Disposable Heart
Grandmaster
AllenM’s 9mm 1911
Well, guys and gals, here is the unfiltered, unskewed review of AllenM’s newish 9mm 1911 that he built.
Since he is the owner of Diamond Collision here in Avon, I will refer to the pistol as the Diamond Edge (though he may have a different name
, something a bit more manly). A bit on my resume: In addition to owning MANY 1911s and shooting countless different models, I have assembled and built several 1911s in my short time on this earth. Allen asked me to review the pistol, not only as a shooter but as a fellow 1911 enthusiast.We fired the gun at Indy Trading Post at their new indoor range. Very clean, well maintained and utmost, SAFE. It was well monitored, albeit, some of their restrictions against hollow points kept extensive testing (and subsequent firing of my grandfather’s Smith 29 with .44 Special) out of the question.
Into the breach (and I apologize Allen if any of this is cruel.
)Overall
Well fit, good attention to mechanical and functional detail. Appearance isn’t everything, but there were some things noticed that may detract from the pistol compared to “custom” entries into the market.
The pistol is well appointed with Micarta stocks, oversize magwell, a front nightsight/rear flat black adjustable sighting combination, extended controls, including an ambidextrous thumb safety. The slide has been extensively lightened, much of its metal removed from the top of the slide, which is rounded. The pistol feels very light compared to standard 1911s, however, at this point, I have no actual weight of the pistol. Well checkered yet not aggressive enough to make an extended shooting session or competition uncomfortable.
It has other interesting features, such as a ramped barrel, reduced recoil spring weight, and a full length recoil guide.
Allen had mentioned that this pistol was designed for steel shooting competitions and it would not disappoint in that role. It is composed of a Fusion firearms slide, frame and (I believe) barrel.
Fit
Superb, especially considering the Diamond Edge had over 15000 rounds through it before I was able to review it!! Minimal slide wiggle (not essential to accuracy, but important when trying to butt heads against Ed Brown and the like), almost indiscernible. The barrel bushing was VERY well fitted, with only slight movement in and out of the slide (no barrel movement). Once again, not detrimental to accuracy and means you won’t have to have a tool to take it down.
Despite the 15000 round count already on this pistol, the barrel hood had minimal wear (indicating good fit) and no marks on the dust cover (indicating good slide fitment). All in all, this pistol will do the mileage and look new when it comes out the other side.
The trigger was fitted well (no gaps at top or bottom ), but also the lockwork was well fitted. There is no disconnector “hang up” as the slide moves forward and no play in the trigger side to side. The grip safety was pinned, but fitted well in the web of the hand for comfort. Other features, like the trigger guard undercut and the thumb reliefs in the stocks were welcome additions to normally blocky 1911s currently being made. My lady fingers could easily fit around the pistol (although, I prefer a shorter length trigger rather than the medium-long one installed, just personal preference, nothing to do with this).
Function
Excellent. While I did not have thousands of rounds to test the weapon with, the hundred or so fired were flawless. The mags used were Metalform and provided excellent function with the ammunition provided. The ramped barrel was very smooth and after a few rounds of fouling, the rounds seemed to be hitting higher in the ramp (markings in the fouling on the feedramp), indicating a good magazine hold and release point.
Ergonomics
Very good, the beavertail and thumb guard allowed for a very high hold (Allen’s apparent favorite method), sapping the already little recoil out of the weapon. 9mm 1911s are very low impulse and the lightened slide/recoil assembly made for a quick and painless shooting session. As for sight “ergonomics”, the front sight was a white ringed tritium insert with a flat rear adjustable sight. VERY quick acquisition but still maintained the black outlines needed for precise target shooting. The slide stop was an extended model, and while I do not believe in the use of it as a slide RELEASE, I did try to rapid reload the weapon using it in that function. This exercise was well rewarded with a smooth slide movement and silky loading action, similar to a slingshot method.
The enlarged magwell is a boon for people like me more used to the ease of magazine insertion of double stack magazines. Single stack mags with this well are very quick in transition and fit easily under pressure.
The front cocking serrations are a VERY nice touch for this particular pistol (not a fan overall, but for this pistol necessary due to the thumb saver). They are wide and well made, easy to grasp.
Accuracy
Awesome: Half dollar size groups unsupported at 15 yards with a 95gr handload (lightly loaded, purposed for steel shooting). The other load, a light 115gr FMJ handload, was not as accurate, getting about 2” at same distance. Unfortunately, due to time and range length constraints, we did not have the ability to test the gun in a benched environment or at longer ranges. The other restraint was the lighting of the indoor range, made it difficult to use the sight’s precision, being washed out against the dark target.
Firing
This section will get into the “feel” of the pistol when firing. Most 9mm 1911s I have had the pleasure of firing had a full length recoil assembly. The Diamond Edge was no different, its recoil impulse feeling short and on rails. Most 9mm 1911s I have fired had another “feel” issue that the Diamond Edge did not have: One seems to be waiting for the action to operate, the slide to reciprocate, due to the lighter loading of 9mm. The Diamond Edge’s lighter slide and balanced recoil spring weight made the action cycle faster than most 9mm 1911s. While we were not allowed to “rapid fire” at the range, I have no qualms that this pistol would be VERY fast, not only back on target, but in strings as well.
The trigger fitting was excellent, light, minimal if any overtravel, positive feeling reset. One thing noticeable was locktime. When dry firing, there was a noticeable locktime compared to many other pistols (not necessarily 1911s). This had minimal effect on accuracy or weapons operation (but something in the conclusion will touch upon this again).
Comparison (Mass produced pistols)
No equal, even among pistols such as the Springfield Loaded. The barrel and slide fitting are excellent, including vertical barrel lug fitment (good job on the barrel link) and trigger fitment. Compared to an STI, the fitting is slightly better and the finish is far superior than the rough Spartan series, similar to their higher models.
Comparison (“Custom” pistols)
The Diamond Edge is a fine pistol, but some of it’s more homespun features detract from the physical appearance of the pistol. The slide serrations on the front of the slide have milling marks inside them. That’s it. That’s all. This pistol, compared to $2k customs, would cost little over half and would easily provide them with trouble in the hands of a competitor.
Conclusion
All in all, a superb pistol and an affordable one if you really look at the features compared to the cost. The one thing that kept being played in my mind was the single word: Light. The loads used were VERY light, the slide was light, the magazine base pads were polymer and light, the stocks were light, and the recoil spring was light. The pistol feels like a compact 9mm Glock in weight. Maybe a future consideration for anyone pushing for a similar pistol would be an alloy frame? An alloy frame with the light slide in 9mm would make for an excellent lightweight yet fullsize carry pistol.
Outside of that, for absolute perfection, maybe working on the locktime, however this can be a fool’s errand and realistically has nothing to do with the function or perceived action of the pistol. With a speedy slide cycle like on this pistol, getting the other components light might be an idea for a future build (Warp style hammer?). Also, purist's view, while custom looking, I prefer standard stock screws on my pistols, Allen's Allen screws are screwy!
This pistol truly shines in its intended role and Allen’s fitting/milling are excellent. If I saw Allen with this pistol at a steel match, I would rethink my EAA Witness’s strong points and take pause.
All in all, this pistol is a Diamond in the rough!
