The Jeff Cooper Commemorative
The day before yesterday, I picked up the recent Guns and Ammo rag publication "The Complete Book of the 1911" to read between glasses of egg nog and Christmas rum. It seems ol' Patrick Sweeney has been shooting a commemorative firearm.......
When Colonel Cooper passed away over a year ago, it was inevitable that a Jeff Cooper 1911 Commemorative would hit the market bearing his signature, legitimate or not.
I am pleased to see that Ed Brown has attempted to do it right, producing a true commemorative in a pistol that the old gent himself might have carried. It looks suspiciously like the Ed Brown Special Forces pistol with different grips and rollmarks, but no matter....
Unlike usual commemorative pistols, the finish is not nickel and gold. There is no likeness of the old man kneeling beside his largest caribou kill engraved and gold plated on the slide. Instead Brown produced a black pistol with serrations on only one end of the slide. It has Cooper's signature on one side, and DVC (Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas) on the reverse. A single sided thumb safety makes it appropriate for carry. A leather bound volume of Jeff Cooper's "Principles of Personal Defense" is included with the gun. I think I would take off that magazine extension or smack in a Wilson 47D with a low profile base pad though.
Alas, I must be out of the loop. Ed mailed off a pistol to Pat to shoot, but my mailbox has been empty. If I had $2,295 worth of spare pocket jingle, I might buy one instead of waiting. Alas though, I believe the Cooper Commemorative is destined to just be placed photographically in my Custom 1911 screensaver file instead of my safe. Maybe if I ebayed off all the ugly ties black socks and drugstore cologne I got for Christmas........
When Colonel Cooper passed away over a year ago, it was inevitable that a Jeff Cooper 1911 Commemorative would hit the market bearing his signature, legitimate or not.
I am pleased to see that Ed Brown has attempted to do it right, producing a true commemorative in a pistol that the old gent himself might have carried. It looks suspiciously like the Ed Brown Special Forces pistol with different grips and rollmarks, but no matter.... Unlike usual commemorative pistols, the finish is not nickel and gold. There is no likeness of the old man kneeling beside his largest caribou kill engraved and gold plated on the slide. Instead Brown produced a black pistol with serrations on only one end of the slide. It has Cooper's signature on one side, and DVC (Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas) on the reverse. A single sided thumb safety makes it appropriate for carry. A leather bound volume of Jeff Cooper's "Principles of Personal Defense" is included with the gun. I think I would take off that magazine extension or smack in a Wilson 47D with a low profile base pad though.
Alas, I must be out of the loop. Ed mailed off a pistol to Pat to shoot, but my mailbox has been empty. If I had $2,295 worth of spare pocket jingle, I might buy one instead of waiting. Alas though, I believe the Cooper Commemorative is destined to just be placed photographically in my Custom 1911 screensaver file instead of my safe. Maybe if I ebayed off all the ugly ties black socks and drugstore cologne I got for Christmas........
Labels: 1911's, Jeff Cooper
posted by Xavier at 2:58 PM
5 Comments:
The Modern Technique of the Pistol by Greg Morrison, has a chapter describing the API/Gunsite-recommended pistol modifications:
Necessary
1. High visibility sights: ramped front, snag resistant rear.
2. Single action trigger that breaks crisply at about four pounds or a smooth trigger cocking action that breaks at about ten pounds.
3. All sharp edges dehorned.
Useful
1. Solid barrel bushing
2. Lowered ejection port
3. Beveled magazine well
4. Extended thumb safety
5. Throated barrel and polished feed ramp
6. Rounded and polished extractor hook
7. Press fitted firing pin stop
8. Lanyard loop
Acceptable
1. Flat mainspring housing
2. Lightened magazine release spring
3. Magazine floorplate pads
4. Trigger stop
Questionable
1. Duckbill grip safety
2. Ambidextrous thumb safety (except for left-handed shooters)
3. Custom stocks
4. Adding stainless steel parts
5. Recoil buffers
Objectionable
1. Sight rib
2. Optical sight
3. Trigger shoe
4. Extended slide stop
5. Squared or hooked trigger guard
6. Loaded chamber indicator
7. Double action conversion for 1911
8. Muzzle brake
9. Extended magazine release
10. Long slide
11. Group gripper
12. Ejector modified to drop brass close to shooter
13. Bullseye match accuracy job.
I'm not much for commemorative pistols. I don't have a desire to have a "commemorative" anything.
Besides,commemorative guns are usually nickeled and engraved in a foppish way suited for Brazilian pimps.
At least this commemorative pistol avoided that trap.
Of course, there is always the Jeff Cooper Commemorative Glock.
I like it. Fit and finish appear to be excellent, although it is an advertising photo. And if one must have some type of vanity/commemorative markings, understatement is the way to go.
On another topic altogether: I'm going to have a major interruption in posting soon. As you already have a discerning eye for the exceptionally abused firearm, I'm hoping you would consider picking up the slack for me on Sundays. I still have a pretty good stash, but access to internet may be spotty depending on the Army.
I'd be honored MM!
Godspeed, and thank you.
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