I agree. Many years ago I sold all of my Colt 1911 pistols but two and bought Glocks and a Kahr. None of them have an external safety switch. One less thing to worry about in a stressful situation. Police used revolvers for over a hundred years without a safety switch.

Yep none of my carry weapons have a safety just another thing to go wrong in my thinking. My favorite being my XD45.


Nice going GD.

Sorry Mastiff. Times slips away these days but I'm sure you already know that.

First things first. I love this gun. I didn’t know anything about them before I saw it in the case at my local gun shop but after doing some research I had to have one. Luckily this was in the used case and was about $600 cheaper that a new one. From what they told me, the previous owner put less than a box though it before he decided he didn’t like it. His loss, my gain.

The Coonan is a beast. It is designed to shoot .357 but also comes with an additional recoil spring which will allow you to shoot .38's. The grip is only a little bit bigger than a full size 1911 so I had no problem holding it. I was unsure of the recoil before the first round since .357's kick a bit more than .45 but surprisingly the recoil was quite manageable and less that my GP100. Muzzle rise was minimal once I found my grip and I was able to get some nice groups at 10 yards.

I switched out the recoil spring and tried the .38's but apparently there is a break in period for the lighter springs and it was constantly jamming on ejection of the spent round. I did some research and found other people having the same issue. The recommendation was to switch out the 10lb recoil spring with an 8lb spring. I got one from Wolfe which also came in last week. When it did feed it felt like shooting a very heavy .22. The gun has some weight to it. It’s 40 oz empty.

My Coonan came with the standard smooth wood grips but I switched them out last week with milled black aluminum grips I got from their online store. The wood grips felt great but they were a little too smooth for my liking. I'm hoping to get to the range tomorrow and try them out.

I’m going back to the range tomorrow to try out the new parts. Can’t wait to see how it performs now.

Okay, back from the range. The new 8lb recoil spring did the trick. .38's cycled without a flaw. Life is good.

Nice Hobbes! Shooting .38 special out of a big ole 1911 would probably cause some of the hardcore 1911ers heads to explode. I like it!

True!

Not to forget that Colt chambered the 1911 for .38 Special (wadcutters only) waaaaaay back in the 60

Andy, wasn't that their (or one of) bulls-eye guns?

Also, Smith & Wesson modified their semi-auto (Model 39, I think) to take the .38 Special for Bullseye competition. I have used that Model 52 and had heard of the Colt but never saw one. They were a lot more expensive than the S&W.

Yes they were Bullseye Guns Skunk. Ray those M52s were fine shooting pistols as well. In my tiny country pistol club (when I was a teenager) there were at least two of them.

Missed this post somehow.

Nice! And after only 3 matches... It sounds like you are well on your way to the top ranks. Keep up the good work!

They also make a compact model which is commander size. I'm keeping my eye out for a used one of those now as the new ones are a bit pricey.