Since this is my first 1911 style pistol and my first .45acp, I really didn't know what to expect today. Here are my first impressions...
1..Dang this thing is heavy! Even without a loaded mag it's noticeably heavier than my XD9 even though the High Standard is a much smaller pistol. Gotta get a real gun belt for this baby.
2..This puppy is gonna be expensive to shoot...$17.00 for Monarch at Academy is the lowest price I could find locally. I've got to get some reloading dies ASAP!
3..Sweet trigger pull..even though it's still brand new. I'd guess it at about 4 lbs. Big improvement over the XD, and that's saying a lot. The XD's have excellent triggers but this gun is in a completely different time zone.
4.. The Novak sights aren't going to work for me. My 56 year old eyes just can't pick up the front sight unless I'm in full sunlight. It completely disappears inside the range today. I see another set of XS Big Dots in the not too distant future (and some new glasses, too).
5..Now, when I was able to get the sights lined up it shoots right where I put the sights. This just may be the most accurate handgun I've ever shot at 7 - 20 yards.
6.. The factory supplied grips are just plain ugly. They look like they were cut from a cedar fence slat. I see some new grips just over the horizon.....
7.. I put 100 rounds of cheap Monarch fmj's through it today without a hiccup. I think that's getting off to a good start.
8.. Recoil was not at all what I was expecting. I believe this gun actually has less felt recoil than my 9 mm Springfield XD and definitely has a lot less than my Kel-Tec .380. I guess that's a side benefit to the weight of this gun.
Overall I am very satisfied with my first range trip with this gun. I'm kinda surprised that I had no feeding problems considering the fact that it has never been fired before today except for two test rounds at the factory.
It's definitely not a Colt or Kimber, but I'm happy with what I got for the price I paid so far. I plan on putting about 200 rounds of fmj's and 100 rounds of hp's over the next month or so. If it proves as reliable in the long run as it did today this will become my new carry gun and the XD will be passed on to my son.
