After more than a century, the 1911 platform is going stronger than ever. There are probably more options available to 1911 fans now that at any point in its long and honorable history. Many of these newer 1911s offer all of the bells and whistles of their more contemporary competitors, including the ability to mount lights and lasers. But what do you do if you have one of the untold numbers of 1911s produced without integral pistol rails and you want to mount a weapon light? Enter Recover Tactical and their CC3H Grip and Rail System.
Recover Tactical and the CC3P Grip Kit
Recover Tactical is a Los Angeles based company founded by Tamir Porat, an Israeli weapons engineer and industrial designer. He has worked on many military and police projects, such as the Israeli Tavor combat rifle.
The CC3H itself is manufactured in Israel. It’s a rather simple yet ingenious set of grips that allow you to quickly and easily upgrade any full sized frame 1911 or Commander style pistol into a modern railed tactical design. The grip kit consists of two weapon-grade polymer halves that clamshell along the grip frame and over the trigger guard and dust cover of your 1911.
Recover Tactical makes these in three sizes. The CC3H set I have is for full-sized, single-stack 1911s. There’s also a CC3C set for compact Officer’s ACP sized frames. The grips are available in black, phantom gray, olive drab, and tan.
MSRP on both the H and C versions is $39.95.
Finally, there’s a CC3P, also for full-sized single-stack 1911s. This one differs from the other two in that it has removable grip panel inserts and comes with two different colors in each set. Options are black grips with black and phantom gray grip panels, phantom gray with black and phantom gray grip panels, or tan with black and tan grip panels.
MSRP on the CC3P is $49.95.
CC3H Installation and Details
Installation does not require a gunsmith, and the only tools you need are something to remove your existing grips and a small Allen head wrench provided with the kit. Swapping out the old wood grips on my old Springfield Armory GI model took well under 5 minutes. That was even with me taking my time and snapping a few photos of the process.
The CC3H grips snapped into place perfectly, and the fit was excellent once I had the grip screws and two Allen screws that secure the rail portion of the system tightened down. The grips feature molded in ribs for a positive grip. They add a slight bit of girth to the grip being that they do wrap around the front strap, although no more so than any other wrap around grip design.
The one thing I did note was that they fill in the area under the trigger guard, so it does shift my grip slightly down in that area.
Overall feel was excellent, and they provided a solid grip even on the sweaty 90-degree day at the range when I first tested them. All of the 1911 controls were easily accessible with the CC3 installed, even on my basic GI model without any sort of extended safety or slide release. The rail itself is a standard Picatinny model, and it easily accepts my Streamlight TLR-1 HL weapons light. The light controls were also easily reached with the CC3 grips. They’ll work with any other brands of light or laser as well.
The HC11 Holster
With the CC3H grip module attached, your 1911 isn’t going to fit any conventional holsters. Luckily Recover Tactical has a couple options available.
The HC11 Active Retention and HC11 Passive Retention models are polymer holsters with an adjustable paddle that will accommodate a 1911 with the CC3 modules attached. They’re something of a clamshell design that the handgun slides into. They’ll work with or without a light or laser attached. The type of light or laser doesn’t really matter either. That’s a nice touch since so many holsters are light-specific these days.
They’ll fit either Commander sized 1911’s, or full sized ones where the barrel protrudes. An Officer’s ACP sized pistol should fit as well. It will just have some space left inside the barrel channel of the holster. The passive retention model uses a tension fit achieved by the holster body’s molding and the flex of the clamshell. The active retention model adds a push-button release on the side of the holster body. Left and right-hand models are available.
MSRP on either holster is $59.95.
I’ll be honest; they aren’t the smoothest when it comes to holstering and drawing the weapon. You basically are forcing the clamshell open to accept the rail of the CC3 and the light. On the draw you’re pulling through it. It works, though, and is pretty affordable.
I found that it’s actually much smoother holstering and drawing once when you’re wearing the holster, as opposed to just testing the fit off the body. How it works when you’re carrying it is obviously the most important thing. It’s definitely a viable option for carrying your CC3 modded 1911.
An Easy Upgrade for a Century-Plus Old Design
If you’re looking for a fast, simple way to upgrade your old 1911 then the Recover Tactical CC3H is definitely worth a look. I like that it’s as easy as swapping grips to install. Since it doesn’t require any modification to your pistol at all, it’s also a great choice to update an older gun that you want to leave in its original condition.
The CC3H is a solid performer with a great price at only $39.99, plus free shipping right from Recover Tactical.
