Remington's 1911 R1 Enhanced Part 2

Time spent shooting the Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced was time well spent… Sort of like watching The Big Bang Theory, Swamp People or maybe Storage Wars… the one in California, or eating pot stickers. Notable was the fact that the Remington 1911 R1 wasn’t fussy about the type of factory ammo it was fed. Like the Carry and basic R1 Models reviewed previously, with full, partial or mixed ammo magazines, the R1 Enhanced cycled cleanly; no jams, not stovepipes, no misfires.

From the mind of John Moses Browning to the hand of Sergeant Alvin York…

Lots of folks tend to load up 1911 types with relatively hot loads and heavy bullets… or at least I do. After shooting a lot of soft shooting 185 grain SWC target loads through my Gold Cup over the years, I lost my way and ended up somewhere around the 460 Rowland with carry type guns. The truth of the matter is, target loads are great way to build proficiency with a 45 Auto without beating a gun or your wrist to death and the skills developed transfer to the use of high performance ammunition.

A good target load is a low cost 185 grain SWC cast bullet over 4.5 grains of Bullseye powder @ 750 fps MV. Unfortunately, many ranges won’t allow the use of cartridges with exposed lead bullets these days, particularly indoor ranges. A more current and somewhat more accurate load is a Hornady 185 grain SWC Target bullets over 6.5 grains of Alliant Power Pistol @ 830 fps MV. The plan was to shoot the Enhanced R1 with both target and defensive ammunition to test accuracy and reliability. A pair of Ed Brown Double Diamond Cocobolo grips with fancy VZ Fasteners were install so that… For no other reason other than they look really nice.

Hornady target bullets are uniform in weight. Scale checking controlled groups of bullets, weight spread was from 184.6 grain to 185.1, or half a grain, but the extreme of the weight range were exceptions within the population and it was easy to construct groups that weighed 184.9 grains.

Speer Gold Dot bullet ranged from 184.1 grains to 185.6 with a population that was more scattered in weight. Subsequently, groups with a 0.3 grain spread made up the controlled lots for handloading.

Handloading either bullet was straight forward. Assembly was done with Hornady dies using a taper crimp. The loads were Hornady – 6.5 grains of Power Pistol, 1.135″ COL @ 830 fps and Speer Gold Dot 9.9 grains of HS 6, 1.200″ COL @ 1,012 fps.

Matching magazines with bullets….

I was prepared to write a few hundred words, based on  25 words worth of actual knowledge, to explain magazine follower and lip length preferences for target, hollow point and full metal jacket ammo. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for everyone else, the Remington shot all types equally well and without a hiccup.

The R1’s feed ramp is clean and free of tool marks, the chamber entry angle with the flat poly follower works as well for round nose FMJ ammo as it does for hollow points and SWC target rounds. I did try raised follower magazines with short target rounds, they worked as well but were not necessary.

What might that look like on paper?

Shot from a supported position, the Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced performed admirably; tight slide, match barrel and tight fitting barrel bushing as received. A couple decades ago, it would take a competent gunsmith some hours of fitting and machining to get similar levels of accuracy.

Good gun, good company

The Enhanced is the third type of Remington 1911 R1 I’ve had the opportunity to pick and poke at and spend some time shooting. I think it is my favorite of the three with just enough tactical and fancy to look good while remaining useful.

For recreational target shooting and self defense, the R1 is an accurate and reliable firearm. Being a spec gun, it is also compatible with all of the aftermarket bits and pieces that are constantly being released. Aesthetically, of course, there is always some statement to make, like the Cocobolo grips in the picture. Is there anything I would change in the way the gun leaves the factory? Not really, but I might take a swipe at cleaning up the sear and hammer and reworking the mainspring to bring the trigger pull down to 3 1/5 lbs, about a point less than as received, and get rid of just a hint of creep. But that’s me being picky. Excellent gun, as is.

1) John M. Browning – American Gunmaker – Browning & Gentry, The History of Browning Firearms – Miller

Remington’s 1911 R1 Enhanced Part 1
Remington’s 1911 R1 Enhanced Part 11