.357 Magnum in 1911

[TC]

My roommate in college came from a farming family. I spent a lot of time with them and she has been hanging around her "uncle Joel" since she was knee high to a grasshopper. Uncle Joel has no daughters, just four boys; her "cousins". She gets to play with all Uncle Joel's toys, ride his horses and his ATV's, shoot his guns, anything she wants. Hell, he even let her drive his precious Mustang Cobra that he wouldn't let his boys drive. Uncle Joel doesn't say "no" to her.
As to why she gets photographed a lot? Oleg thinks she is photogenic and easy to get along with. BTW, Oleg is a big promoter of the Coonan. The camo version she is shooting in some of the shots is his. The stainless finished one in the other shots is a loaner from the factory.

XL,
The mystery of my life unwinds... God gave me almost everything but saved Uncle Joel for a special lady in another hemisphere

Have to agree with Oleg. She looks very natural in all the photographs... especially with the guns, thanks to her early training and keen interest.
Please tell Oleg if I ever make to your country I would like to empty a magazine through that camo Coonan. And would love to be photographed as well
Thanks XL

TC

[Mark]

The recoil of a 1911 firing a .45 is quite manageable is it not?

Skyman,

It is quite manageable, especially with proper training.

Apologies as I have posted this picture before but it illustrates it pretty well. This is my middle child when he was a lot smaller than he is now!

[Skyman]

This picture is exactly what i was alluding to, thank you sir.

[Baljit]

I had a whole bunch of .45 ACP pistols - GI issue, Colt, Para Ordnance, STI,

Grumpy >>>>>>> what i understand is the hand guns are ban in UK from some time and how did you keep all of these 1911? I had a lot's of friends in UK they are always said "we can't have the handguns here in UK".

Can you explain everything for all of us? Your valuable advice on this going to help lot's guys in UK. Also I like to forward all the info.from you to my friends in UK.

Can you post the pictures of you 1911 here so everybody can enjoy you 1911?


Timmy........ We also can shoot 38 Spl.in this 1911.Only you have to do is change the recoil spring. Back in days when I am shooting in IPSC then I always change the spring when I am changing my loads, it is very impotent to change the spring with light or heavy loads.This is why I am very serious about this toy so I can shoot 357 and 38 from this semi auto and it's in 1911.

XL........ Thank's for the pictures you post here,it's make my day every time when i see the picture of your daughter. I WISH SHE IS MY DAUGHTER.

FN-Five-Seven.......What make you think that 1911 only made for .45? What about if someone like to shoot other than .45? if you like the Glock then good for you but from my point of view that the Glock is a piece a junk, I am sorry if I heart your felling about Glock but this is true and I proud to say I own four 1911in three caliber 9MM, 40S&W and .22LR and now I am thinking to getting a fifth one.

XL....... Again thank you very much for the explain everything to FN-Five-Seven and for the video you post. I still don't know why the peoples think that the 1911 only made for .45, what about the other calibers? If still someone thinks that .45 is best caliber in 1911 then I am going to challenge them to come out and shoot with me.It's going to 8 inch. plate at 50 yards, they can shoot 1911 in .45 and I am going to shoot .22LR in 1911,after that they are going to find out that the 1911 is not only for .45 anymore, there is lot's other caliber in the market for 1911s and I am totally agree with XL on this Conon.
The price tag on this Coonon around $1600 and I think it's comes with two mag. and i am waiting for more info. from my dealer.



Baljit

[FN-Five-Seven]

Your question seems to be; "why"?

Exactly . Spot On

Well, to that I would say; "Why Not".

That's what I am curious to know .

Just because it's a 1911 doesn't mean it should only fire .45 ACP. 1911's today are made in many different calibers like 9mm, 40 S&W, 38 Super, etc.

I am not saying that a 1911 pistol should only chamber & fire .45 ACP rounds . And I am not saying that there is something wrong if people buy and use a 1911 which is chambered for rounds other than .45 ACP . For example , if someone buys a 1911 chambered in .22 LR ( or an .22 LR adapter kit ) and uses it for plinking , so to keep the ammo costs down ; I understand . What I do not understand is the logic behind using a high performance round such .357 Mag in pistol which has 100 + year old design and technology . Now while typing this and the rest of my post my tone is not skeptical ; it's just the curiosity of a firearm novice .

The .357 Mag is a damn good cartridge as far as handgun cartridges go. It is powerful, flat shooting and in most handguns, quite accurate. It will significantly out perform the .45 ACP in almost every way. It certainly has more velocity and muzzle energy than the .45 ACP. You are also going to get a little better performance out of the cartridge in a semi-auto rather than in a revolver, as there is no barrel-cylinder gap in the semi-auto.

There is no denying that a.357 Mag performs better that a .45 ACP . And also agreeing with the fact that in a semi auto .357 Mag will get more barrel pressure and range due to the absence of the cylinder gap , which is present in any revolver . But , in a revolver the barrel is fixed to the frame , where as in a 1911 , it has a locked breech barrel , so the accuracy of the round will be affected . It may not be much , but still a fixed barrel firearm would be more accurate than a locked breech barrel firearm . I am not implying that 1911s are inaccurate , I am saying a Model 686 revolver would be more accurate .

What's so great about the 1911 today? It is a slim, generally reliable, semi-auto that can be carried concealed relatively easily (with the right holster and the right belt).

But a 1911 is a single action pistol . In a defensive situation , I would prefer a double action firearm , be it a revolver or a pistol . I look at handguns as a defensive tools . I prefer using a rifle or a long gun for recreational shooting . It's not that I find anything wrong with people using a handgun for recreational shooting , it's just that I primarily look at them at defensive tools .

Also the 1911 does not have ambidextrous controls for safety or magazine release . Now , why would this bother me , a right handed person ?
Well , what if I get involved in a fist fight and end up injuring my right arm to the extent that I can't use it to draw my weapon and defend myself . Then I have to use my left hand to fire it . But I will have problems , trying to fire with my left hand , when my gun is designed to used by a right handed person . And while I am struggling with my index finger to get the Safety into "Off" mode , my attacker would have pumped a magazine full of rounds into me . Same can be said the magazine release .

Now having said all these , the question is would I like to own a 1911 pistol ?

The answer would be , I would LOVE to own a Ed Brown 1911 from their Kobra Series and Signature Series each, but as long as it's the 5" Government Model and chambers a .45 ACP round . Just my preference . And they would be my collectable items not defensive tool . I wouldn't be using them a daily carry gun , because I would be too much worried about damaging the finish on the slide & frame every time I take them in & out of the holster .

Another question , is that would I like to own a Coonan 1911 which chambers a .357 Mag ?
The answer would be ... Maybe , if I am sure it would fetch me more money than I paid for it after 3 - 4 years . Or else no .

About Revolver vs pistols , yes , it depends on person to person . I would not go on the Pros & Cons of either of them as it would be Off Topic . Maybe some other thread , some other day . I would just say that I would like to own a Desert Eagle .50 AE , but I would love to own a Ruger Redhawk Alaskan which chambers the .454 Casull round .

And about my love for GLOCKs , I don't have any fascination of them . Looks wise they look like , they have carved out of big pieces of charcoal . I am hoping I am not offending any GLOCK owners / lovers , when I say they look like pieces charcoal , but kept side by side with a Ed Brown Kobra , they sort of do .
I would buy a GLOCK as defensive tool because I like their " Safe Action " mechanism . I would like a GLOCK for it's ease of field striping . I would like a GLOCK because they have the least non ammo related malfunctions .

And other words , I would compare GLOCK firearms to Toyota vehicles . Toyota vehicles are good reliable vehicle to get you from point A to B , but they do not have the best ride quality , or the best handling , or the most horse power . They are good over all vehicles or transportation tools . Similarly GLOCKs in my view are good overall firearms , but not the last word in firearms .

Thanks for posting the videos & photos , explaining the importance of grip and shooting stance to control the recoil of the firearm . I was not saying that a 1911 chambered in .357 Mag would have a uncontrollable recoil and sometime the gun may even fly off the hand of the shooter . I was just saying the recoil of a .357 Mag 1911 would be different from a .45 ACP 1911 .

@ Baljit

Don't worry , you did not offend me by calling GLOCK firearms are junk . First of all , I don't own a GLOCK , and from the look of things ( read Gun Laws of India ), I never will . And even in a one in a million chance , if I ever do own a GLOCK , it would be just a tool for me ; like the hammer in my tool box . The day , the gun will malfunction or get obsolute , I will replace it with a better version . No attachments to it , of any sort , whatsoever .

By the way , do post the pics of your Coonan when you get it , and if possible a video like XL_Target mentioned .

Regards

F-N-Five-Seven

[timmy]

Timmy........ We also can shoot 38 Spl.in this 1911.Only you have to do is change the recoil spring. Back in days when I am shooting in IPSC then I always change the spring when I am changing my loads, it is very impotent to change the spring with light or heavy loads.This is why I am very serious about this toy so I can shoot 357 and 38 from this semi auto and it's in 1911.

Baljit: Yes, I understand that you can chamber 38 Special in the 357, and that a lighter recoil spring is needed to allow the action to cycle with lighter loads.

What my own issue would be is that I'm only interested in shooting 38 Special. For that, the chamber would need to be cut only to the 38 Special length. The additional distance a 38 Special bullet needs to "jump" to make it into the 357 throat may not affect accuracy significantly for most uses, but for pure target use, one would want the chamber optimized for 38 Special.

That's just me.

The gun looks great!

[Grumpy]

Baljit, you should note that I said that I HAD a whole bunch of .45 ACP pistols. Handguns were not banned in the UK until 1997. Up until that date I owned, sold, repaired and shot handguns and built pistols for PP disciplines.

[xl_target]

Your question seems to be; "why"?

Exactly . Spot On

Well, to that I would say; "Why Not".

That's what I am curious to know .

You've got to remember that for someone like Baljit who already has a number of firearms, it not a question of need or necessity, it's a question of "want".
He thinks it would be a cool pistol to own and shoot and so he want's one and he can afford it. That should be good enough. Apparently a lot of people think the same way too or they wouldn't be selling as many as they do.

What I do not understand is the logic behind using a high performance round such .357 Mag in pistol which has 100 + year old design and technology .

That is the genius of John Moses Browning's designs. Most of them are timeless. Most modern Semi-auto's use ideas that JMB came up with. What is amazing is that 112 years after the adoption of the 1911 by the US army, there isn't anything that is leaps and bounds above the 1911 as far as handgun designs are concerned.

But a 1911 is a single action pistol . In a defensive situation , I would prefer a double action firearm , be it a revolver or a pistol . I look at handguns as a defensive tools . I prefer using a rifle or a long gun for recreational shooting . It's not that I find anything wrong with people using a handgun for recreational shooting , it's just that I primarily look at them at defensive tools .

Most modern 1911's are designed to be carried "cocked and locked". That means that they have the hammer back, a cartridge in the chamber and the safety on. Releasing the safety allows you to release the trigger with a very short trigger pull. Many modern 1911's also have a firing pin block that is not released till the trigger is all the way back. They also have a grip safety that ony allows the trigger to come back when it is depressed all the way. So they can be as safe as anything out there. With the 1911, one way that you train is to automatically take the safety off by resting your thumb on the safety. If you train this way there is no thinking about taking the safety off, it is off as you bring your gun to bear on the target. A very short trigger pull now is all that is required to fire the gun.

A double action pistol or revolver, by necessity, has a significantly longer and stiffer trigger pull as the hammer has to be cocked first before the gun can fire. That can throw off the aim of someone who is not well versed with it (or even someone who is well versed with it) especially if they are in a defensive/stressful situation. I watched this just last week at our clubs' bowling pin shoot. A friend of mine who was shooting the large caliber part of it had a problem with his .45 ACP DA/SA pistol, so he pulled out his S&W 686 and started using that instead. As I was running the timer at his station I was able to observe that all his shots were going high and to the left. Keep in mind that he has had this pistol for many years and has shot hundreds, if not thousands, of rounds through it. He reloads for this pistol and shoots it almost every week. I have seen him shoot excellent groups with this pistol. He had just never used it in a competition where he was pressed for time. Now, will someone else shooting this same pistol have the same issue, maybe... maybe not.

In the DA/SA pistols, the first pull is usually a long pull, cocking the hammer before it can be released. Every subsequent shot is single action like the 1911. The striker fired pistols like the Glock have the same pull for every shot because the striker is already cocked. No particular action type is superior or inferior if you are well trained on that type of action. Unfamiliarity with the action type or the particular firearm in an unfamiliar situation is what will cause problems for the user.

Also the 1911 does not have ambidextrous controls for safety or magazine release . Now , why would this bother me , a right handed person ?
Well , what if I get involved in a fist fight and end up injuring my right arm to the extent that I can't use it to draw my weapon and defend myself . Then I have to use my left hand to fire it . But I will have problems , trying to fire with my left hand , when my gun is designed to used by a right handed person . And while I am struggling with my index finger to get the Safety into "Off" mode , my attacker would have pumped a magazine full of rounds into me . Same can be said the magazine release .

Ambidextrous controls can be added to almost any 1911. Adding an ambi safety to most modern 1911's is very simple. You just buy an ambi safety, pull the old one out and stick the new one in. Of course, you need a cutout under your left grip to make this work. You can do that with a dremel in about ten seconds. I personally, am not a fan of ambi safeties. I have the narrow minded view of looking at every pistol from a carry standpoint and I don't like the extra bit sticking out or possibly snagging clothing. One can learn to operate the safety with either hand, you just have to practice it. Do some people prefer an ambi safety? Sure and if that works for them, then that is what they should use. As far as the mag release goes, its pretty much automatic. When the slide locks back, you press the mag release as you are reaching for a new mag. Given practice, it happens without having to think about it. The same thing applies with "Tap, Rack and Bang". When the pistol fails to fire a round, one does a "Tap, Rack and Bang" first, without thinking about it. In most cases, this will allow you to keep firing. Lets say you have a dud primer or a weak primer strike. Chances are that a second strike will ignite the primer. In a DA or DA/SA pistol, you could pull the trigger again, In an SA pistol you could cock the hammer again. In a Glock you would have to "Tap, Rack and Bang". A "Tap, Rack and Bang" in all four action types will also (generally) fix the problem. Training with your pistol will help you resolve problems in the field. Notice that I keep bringing up training?

If you have lost the use of your right hand, you will have more problems than the mag release and safety. How will you get to a new magazine or load it without releasing the gun which is now in your left hand? If you're carrying a gun for self defence, you avoid getting in a fist fight at all costs. In fact, you try your best to avoid any kind of confrontation. It is better to retreat, if you can. It is easier to walk away or run away, if you can. EIther that, or get ready to face years of litigation, whether you are in the right or not because once you use your pistol (which should be the absolute last resort when no other means will suffice) on a human being, there is going to be litigation of some kind. Keep in mind that if your assailant is close enough for fisticuffs to ensue, you're already behind the curve.


Getting back on the topic of this post: just FYI, here are photos of the standard Coonan vs. the Coonan Cadet (which is not currently offered by the company).

image from HERE


Image from HERE

[timmy]

What I do not understand is the logic behind using a high performance round such .357 Mag in pistol which has 100 + year old design and technology .

This comment has an element that I do not understand. Take the 1911, for instance, which has its roots in the M1905 and Browning's original toggle link short recoil action, which dates from around the turn of the century -- making the Coonan a revamp of a design that's about 113 years old.

What I don't understand, by this measure, is how the .357 is considered "modern." The .357 was designed in 1934, making it a 79 year old revamp of the 38 Special, which is a 115 year old revamp of the 120 year old 38 Long Colt.

The basic design of the cartridge you call "modern" is therefore older than the basic design of the gun you apparently consider "ancient"!

But , in a revolver the barrel is fixed to the frame , where as in a 1911 , it has a locked breech barrel , so the accuracy of the round will be affected . It may not be much , but still a fixed barrel firearm would be more accurate than a locked breech barrel firearm . I am not implying that 1911s are inaccurate , I am saying a Model 686 revolver would be more accurate .

This is an interesting comment! Semi automatic pistols based on modified 1911s and revamped 1911 designs have been the standard in pistol competition accuracy long after they put revolvers to bed, decades ago. Consider that, at least in your vaunted Smith & Wesson design, that, even if the chambers are all exactly on center, the cylinder cannot be reliably aligned with the barrel by a figure less than the clearance of the locking bolt in the notches of the cylinder, which also assumes that the locking notches are cut at exactly 60, as well. The bullet must jump from each of these 6 chambers through a lengthy freebore into an overbore forcing cone, after which it hopefully strikes the rifling squarely.

Contrary to your understanding, there are a lot more tolerances to add up in a revolver than in the 1911 design. In essence, your design intuition seems to find a tipping barrel to be less precise than a two piece barrel, and one where part of the barrel consists of 6 hopefully interchangeable parts, which are, in turn, swung in and out of the solid frame you find so reassuring. and which the hand that turns the cylinder tries to force out of the frame every time the cylinder is rotated.

But a 1911 is a single action pistol . In a defensive situation , I would prefer a double action firearm , be it a revolver or a pistol .

If that is what you prefer, I can have no argument with that. However, a double action trigger pull on any handgun, be it revolver or semi auto, is necessarily different from a single action trigger pull. On the 1911, carrying the pistol cocked and locked, which is as safe as anything, means that after flipping the safety off, the first trigger pull is the same as all the rest. Flipping off the safety is hardly a delay in bringing the weapon into action, as it can easily be accomplished while the weapon is being drawn with only a small amount of practice.

Also the 1911 does not have ambidextrous controls for safety or magazine release . Now , why would this bother me , a right handed person ?
Well , what if I get involved in a fist fight and end up injuring my right arm to the extent that I can't use it to draw my weapon and defend myself . Then I have to use my left hand to fire it . But I will have problems , trying to fire with my left hand , when my gun is designed to used by a right handed person . And while I am struggling with my index finger to get the Safety into "Off" mode , my attacker would have pumped a magazine full of rounds into me . Same can be said the magazine release .

This is an interesting pair of observations!

First, it is hardly a problem to find an ambidextrous safety for a 1911 nowadays. But, some (and not all of the many 1911 clones) don't come with the ambidextrous safety, I will give you that.

Second, I have to wonder at your magazine release comment! Are you saying that 1911s don't have an ambidextrous magazine release, but revolvers do? Which revolver has an ambidextrous cylinder release?

Furthermore, when you pull your revolver with your left hand and work its ambidextrous cylinder release, how do you reach over and load the cylinder with your right hand when the cylinder swings out to the left side of the weapon?

Please don't bring up the issue of single action revolvers! We all know that Col. Colt was left handed and his Single Action Army has the loading gate on the correct side for a left handed person...

[xl_target]

What I do not understand is the logic behind using a high performance round such .357 Mag in pistol which has 100 + year old design and technology

To add to Tim's reply to this statement:

The logic behind it is simple.
You are using a tried and true cartridge in a tried and true mechanism made on some of the most modern types of CNC machines (http://haascnc.com/home.asp) that you can use. That tried and true mechanism is made using materials by taking into account the most modern metallurgical techniques available. I see nothing illogical in that.

The most interesting part to me was the magazine follower. It had a hole in the middle through which a rod had to be passed through and used as a lever to depress the strong mag spring. This tiny stainless steel rod came in the box with he Coonan and had a tiny metal silhouette of the pistol attacked to one end of its through a chain.... the whole thing was like a keychain

TC here is the mag loader you were talking about. You just stick the pin in the hole in the follower and that helps you to pull the follower down but in reality, the mags load pretty easily.


image from HERE

I would also like to point out that this is a very high quality pistol.
Below is the one with the brushed stainless frame.
Look at the quality of the machining here.


image from HERE


image by Oleg


image by Oleg

[xl_target]

Baljit,
Not many people make holsters for the Coonan but one who does is the guy I buy my holsters from.
His prices are reasonable and his lead times are low for a custom holster.







All images by Oleg

[winnie_the_pooh]

Skyman,It is quite manageable, especially with proper training.

Apologies as I have posted this picture before but it illustrates it pretty well. This is my middle child when he was a lot smaller than he is now!
[ Image ]

...and you had to go and post that photo.Don't you know some people might get extremely traumatized by it ?

[FN-Five-Seven]

You've got to remember that for someone like Baljit who already has a number of firearms, it not a question of need or necessity, it's a question of "want".
He thinks it would be a cool pistol to own and shoot and so he want's one and he can afford it. That should be good enough. Apparently a lot of people think the same way too or they wouldn't be selling as many as they do.

My curiosity was simple a technical one , not about why any individual on or off the forum should or should not own .

In the DA/SA pistols, the first pull is usually a long pull, cocking the hammer before it can be released. Every subsequent shot is single action like the 1911. The striker fired pistols like the Glock have the same pull for every shot because the striker is already cocked. No particular action type is superior or inferior if you are well trained on that type of action. Unfamiliarity with the action type or the particular firearm in an unfamiliar situation is what will cause problems for the user.

100% ; everybody has their reason for their preferences .

If you're carrying a gun for self defence, you avoid getting in a fist fight at all costs. In fact, you try your best to avoid any kind of confrontation. It is better to retreat, if you can. It is easier to walk away or run away, if you can.

XL Dada , only if i had the luxury
Goons , from the Bengal- Jharkhand border area , will pounce on someone ,unarmed risking getting shot , when they learn that he/ she has a weapon just to snatch it . Gun or no gun , I will have to use my hands . Since I am operating a business over there , sooner or latter , I will run into them .

The basic design of the cartridge you call "modern" is therefore older than the basic design of the gun you apparently consider "ancient"!

Oh ... I am not calling anything "modern " or apparently considering anything "ancient " . It''s all you putting your own words in my comment , trying to convince me that I said it .
Are you a lawyer by any chance ?

All I said about the .357 Mag round is that , it's a high performance round .

This is an interesting comment! Semi automatic pistols based on modified 1911s and revamped 1911 designs have been the standard in pistol competition accuracy long after they put revolvers to bed, decades ago. Consider that, at least in your vaunted Smith & Wesson design, that, even if the chambers are all exactly on center, the cylinder cannot be reliably aligned with the barrel by a figure less than the clearance of the locking bolt in the notches of the cylinder, which also assumes that the locking notches are cut at exactly 60, as well. The bullet must jump from each of these 6 chambers through a lengthy freebore into an overbore forcing cone, after which it hopefully strikes the rifling squarely.

Contrary to your understanding, there are a lot more tolerances to add up in a revolver than in the 1911 design. In essence, your design intuition seems to find a tipping barrel to be less precise than a two piece barrel, and one where part of the barrel consists of 6 hopefully interchangeable parts, which are, in turn, swung in and out of the solid frame you find so reassuring. and which the hand that turns the cylinder tries to force out of the frame every time the cylinder is rotated.

Despite the engineering lecture , I will stick to what I said .

Second, I have to wonder at your magazine release comment! Are you saying that 1911s don't have an ambidextrous magazine release, but revolvers do? Which revolver has an ambidextrous cylinder release?

Furthermore, when you pull your revolver with your left hand and work its ambidextrous cylinder release, how do you reach over and load the cylinder with your right hand when the cylinder swings out to the left side of the weapon?

Furthermore, when you pull your revolver with your left hand and work its ambidextrous cylinder release, how do you reach over and load the cylinder with your right hand when the cylinder swings out to the left side of the weapon?

I mentioned the words " weapon " & " gun " in the portion you quoted . The word " Revolver " and the concept of " Ambidextrous Cylinder release " are your imaginary contribution . So I think it's best you answer your questions yourself and consider I answered it .

Please don't bring up the issue of single action revolvers! We all know that Col. Colt was left handed and his Single Action Army has the loading gate on the correct side for a left handed person...

It's pretty evident , that I don't like the Single Action mechanism . So don't worry about me , bringing it up .
But hey , you sure can bring it up , and say I did it . I am always game for good humor any day .

Regards

F-N-Five-Seven

[winnie_the_pooh]

Xl,

Nice machining but sharp corners... ouch! ........or maybe I have sensitive skin

[xl_target]

XL Dada , only if i had the luxury
Goons , from the Bengal- Jharkhand border area , will pounce on someone ,unarmed risking getting shot , when they learn that he/ she has a weapon just to snatch it . Gun or no gun , I will have to use my hands . Since I am operating a business over there , sooner or latter , I will run into them .

I understand 5-7, Sometimes I tend to forget just how crowded parts of India can be.
Unlike here, where it is easy to keep plenty of space between yourself and a perceived assailant, even in the center of a city, it is hard to prevent people from approaching close to you in India.
One just hopes that one would be alert enough to spot trouble coming before it's right in your face. It is extremely hard to be alert all the time.

My curiosity was simple a technical one , not about why any individual on or off the forum should or should not own .

Ah, then I'm afraid I misunderstood your question.
You're asking why Dan Coonan picked the 1911 as the vehicle for the .357 Mag instead of some other type of pistol?
I can only surmise that he was more familiar with that pistol than any other. Keep in mind that he was young at the time, a college student and maybe didn't have extensive experience with handguns. It is possible that either him or someone in his family had a 1911 and so he was more familiar with it than any other type of pistol. Maybe he just liked the looks and the layout of the controls of the 1911. If I ever run into him again, I will have to ask him that question.

Xl,

Nice machining but sharp corners... ouch! ........or maybe I have sensitive skin

Winnie,
Good eye but I think they have ground down the sharp edges on the slide. While I didn't pay attention to it at the time, I handled several different Coonan's and never felt that there were excessively sharp corners. Certainly the frame has plenty of rounded corners (see image below). The seemingly sharp corners visible on the front of the slide didn't affect me as I didn't run my hand in that area.


image from HERE

http://olegvolk.net/gallery/technology/ ... ewsIndex=1
Take a look at this link above and you can see that they have just broken the edge of the sharp corners on the slide (very large image).