COLT WILEY CLAPP COMMANDER SS

Details

The pistol’s stainless finish was flawless yet subdued. Which is exactly what you would want on a pistol designed to be carried concealed. It also has the features that are considered mandatory on a combat 1911 today, including an extended beavertail grip safety with a palm swell, an undercut triggerguard to allow the shooter to get a higher grip on the pistol for better handling and recoil control, a lowered and flared ejection port to get rid of spent cases reliably and an aggressively beveled magazine well to smooth out reloading.

The Commander is fitted with some of the most unique-looking grips I’ve ever seen. They are smooth except for finely checkered sections that match up with the three fingers that actually wrap around the grip. When combined with the 25-lpi checkering on the frontstrap and mainspring housing you get an extremely firm purchase on the pistol even with wet hands or when wearing gloves.

The pistol features a plain black Novak LoMount rear sight while the Novak front sight blade features a brass bead. This is exactly the type of setup I prefer on handguns, as it allows you to line up the sights quickly and acquire the target without trying to line up those three white dots most pistols now come equipped with.

A Closer Look

The Colt Wiley Clapp Stainless Commander has a 4.25-inch, stainless, National Match barrel. The recoil system is just the way John Moses Browning designed it. I mean, why screw around with something that has worked just fine for 100-plus years?

Other than the aforementioned grip safety, the pistol lacks the extended controls that are considered de rigueur by many 1911 shooters today. Like the magazine release and slide stop, the thumb safety is of the short “GI” style, and the pistol is fitted with the traditional Commander-style rowel hammer. Why aren’t these devices extended/elongated as they are on the majority of 1911s today? Well, as Wiley put it bluntly, they’re not necessary and may hang up when the pistol is drawn from concealment.

The one other major difference between this Commander and most production Colt 1911s is that it uses the original Series 70 firing system rather than the Series 80 firing system with the internal firing pin block safety. It is claimed by some that this provides a smoother, lighter trigger pull. But Wiley wanted the Series 70 and that’s what he got; since the trigger on my test pistol broke crisply at exactly 3.5 pounds, I cannot disagree with Mr. Clapp!

Rounds Downrange

I test-fired the Commander for accuracy from a rest at 25 yards. I was pleased to see that it shot to the point of aim with three different factory loads and one of my favorite handloads, producing groups ranging from 1.5 to 3 inches in size.

I’ve grown bored with running standard off-hand drills, so I decided to put the Colt through a more interesting exercise—the El Presidente. Developed by Colonel Jeff Copper, this drill requires drawing the pistol and firing multiple shots on each target, transitioning between targets, performing combat reloads and reengaging targets.

I began with my back to three IPSC targets and my hands raised above my shoulders. Upon a signal, I turned, drew the pistol and fired a double-tap at each target. I then performed a combat reload and reengaged each target with more shot pairs. I repeated this drill five times. When my wife, Becky, and I examined the targets, I was very pleased to discover that every round I fired impacted inside the targets’ A zones. Or as Becky put it with a sly grin on her face, “You done good, son!”

Afterwards, Becky ran the Colt through the same drill three times and kept the majority of her rounds inside the A zones. Which I feel is darn good shooting, as she had not fired a 1911 in some time, and this was the first .45 ACP pistol she ever fired (like me, she is a fan of the 9mm).

Final Thoughts

We were both impressed with how the checkered frontstrap and mainspring housing provided a firm purchase and aided in recoil control. I believe that the modifications Wiley suggested make this one of the best-handling Commander-sized 1911s I’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting. There is only one complaint I had about it. After extensive firing, the brass bead on the front sight became blackened with residue and had to be repeatedly wiped off. For that reason I would like to see Colt offer this pistol with the option of a red fiber-optic front sight. Other than that, it was a real winner. Or, as Becky would no doubt say to Wiley, “You done good, son!”

Colt Wiley Clapp Stainless Commander Specs