Do you like 1911 style pistols?
If you do SDS Imports has quite a selection to choose from.
I got a chance to test out the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol and this is how it performed.
SDS Imports has brought to the American market place a vast assortment of shotguns and now also pistols. I tested previously the SDS Imports Model 1911 A1 Pistol. That model is the reproduction of the tried and true service pistol that our grandparents and great grandparents carried in peace time and in wartime. It is a long time since the year 1911. Many improvements to that dependable platform could make that old warhorse a better pick for today’s handgun carriers and competition shooters.
Enter the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol. This certainly isn’t your grand-daddy’s guard duty sidearm. Lets look at the list of improvements this pistol sports:
- Hammer forged stainless steel barrel
- Black Cerakote finish
- Novak style three dot sights
- Flared ejection port
- Extended beavertail style grip safety
- Extended and ambidextrous thumb safety
- Flat main spring housing
- Series 70 internals
- One 8 round Mec-Gar magazine
First time out of the box after picking it up on a visit to my good friends at Silverado Arms I was impressed by the feel of this pistol. The fit and finish on this pistol was very nice. The slide and frame mated to a nice tight fit. No slop here! The improved sights are night and day different from the minuscule military sights. Sights you can see on a 1911! Well how is the trigger pull? While I don’t have a trigger pull gauge the initial pull was light and short. The extended ambidextrous thumb safety is also very fast over the old military version. These were my initial thoughts before I ever dropped the hammer on a live round.
This ZIG M1911 Pistol was made by TISAS in Turkey. SDS Imports has been importing shotguns and pistols from them that are made with surprising quality.
The addition of a Mec-Gar 8 shot magazine in my opinion was a great choice. A sure way of sidelining a great firearm is using a faulty magazine. My experience with that brand of magazines has always been a positive one. The addition of an extra cartridge capacity is also certainly a win over the traditional G.I. seven round magazine.
Planning the range day I decided to test out this pistol with the most finicky ammunition I could think of. Aluminum cased Blazer .45 AUTO cartridges would be just what this reviewer was thinking. I have found that aluminum cased ammunition is far less forgiving in semi-automatic firearm functioning. Will this fine looking SDS Imports pistol live up to it’s looks or choke using this couple decades old CCI Blazer cartridges? Well it’s a fighting pistol right? It’s supposed to eat anything you happen to feed it when the chips are down (or there is a sale on the cheap stuff!). Lets see how reliable it really is.
Firing quick shots off hand I found the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol to be spot on at 15 yards. Well this was obviously when I did my part. This target took eight shots in quick succession. See only six holes? Well two shots went into other holes. There are two holes in the bullseye together and another two together at 8 o’clock on the target. Fired from a rest would the group be better on these Blazer 230 grain full metal jacket .45 AUTO cartridges? You bet they would. The human equation will always cause lower accuracy in any weapon. Overall I was so far impressed with my 4″ group from a new to me pistol.
Since the Blazer aluminum full metal jacket ammunition functioned flawless in the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol I had another serious test. Hollow points are the bane of some 1911 style pistols. Remember 1911’s were never originally made to shoot anything other than hardball ammunition. Many shooters try to polish feed ramps and try any trick to make a finicky 1911 pistol fire hollow points with some success.
What would be the fodder of choice to really test this pistol’s ability to function with hollow points? Once again the Blazer aluminum cases emerged but this time with a different projectile. Remember those now discontinued 200 grain “flying ash tray” hollow points that were quite a bit shorter in overall length that the standard full metal jacket .45 cartridge? A wide hollow point that is shorter in length. Now that has to be the recipe for a failure to function right? Well they passed firing in the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol with flying colors. Once again at 15 yards firing in a fast pace achieved a 4″ group that I admit I strung a bit on this target. That being said, can we agree this bad paper target is no longer a threat due to lead poisoning?
At this point paper targets got a little boring. Time to stop punching paper and tear some stuff up with big .45 caliber slugs. The next target was a plastic lemon juice bottle of realistic size. As you can see eight rounds of those monolithic slugs tear some nice holes through other targets of opportunity also. Placed on a dirt backstop I launched with each hit the container on average eight feet into the air. Good times were certainly had and I even found two of my spent slugs in the dirt as souvenirs. Once again no failures to fire or function occurred.
The remaining ammunition I brought with me went for function testing in quick fire. Targeted dirt clods on the backstop were sent into the air easily back at fifty yards away. Once again there were no malfunctions of any kind and as long as I did my part the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol put big holes on command.
After thoroughly reviewing the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol I found it to be very dependable and accurate (and I need more practice!). For a carry handgun or a competition shooter this modern version of the tried and true 1911 platform is a solid choice. I really enjoyed the larger easier to get to ambidextrous safety along with the very much improved target sights.
If you are in the market for a new model 1911 the SDS Imports Model 1911 DUTY B45 Pistol is certainly a great choice. Also be sure to check out the SDS Imports website for other fun and useful weapons that are built tough.
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