Ruger SR1911 Lightweight Commander .45

A Classic, By Another Name…

By Massad Ayoob

When I was young, if you wanted to buy a new “.45 automatic,” you had one brand available: Colt. The gun seemed to be loved only by military combat vets and the NRA, which had a .45 segment in bull’s-eye shooting. There had been the target National Match version before WWII, resurrected as the Gold Cup in the latter 1950’s, the decade in which Jeff Cooper almost single-handedly brought the 1911 pistol back from moribundity. There was also the Colt Commander, its barrel length shortened from 5 to 4.25 inches, and introduced circa 1950 with a lightweight aircraft aluminum frame, the first such auto to hit the market.

The clocks ticked and the calendars turned. Today, there are more 1911 clones available than anyone seems to be able to actually count, and more cops and, armed citizens may be carrying 1911s than ever before. They’re available in more calibers and configurations than ever… and the lightweight ones are still harder to make, and make work.

A few years ago, Ruger jumped into the fray with their solid, affordable SR1911. Last year, they came out with an aluminum frame model, which they called—drum roll here please—the Lightweight Commander. Way to pay homage, there…

Brass flies as Mas runs the Lightweight Commander. Arrows show brass
from last 2 shots, light Ruger 4.25-inch .45 still on target.

Petite Gail Pepin finds the light SR1911’s recoil easy to manage with .45 hardball.

Mas is all smiles after shooting this 50-shot police qualifier on the Bianchi
Target with the new Ruger and finished with a satisfying score of 500-48X.

Accuracy And Reliability

About 10 ounces lighter than GI configuration, this lightweight Ruger .45 is naturally easier on the hip. I wore the test sample in an Ayoob Rear Guard IWB from Mitch Rosen and found it perfectly comfortable.

Trigger pull weight averaged 5 pounds, 10.5 ounces on a Lyman digital scale. There was some slight backlash, but the trigger is adjustable for that. Fixed sights gave a good sight picture and shot reasonably close to the mark. From a Caldwell Matrix rest on a concrete bench at 25 yards, Nosler Match Grade 230-grain JHP delivered five shots into 1.85 inches, and Federal 185-grain JHP grouped its five in 2.30 inches. The best three in each, a measurement that helps factor out human error and better predict inherent mechanical accuracy, ran 0.45 and 0.75 inches respectively, center to center. This is excellent accuracy for a standard priced, 4.25-inch 1911.

There’s obviously more “kick” in the lighter gun, but nothing a shooter with good technique can’t handle. I ran a 50-round police qualification with it on the Bianchi Cup target, keeping 48 of them in the 4-inch diameter X-ring. Two escaped into the 10-ring, one weak-hand-only at 4 yards and one from the Weaver stance at 15. A final score of 500-48X out of 500-50X possible was more than I would usually expect from a lightweight Commander.

The test gun came out of the box bone dry. Perversely, even though I knew 1911’s demand lubrication, we shot it that way to see what would happen. Around the 70th shot, we started seeing 12 o’clock misfeeds. The gun was then cleaned and lubed. Another misfeed occurred with an aftermarket magazine. We chucked that mag out of the test, and the lubricated Ruger ran 100 percent thereafter, using magazines by Wilson Combat (ETM) and what came with the gun, which I’m told are made by Checkmate.

From the extra-slim grips to the light heft, I liked the Ruger Lightweight Commander, although I would have liked it better with an ambi safety. Its retail of $899 hews to the long-standing Ruger tradition of good value for your money.

The arrow shows the titanium frame insert in the new Ruger’s aluminum frame to
prevent battering at that point by the feeding of .45 ACP. Not a new idea, but a
good one. A long time ago, Mas had the same thing done on his Colt LW Commander
by Bill Laughridge of Cylinder & Slide, who used a steel insert.

Ruger entered the 1911 market with the SR1911, a full-size pistol first (top).
The new Lightweight Commander (below) is the next logical step to the equation,
and has proved a good one.

SR1911
Maker: Sturm, Ruger & Co.
200 Ruger Road
Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 778-6555
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/sturm-ruger-co/
Action type: Locked breech, semi-auto
Caliber: .45 ACP
Capacity: 7+1
Barrel length: 4.25 inches
Overall length: 7.75 inches
Weight: 29.3 ounces
Finish: Matte stainless slide, black frame
Sights: Drift adjustable Novak 3-dot
Grips: Walnut, checkered
Price: $899

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