Colt Night Commander review, Black Tie EDC.

This handsome Rosco is the Colt Night Commander chambered in precisely what it should be: .45 Automatic It is essentially a gussied up Colt Lightweight Commander Now the Colt LW Commander has earned a stellar reputation as a solid carry pistol Light enough as to not tug on your britches and the traditional Commander four and a quarter inch barrel That cuts three-quarters of an inch of barrel and slide from the Government Model, all contributing to a gun you will reliably carry.

Note the half-textured G10 stocks While the pistol has a muted look with the deep blued slide and Cerakoted aluminum alloy receiver, the controls contrast with dull gunmetal grey This certainly enhances the pistol’s aesthetics Now I know that function over form is important, there is no reason your carry gun cannot be well-dressed The three hold aluminum trigger broke at about four and a half pounds There is some take-up and over-travel. Still, no more than expected. While it is a good trigger, I would not want it any lighter for a carry piece.

The sights are Novak Tritium three-dot night sights Notice the extended serrated thumb safety and serrated mainspring housing The beaver tail grip safety features a palm swell for added assurance that it is correctly gripped and disengaged The front strap is serrated and an undercut trigger guard, giving the pistol a very tactile feel, which is a plus because some of the hotter DoubleTap ammo we ran was lively in the thirty-ounce pistol All were able to get a solid purchase on the pistol during recoil. The pistol is well fit, but not so tight that it requires tools to disassemble precisely as it should.

The Night Commander features a Series 80 firing pin safety, which is a non-issue for me, and a dual-spring recoil spring setup This design should extend the life of your recoil spring system The Colt Series 80 system is time tested and a non issue for me The Night Commander as all other Lightweight Commanders, carries easily and shoots well While losing some mass will increase the perceived recoil, with good technique and all the serrations on the grip area the Colt is easy enough to control.

We ran about 400 rounds through the pistol from 230gr and 185gr ball from Defender Ammunition to some of the harder hitting DoubleTap Ammunition with a good mix of Winchester and Hornady therein. Throughout the review, no one experienced any malfunctions. The pistol ships with the Check-Mate eight-round magazines, but I also ran some of the seven-round magazines from Check-Mate and other manufacturers. If it fits, it shoots.

With good leather and a proper belt, a 1911 is not difficult to carry However, with a few adjustments, such as an aluminum alloy receiver and a Commander top end, we now have a pistol that is both easy to carry and conceal We shot the pistol at twenty-five yards from a rest, and it averaged three to four-inch groups In my opinion, based on my limited ability, this is beyond acceptable.

If you are in the market for a new carry piece but want something a little different, the Colt Night Commander is worth a look.

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