Part 1 “Remington’s 1911 R1 Enhanced Commander – As a compact, lethal trail gun” concluded with the promise of trail carry worthy handloads and the anticipation of a snow storm. Part 2 started and stalled when two storms arrived. I love snow and sub zero temperatures, and sharp gusting winds. Yes I do… almost as much as a sharp stick in the eye and asparagus for dinner… or, worse, a sharp stick of asparagus in the eye. The point is, there was a delay until the snow finally subsided, ammunition was assembled and copious amounts of live fire ensued.
Left to right – Acme 185 grain hard cast handload, Acme 225 grain hard cast handload, Remington 230 grain Ultimate Defense factory round, Ruger 114 ARX composite copper/polymer factory round. The two on the left are my preference for trail rounds and hunting for the 45 Auto. They both penetrate in excess of 32″ of ballistic gel, they both hold together on contact with bone and they track straight in tissue. The two rounds on the right are my preference for routine carry and home self defense for reasons stated within Part 1.
The Acme bullets are 92-6-2 lead alloy, 92% Lead, 6% Antimony and 2% Tin for a Brinnel hardness of 16. This level of hardness penetrates well without easily fragmenting and bore seals at safe pressures. The coated bullet is finished with Hi-Tek Supercoat, a self lubricating polymer that is bonded to the metal substrate. The coating offers containment of lead and an absence of smoke from vaporized bullet lube. The plain bullet uses Magma Engineering blue lube. Both bullets are very clean castings and uniform in weight.
The 45 Auto is a good candidate for Hodgdon’s CFE Pistol smokeless powder. It delivered the highest velocity within the +P MAP pressure spec for the round, 23,000 PSI (SAAMI). It also produced modest muzzle flash and it generated minimal… bore crud. Ammunition was assembled utilizing a MEC Marksman reloading press, which had been sitting on the bench, waiting for an appropriate project. The effort was routine; press, components and process.
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Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet material and length will alter net case capacity, pressure and velocity results. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These data represents maximum loads in our firearms and test equipment and may easily be excessive in other applications. All loads should be reduced by 3%, and developed following safe handloading practices as represented in established reloading manuals produced by component manufacturers. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.
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Conclusions
I like the 1911 design, and Remington happens to make some of the nicest within the R1 1911 series. Expanding bullets make for an excellent carry package, hard cast bullets make it a valid trail gun. Where legal, with hard cast bullets, I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt hogs or deer at close range and I would feel confident with it for defense against black bear. The R1 Enhanced Commander is hand filling, in a good way, and it is steady and easy to hold on target, including quickly putting eight rounds in a space the size of a spread hand at 25 yards. A good pistol to check out.
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