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
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Disassembly is quick and simple, requiring no tools.
DoubleStar's 1911 features an accessory rail.
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