Remington's Long Slide 1911 R1 10mm Hunter Part I

5/25/2020

The Remington R1 10mm Hunter is good idea carried over from Remington’s acquisition of Para-USA, a similar pistol once known as the Para USA 10mm Elite LS Hunter. Mention of a 10mm Automatic pistol tends to draw the, “That cartridge is dead” social media reaction, which would probably be news to: Colt ,Dan Wesson, Glock, Heinie, Ruger, SIG, STI, Tanfoglio, and other companies currently producing multiple models of short, standard and long slide versions of 10mm Automatic pistols and revolvers.

Some folks suggest ammunition is in short supply, but mostly because they try to buy it at Bill & Teds Bait Shop and cannot find it amongst the boxes of 45 Automatic and 38 Special ammo. For those willing to explore on line or in store large scale retailers, they will find a ready supply of 10mm Automatic ammunition, as well as a ready stock of reloading dies and components. There are currently sixty-two factory loads for the 10mm Automatic, twenty of which utilize an expanding hollow point 180 grain – 220 grain bullet and are well suited for hunting.

Specifically the Remington R1 Hunter

The R1 10mm Auto Hunter Long Slide is a well thought out firearm. It is a combination of the 1911’s proven design; accuracy, performance and reliability, a longer than standard length barrel and a stout cartridge that is suitable for taking medium size game at woodland hunting distances. Assuming proper bullet selection, deer and feral hogs fit the “medium” definition, as would most black bear found in the state of Maine. The Remington 10mm Auto Hunter also makes for a good secondary firearm when hunting larger game.

The Remington 1911 R1 Hunter, other than barrel length and minor external features, shares all of the good traits of other stainless steel R1 models, including a firing pin plunger to prevent the inertial firing pin from causing an accidental discharge in the event the pistol is dropped in rough terrain… like while trail walking or hunting.

The Hunter has a stainless steel, ramped, match grade barrel. Its stainless steel frame and slide are blackened with an Ionbond© PVD Finish applied by vaporized metal at very high temperatures and depositing it uniformly to the firearm’s surfaces within a vacuum environment. The PVD surface easily wipes clean, holds lubrication and is highly resistant to wear. As the process is used on high end Rolex watches, I would call it a premium finish.

It is easy to see pistol grips predominately for their aesthetic appeal rather than assessing them based on the way they influence shooting. Personally I like the VZ G10 look and the way they function. G10 is a very tough, dense fiberglass weave laminate with very aggressive texturing that is milled into the grip’s surface. They don’t slip around in the hand under recoil, but they also don’t scuff up the palm of the hand. The left panel is contoured to facilitate magazine release. However, the Hunter takes any standard full size 1911 grip that has been relieved for ambidextrous safeties.

The Remington R1 Hunter has all of the typical 1911 controls in the typical 1911 locations. The thumb safeties are the extended, narrow type so they are easy to operate, but tucked out of the way. There is an accessory rail for those who like to hang lights, lasers and other forms of light shows on their firearms… which actually comes in handy for a defensive weapon or for use in legal night hunting.

Below – the Series 80 type action is reflected in the firing pin plunger that is part of the trigger safety system; the firing pin in blocked unless the trigger is pulled. The check port is a good way to check at a glance if a round is in the chamber, however, it does not replace the a magazine out, open slide chamber check as detailed in the manual when assuring the pistol is empty. The ramp is a nice touch as it helped the R1 Hunter to digest any ammo it was fed.

Disassembled, the R1 Hunter has the expected appearances of a well made 1911 type, with a full length guide rod, an 0.005″ clearance bushing to barrel fit and a ramped stainless steel barrel for reliable feeding. The recoil spring is wound flat stock. The flat material allows for more coils in a relatively small space and a much smaller compressed length without chance of coil bind. Note – the pistol is filthy in this shot as the Hunter was shot a great deal during this project. Additionally, the subject pistol had a great deal of mileage on it before the project. Still, the slide fit was tight, the rails were clean and not battered and the trigger was crisp.

The Remington Hunter has a small, bright red 0.035″ front fiber optic sight element that works well against just about any type of backdrop. Dovetail mounted, the front sight is easy to change out if there is a preference for a different color or type.

The rear sight is an LPA fully adjustable match type with a grooved, matte anti glare face. The rear sight aperture measures 0.130″, the front sight post that holds the fiber optic element measures a narrow 0.110″ and does not obscure a game size target.

There are lots of cartridges and conversions intended to get more power out of the 1911 design, however, the 10mm seems to be the best combination for power, reliability and longevity. Every 1911 I have set up for the 45 Super or 460 Roland was returned to standard form. The 45 Super does not provide much more than 45 Automatic +P loads and the 460 Rowland just smacks the crap out of slides and frame rails.

The Remington 1911 R1 10mm Hunter’s thick chamber walls, long slide, heavier reciprocating mass, and balanced springing had no problems with full tilt 10mm Auto. It felt about like any other 1911 when shooting and took no time at all gaining proficiency. The long sight radius made it a natural for range work and some moderately loaded ammo kept me on the firing line for hours.

The 10mm Automatic… No it isn’t as powerful as the 41 Rem Mag

 For the sake of context, the 10mm Automatic compared to some of the more popular magnum revolver cartridges. The 10mm Automatic is not as powerful as the 41 Magnum, but then the 30-30 Winchester is not as powerful as a 300 Winchester Magnum. However, both the 30-30 WCF and the 10mm Automatic are substantial enough for medium size game. Be back in Part II with handloads and live fire results.