Taurus Stainless PT1911 .45 ACP Auto Pistol

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

November 14th, 2007

 

 

 

After almost a century in production, the grand old 1911 style auto pistol is still considered one of the finest ever built, and is still the preferred choice of many professionals who carry a big pistol on a daily basis.  Also, in competition, the 1911 design is the basis for many of the world’s best target guns, whether the game calls for speed, accuracy, or both. The 1911 still rules the roost, and is found in the hands of most top competitors.

The days are gone when a shooter had to start with a bare 1911, strip it down, and pay a pistolsmith to work his magic by polishing, fitting, and adding parts to make the gun more user-friendly, reliable, and accurate. Many pistol manufacturers now make very reliable 1911 pistols, and the top-of-the-line guns come with all of the accessories to make the 1911 a perfect fighting pistol, or competitive on the shooting range. Usually these high-end tricked out 1911s carry a price exceeding one thousand dollars, and sometimes more than double that amount.

Back about sixteen months ago, I reviewed the then-new Taurus PT1911, which is their version of the .45 ACP 1911 auto pistol. I stated then that the Taurus was a lot of gun for the money, having nearly all of the custom work built in from the factory. That has not changed at all. The only difference between that early test gun and this one is that this new PT1911 is made mostly of forged stainless steel, instead of blued carbon steel. The stainless PT1911 weighs 39.4 ounces unloaded, with magazine in place.

The stainless PT1911, like its blued counterpart, has just about every feature desired by most shooters, right out of the box. No need to outlay cash for upgrades. The Taurus has it all…almost.  The only addition that I would make, and that is only if carried it as a fighting gun, would be to add tritium night sights. The PT1911 already has a fine set of Heinie sights, but I just prefer tritium inserts myself on a fighting pistol. Other than that, there is nothing - nothing at all - that I would add to this Taurus pistol.

The chamber is throated to feed hollowpoint and wadcutter ammo with ease. The grips are thinner than normal 1911 grips, and have a very good feel to them. The mainspring housing and front strap are already finely checkered for a positive grip. The grip safety is of the high beavertail style, and the pistol wears a rounded Commander-style hammer. The frame and slide are made of forged stainless steel. The pistol has a full-length  stainless guide rod. The ejection port is lowered and flared. The ejector is elongated for more positive ejection of spent cases. The eight-shot magazines, of which two are supplied, wear an extended base pad. The magazine well is slightly beveled for easier insertion of the magazine. The magazine release button is checkered and extended. The slide has deep grooves fore and aft to aid in easy operation.  Both front and rear sights are dovetailed into the slide, and both are adjustable for windage correction. The manual thumb safety is extended, and thankfully, ambidextrous. There are pistols on the market that cost hundreds more that do not have an ambidextrous safety. As a left-handed shooter, that is important to me. Competitors also need an ambidextrous safety in many of the shooting sports. Thanks, Taurus!

For safety features, in addition to the thumb safety and grip safety, the PT1911 has a passive firing pin safety that prevents the gun from firing unless the trigger is pulled, and the Taurus Security System key lock, for those who want to use that feature.

Shooting the stainless PT1911 proved that it is just as reliable, and just as accurate, as its blued counterpart. I expected nothing less. The Taurus delivered. It was one hundred percent reliable with every type of factory ammunition that I had available. It also functioned flawlessly with my favorite .45 ACP handload.  The trigger pull on the PT1911 released at a clean, crisp five pounds, two ounces.

For carrying the new PT1911, I tried out a couple of very good, very practical holsters. For duty carry, I really like the Blackhawk CQC carbon fiber holster with the Serpa lock. I recommend this holster often to police officers who ask my advice for a secure duty holster that is hard for a thug to snatch from the officer’s holster, but can still be drawn very quickly by the officer when needed. As the gun is being drawn, the user must push the Serpa retention release with his trigger finger. It is fast and natural to operate quickly. The Blackhawk CQC Serpa comes with both belt attachment slots, and with a paddle, so that the user can carry as needed. The Blackhawk Serpa is a very fast, very secure design. I highly recommend it.

For field carry and concealment, I carried the PT1911 in a Simply Rugged pancake that is crafted out of shark skin. The shark skin is tough, thin, and has a unique pattern. Under a loose shirt, it hides the big 1911 well. It also has a piece of leather between the gun and the wearer to protect the gun’s finish and the wearer’s clothes or skin from abrasion. The Simply Rugged belt carries the weight of the PT1911 well, and the magazine pouch makes carrying the loaded spare very handy.  I highly recommend Simply Rugged holsters, and use them often. They are well-crafted one at a time from quality materials, and priced right.

Speaking of price, the Taurus stainless PT1911 is priced well below most of its competition, especially when considering all of the added features on the PT1911. It, like its blued stable mate, is a lot of gun for the money.

Check out the Taurus auto pistols online at www.taurususa.com.

For the location of a Taurus dealer near you, click on the DEALER LOCATOR button at www.lipseys.com.

For a look at the fine holsters featured here, go to www.simplyrugged.com and www.blackhawk.com.

Jeff Quinn

For a list of dealers where you can buy this gun, go to:

 

 

The Taurus PT1911 proved 100% reliable with a wide variety of factory loads and handloads.

 

 

 

 

Blackhawk CQC holster.

 

 

 

 

Simply Rugged pancake holster, belt, and magazine pouch.

 

 

The PT1911 proved to be capable of match-grade accuracy.

 

 

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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

Taurus' stainless PT1911 .45 ACP pistol.

 

 

 

 

The stainless PT1911 comes with fitted hard case, two magazines, keys, and bushing wrench.

 

 

Grip panels are thin checkered plastic, offering a positive grip and a pleasing appearance.

 

 

Mainspring housing (top), front strap (center), and underside of trigger guard (bottom) are finely checkered.

 

 

Beavertail grip safety and Commander-style hammer.

 

 

 

 

Ambidextrous thumb safety is a welcome feature for Southpaws like Jeff.

 

 

 

 

 

Full length stainless guide rod.

 

 

Chamber is polished and throated for maximum reliability.

 

 

Taurus Security System.