I took a little ribbing from my proof reader. She asked if I had changed my mind about foreign made 1911 handguns. No, I have not changed my mind about well made 1911 handguns versus 1911s caught in the race to the bottom to make the cheapest gun. The Magnum Research 1911 is made in Israel and as my friend Don W. said, ‘The Israelis don’t make junk.’ So how does Israel handle an American classic? Very well to say the least. The pistols are well made of the best material. The fit of the slide ways, slide rails, slide, barrel hood and locking lugs is good. When you roll the slide to the rear you feel a solid unlock and lockup. The fit of the slide lock safety, trigger action, and grip safety are excellent.
The MR1911 handguns are a joy to fire. The invite frequent practice.
Details
The Magnum Research MR 1911 is supplied in a locking hardcase. My example was delivered with two stainless steel magazines. A note- these handguns were once offered as the Desert Eagle 1911. One of my favorite 1911 handguns it features a billboard type slide engraving. Magnum Research offered their CZ clones as the Baby Eagle. This led to some confusion compared to the full size Magnum Desert Eagle so the modern guns are now the MR1911. As far as I am able to ascertain they are completely interchangeable. The pistols are available in both blue and stainless steel. Stainless is doubtless the superior metal for long term use. I simply prefer the dark matte finish of my personal pistol.
This is a full size .45 and combat knife combination offered by Magnum Research.
Front to back observations-
My blue steel 9mm handgun features a stainless steel barrel and grip safety. The match type trigger is aluminum. It is adjusted at the factory for overtravel- don’t monk with it. A departure from the original 1911 is that my example is chambered in 9mm Luger. The pistol features bushingless lockup eliminating the barrel bushing and recoil spring plug. Some of the .45s feature the original barrel bushing, the shorter Commander length pistols and all 9mm types use bushingless lockup. The ramped design rather than the original two piece feed ramp makes for greater cartridge head support. I especially appreciate the feed reliability of a ramped barrel and the safety margin when firing +P+ 9mm ammunition. The MR1911 features forward and rear cocking serrations affording the shooter plenty of leverage in all conditions. The sights on my personal 9mm are McCormick/Kimber types. While loosely termed Novaks they differ slightly. The rear sight features a serrated rear face. The white outline three dot sights are as good as it gets in fixed sights. The newer guns feature a wedge type rear sight that allows racking the slide on a heavy belt or boot heel. They are a tactical improvement. The hammer is a skeletonized style with nicely cut cocking grooves.
Fit and finish simply cannot be criticized in the MR1911 handguns.
The stainless steel pistol is well fitted and polished.
Fitting shows in the controls. The slide lock safety features a good sharp indent. Too many 1911 safety levers have a sloppy fit and that wont do. This one snaps smartly into place. The safety isn’t a GI type but not a gas pedal type either, it is nicely sized for a personal defense handgun. The slide catch isn’t extended. The magazine release is positive in operation. The grip safety releases its hold on the trigger before the half way point in compression. This safety helps shooters using the thumbs forward grip keep the grip safety depressed. The thumbs forward grip style sometimes forms a pocket in the palm and makes it difficult to fully depress the grip safety. A beavertail grip safety is a great addition to the original 1911. The most outstanding feature of the MR1911 is the trigger. With a short take-up and no creep at all the MR1911 trigger action breaks at a clean 3.8 pounds with a rapid reset. No 1911 handgun in the price range of the MR 1911 may match this trigger. The pistol features a checkered front strap a custom grade addition usually found only on much more expensive handguns. The grips are robust checkered G 10 types. The left hand grip panel is relieved to allow rapid magazine changes. So we have a 1911 handgun but at the same time a pistol with much improved sights, controls, and trigger action.
A full length guide rod and bushingless barrel lockup make disassembly simple enough.
The bushingless bull barrel proved accurate with a wide range of loads.
Firing Tests
The pistol is supplied with two nine round 9mm magazines. I added a couple of Wilson Combat ten round magazines. Most of the ammunition expended was Blazer 115 grain FMJ. I added a couple of other choices including the 147 grain Federal Gold Match loading. A 36.5 ounce 9mm doesn’t kick much and this handgun is a joy to fire. With a straight to the rear trigger compression, low bore axis, and comfortable grip the MR1911 offers a very pleasant firing platform. This is a stable firearm. Draw, get on target, compress the trigger straight to the rear, allow the trigger to reset during recoil, repeat. There is no handgun faster to an accurate first shot than the 1911. One of the drills I practice often is the standard response drill. To achieve a passing score the shooter must draw, get on target, fire and connect with an X ring hit at ten yards. The time limit is 1.5 seconds. The combination of a good holster a trained shooter and a very good pistol aced this test. The holster utilized in this drill was the Galco Thunderclap.
That’s the author’s head shots at a long 25 yards offhand. The gun is more accurate than the shooter.
The Galco Thunderclap is a readily available holster offering an alternative to the sometimes months long wait for a custom grade holster. Galco’s Thunderclap is part of their boutique grade Masterbilt series. Masterbilt holsters are of premium saddle leather. Stitching is excellent, edging is very good, and the final fit finish and drying ensure a good fit. The Thunderclap features a neutral draw angle. This draw angle allows the shooter to get a fast grip on the handle and proceed to a locked wrist firing grip. I was surprised to find the tunnel loop belt loop is metal reinforced. A well designed tunnel loop extension is a new wrinkle in the Avenger style holster. The result is a system that keeps the holster tight into the body. The Thunderstrike makes use of a wide and stiff spine to incorporate the rearmost belt loop. The holstering welt is well stitched to the holster body. The metal reinforced tunnel loop and holstering welt are one piece. I found the draw sharp and re-holstering smooth but requiring a push to fully seat the handgun- a desirable trait.
Galco’s Masterbilt Thunderclap holster is a great all around carry rig.
This is the bushingless barrel lockup of the 10mm MR 1911. It works well!
The final step was firing for accuracy from a benchrest at 25 yards. I elected to try several loads from our top ammunition sources. These are defense loads with a good balance of expansion and penetration and they maximize the caliber. After firing the MR1911 extensively I find it a handgun well suited to recreational use, personal defense, home defense, and some types of competition. My personal Desert Eagle isn’t quite vintage yet but it is long serving and has never failed. The newer guns may be better. That is as strong a recommendation as I may provide.
The MR1911 is available in Government Model, Commander, and Officer’s Model Lengths.
Accuracy testing
25 yards distance, five shot group from a benchrest firing position
Federal 124 grain HST 1.9 in.
Federal 147 grain HST 2.25 in.
Remington 115 grain JHP 2.5 in.
Speer 124 grain Gold Dot +P 1.95 in.
Specs
- Barrel Length: 5.01”
- Overall Length: 8.63”
- Height: 5.25”
- Width: 1.28”
- Weight: 36.5 oz
- Trigger Pull: 3.8 lbs
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