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).
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