business for decades.

Now, DoubleStar has entered the 1911 pistol market with a very impressive pistol. In fact, this is DoubleStar’s first handgun of any type, and choosing the time-proven and legendary 1911 design was an excellent choice. The 1911 has been the choice of experts for almost 100 years now, and is arguably the best fighting pistol ever designed. DoubleStar starts with a forged frame, and builds up from there, using some of the best parts available to assemble their pistols, just as they do with their rifles. The pistol comes in a very useful padded nylon 5.11 Tactical soft case with separate compartments for the pistol and magazines. It is supplied with an eight-round magazine, and will accept any brand of single-stack full-size 1911 magazine available. The DoubleStar has a National Match barrel, Ed Brown beavertail grip safety, and one of the most practical but still very good-looking grip panel designs that I have ever used on a 1911 pistol. The black hard rubber grip panels are heavily-textured, but not abrasive to the hand, providing a very secure, positive grip. Good choice. The pistol wears a matte black finish, and uses highly visible, rugged three-dot Novak sights. The ejection port is lowered and flared, as it should be, and the slide has serrations at the front and rear for a secure grasp when cycling the slide by hand. At the front of the frame, the dust cover is a heavy-duty accessory rail, to easily and securely mount a flashlight or laser sight. Having such rail, the pistol will not fit a standard 1911 holster, but there are many good holsters on the market now for a 1911 with rail, made from leather or Kydex, as the user may prefer. The grip portion of the frame and the mainspring housing are finely checkered, which is aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. The trigger is a lightened aluminum unit with an adjustable trigger stop, and is of high quality, providing an excellent feel that is useful for social work, but still capable of fine practical accuracy at the target range. Pull weight on the sample gun released crisply and cleanly with just slightly over four pounds of pressure. Perfect. The DoubleStar 1911 weighs in at 41 ounces, has a standard length five inch barrel, and balances perfectly in the hand, just as a full-size 1911 should.

I tested the DoubleStar 1911 for function and accuracy using a wide variety of ammunition including mil-spec ball and high performance hollowpoints. Accuracy varied from very good to outstanding. High performance Buffalo Bore hollowpoint 185 grain bullets would cluster into under one inch at twenty-five yards, repeatedly. Many other loads did almost as well. The worst group fired was with some lead bullet reloads put up in mixed headstamp cases, and even these plinking loads went into less than three inches at twenty-five yards. Very fine accuracy indeed. Functioning was flawless, with no failures to feed, fire, or eject. If it was mine, I would only add tritium night sights and an ambidextrous safety, as I am left-handed, and it would be a perfect full-size 1911 pistol.

The DoubleStar 1911 is just now hitting the market, so it is a good time to start pestering your dealer to get one for you. DoubleStar sells dealer direct, so any licensed firearms dealer can order one for you. At this time, I have no information on pricing, but DoubleStar has always provided a lot of gun for the money, and I expect their 1911 to be very competitive as well. Check out DoubleStar’s other products online at www.star15.com.

The DoubleStar 1911 is a fine example of craftsmanship built into a well-proven design. It is solid, reliable, accurate, and built in the USA. I highly recommend it.

Jeff Quinn

 

 

 

Disassembly is quick and simple, requiring no tools.

 

 

 

 

DoubleStar's 1911 features an accessory rail.

 

 

 

 

 

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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

 

DoubleStar's new 1911 .45 ACP Pistol.

 

 

 

 

Checkered frame and mainspring housing.

 

 

Grip panels are well-designed for appearance and utility.

 

 

Sights are genuine Novak, excellent and snag-free.

 

 

 

 

DoubleStar's 1911 proved to be consistently accurate, as these 25-yard groups demonstrate.