Commander 2011 Shootout

Since I recently acquired several new non-ported/comped 4.25" 2011 style guns for my collection, I thought it would be fun to do a Commander 2011 Shootout to compare and rank them all, as I did last year with all of my ported 2011s. My previous shootout was not very scientific, and this one isn't either, but it is certainly fun for me to take several guns to the range and compare them side-by-side. All of these guns have steel frames and chopped grips, so it is definitely more of an apples-to-apples comparison than the ported 2011 shootout. In addition to doing doubles at 5 yards to compare the recoil impulse and return to zero of each gun, I also did a string of 10 rounds at a moderate pace at 15 yards to further compare each gun's return to zero. This is something I should've done with the ported 2011 shootout, but I don't think the results would've been any different. I also shot 10 rounds of off-the-shelf 115gr factory ammo through each gun to get another perspective of recoil impulse and muzzle rise comparison. This is also something I should've done with the ported 2011 shootout, as higher power ammo will better exploit the advantages of ports and comps.

The Kimber 2K11 Pro came out on top. This gun really surprised me, as its recoil impulse is very similar to the Prodigy with my reloaded training/match ammo, but it has a more consistent return to zero. It is slightly snappier than my Prodigy with off-the-shelf factory ammo, but the difference is barely noticeable.

The Springfield Prodigy 1911DS came in at a very close 2nd place. This gun is very soft shooting and has a good return to zero with a minimal amount of input. I think the larger grip module of the Prodigy allows me to control the gun better with my large hands. I've also done the most training with this gun, so it has become my baseline for comparing other guns.

The Staccato Heritage P came in 3rd place. While I absolutely love the fit, finish, and aesthetics of this gun, it's lighter weight results in slightly more muzzle rise than the 2K11 Pro and the Prodigy.

The Alpha Foxtrot AF1911-Romulus came in 4th place. This gun also surprised me as it feels similar to the Heritage P and has an excellent return to zero. However, the Heritage P has a slightly softer recoil impulse.

The Watchtower Apache Commander came in 5th place. This gun feels almost identical to the Romulus in terms of recoil impulse and muzzle rise, but it is a little less consistent with its return to zero. This was even more apparent to me during the 15-yard string as all of the hits outside the A-zone were during the longer distance shots.

All of these guns shoot great, and when shooting them individually at my regular practice sessions I don't really notice much of a difference from gun to gun. It's only when shooting and comparing them side-by-side that I can notice subtle differences with each one. It's apparent to me that the biggest factor with the performance of a non-ported gun is the weight. I believe it would be possible to further fine tune the performance of each of these guns by experimenting with different recoil springs with my reloaded training/match ammo, but the benefits would be so minimal that I don't think it would be worth my time (i.e. - I am lazy).

Outlaw Action Pistol Match - 04/18/2026

Outlaw action pistol match (USPSA rules with IDPA scoring) at the Amarillo Rifle and Pistol Club. I was shooing my Race City Defense RC9c from concealment (AIWB) in the Carry Optics division. Despite acquiring several new non-ported/comped 4.25" 2011 style pistols recently, I wanted to shoot the RC9c again at another outdoor match. It is by far the best performing pistol that I currently own.

Stage 1: I ran this first stage of the day pretty conservatively as the sun was just clearing the top of the berm on the right side, so it was difficult to see all of those targets clearly as well as the dot with the optic not occluded. I had only one C-zone hit and managed to win the stage.

Stage 2: I ran this second stage fairly conservatively as well and was able to get all A-zone hits and go 1-for-1 on the Texas star. I placed 1st on this stage.

Stage 3: I picked up the pace on this stage, but I got a little sloppy when I tried shooting one target while moving into position. I even threw a make-up shot at it and still only had one A-zone hit. That target was my only C-zone hit, and I placed 1st on this stage as well.

Stage 4: A mirror image of stage 3, and I ran it almost identical to stage 3 only in reverse and had all A-zone hits with no make-up shots. I again placed 1st on this stage.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I won every stage and placed 1st Overall out of 25 with only 2 points down for the entire match. I attribute a lot of this to the RC9c and its excellent return to zero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqq8frMX8Ro

Alpha Foxtrot AF1911-Romulus 4.25" Handgun

I picked up a new non-ported/comped Alpha Foxtrot AF1911-Romulus 4.25" to add to my collection. I have been adding more non-ported/comped 2011 style guns to my collection because I prefer to train with them rather than my ported/comped guns which get dirty faster and tend to make me get a little lazy with my grip since the ports/comps are doing a lot of recoil mitigation. Prior to these recent additions, my only non-ported/comped steel frame 4.25" 2011 style guns were my Prodigy 1911DS and my Staccato Heritage P. Everything else I have is either ported, comped, or has an aluminum frame.  I recently added a Kimber 2K11 Pro and a Watchtower Apache Commander to my collection, and now this new Romulus. I wanted another budget 2011 style gun besides the Prodigy, and I really like the Romulus 3.5" Comp that I picked up several months ago. The fit, finish, and performance of the Alpha Foxtrot pistols are actually pretty good for their price, and I like that they are American made even though some of the parts are sourced from a Korean manufacturer (as are the Watchtower pistols).

As with the Romulus 3.5" Comp, I outfitted the pistol with the same Osight/Olight budget accessories and utilized all the factory parts to tune and customize it. The biggest difference with this 4.25" over the 3.5" Comp is that I did a step-cut grip chop to accept 16-round Staccato C2 magazines.

The Romulus grip module is about 2mm shorter than a typical full-size 2011 style grip module, so the grip chop is very minimal by comparison. I also did my typical RFV Tactical texture work in a 360-degree wrap around configuration, as I would do with a Prodigy 1911DS grip module. I used the left-over polymer from what I cut off the grip for the grip chop to fill in the indentions above the mag release button on both sides and textured those spots for a more traditional look.

To get the trigger weight below 3 pounds, I had to smooth out the sear face and hammer hooks with a fine stone to prevent hammer follow as those surfaces were pretty rough looking from the factory. This is an extra step that I don't normally have to do when tuning a 1911/2011 trigger but is sometimes necessary with the inconsistencies of MIM components. As I do with most of my personal 2011 style guns, I also thinned down the thumb safeties and slide stop lever and refinished them in my custom DLC Mimic color mix of Cerakote to match the gun. The flat DLC finish on this 4.25" is a nice contrast to the polished DLC on my 3.5" Comp. The front serrations on this gun have sharper edges and are much more functional than the serrations on the 3.5" Comp as the polishing process dehorns all of its sharp edges.

I am really happy with how this gun turned out, and I am again really impressed with the fit, finish, and performance of the Alpha Foxtrot pistols for their price. It's still hard for me to believe that these guns come with a DLC finish at such a low price point. They may actually be the best value in the "Budget 2011" category.

Watchtower Apache Commander Handgun

The release of the new Watchtower Defense Apache Commander caught my attention recently because I really like 4.25" 2011 style guns with full length dust covers. Watchtower has had some negative drama in the past due to quality control issues as well as financial issues that resulted in bankruptcy. Now that the financial issues appear to be over, the QC appears to have improved with their most recent production of pistols. 

Unfortunately, I think the new Commander is overpriced at $4000, so wrote it off until I recently came across a dealer on Gunbroker that I believe mistakenly listed this Commander with the specs and pricing for the newer aluminum frame Tactical Commander, which is priced at only $2700, but not yet available at the time of this post. So, I ended up with a $1300 discount on a brand new pistol. 😁

Photos from the Gunbroker auction

The pistol has a lot of features that I like... a wide steel frame, full length dust cover, aesthetically pleasing and usable front cocking serrations, an MJD Solutions grip module, a Dawson tool-less guide rod, and EGW internal components. While I would prefer an optic mounting plate for a Holosun 509T as an option, I like that their RMR footprint optic plate has a thin rear backup iron sight like an Atlas optic plate that allows a Trijicon SRO or RMR HD to sit farther back on the slide so that it doesn't hang over the ejection port and potentially cause ejection issues. Unfortunately, like the Atlas optic plate, it does not position the optic very low on the slide.

The pistol has good fit and finish with nice chamfers on the front of the slide and frame and is done in Black Nitride, so I didn't feel the need to do my typical dehorn and Cerakote refinish work. While not yet installed when most of these photos were taken, I also upgraded the MIM thumb safeties and slide stop lever with hardened steel components from EGW.

The machined checkering on the MJD grip module provides plenty of good traction, but I prefer the look and feel of my RFV Tactical texture work on a polymer grip module. As I did with my Kimber 2K11 Pro's grip module, I only stippled over the factory checkered areas while retaining the Watchtower logos, added a smooth border at the bottom of the mainspring housing to match the magwell border, and did a step-cut grip chop to accept 16-round Staccato C2 magazines.

The EGW internal components made it easy to tune the trigger down from a little over 4 pounds to my preferred weight of just under 3 pounds. The recoil spring was heavier than I would prefer, but I understand that the gun is marketed as a duty pistol that is expected to handle high power duty ammo. I installed a medium weight Dawson recoil spring so that it runs my lower powered reloaded ammo that I use frequently for training and matches without any issues, but still works with my defensive ammo. It has a little more muzzle rise than my non-ported Prodigy 1911DS and my Kimber 2K11 Pro, but it has a quick and consistent return to zero.

To be honest, the gun doesn't really have that much of a "wow factor" to justify its $4000 price tag, so I am a little disappointed with it in that regard, but I am definitely happy that I only paid $2700 for it. I think the gun would be a much better value if it actually retailed for only $3000 and came with quality non-MIM external controls and a DLC finish, but a Staccato P 4.4" is still probably a better option for a high-quality production 2011 as a duty pistol.