[Editor’s Note: 1911 for 2011, Zombie edition everything was all the rage. Thanks CDC, you were fun back then.]
There are two thoughts on special edition firearms.
First, the commemorative firearms designed by the factory just don’t appreciate that much. A true rarity such as one of the few surviving WW1 Colt Black Army guns, now, that is a valuable firearm. I am not a collector but an accumulator. The firearms I own are fired and carried.
This brings us to the SIG 1911. The SIG 1911 handgun is probably the most underrated of modern 1911 handguns. They always work as the shooter says. The design is subtly changed with an external rather than an internal extractor as found on the original.
P series shooters- when has your P220 or P226 extractor crapped out? Never? The pistol was originally produced with a slide that greatly resembles the P series but then SIG- as a result of popular demand- introduced the Classic 1911. This is a pistol that conforms more closely to the original lines. It fits every 1911 holster as well. The SIG magazine is great but Wilson Combat, MecGar, and junk 1911 magazines also lock in and function.
This brings us to the current SIG 1911. It was in a shop, and my friend Jeremy told me it was about ten years old and unfired. The magazines were in plastic and it appeared unfired. It was about the same price as a new SIG 1911. However- it had a couple of features I liked very much. First, the rear sights are fully adjustable. Second, they are bar dot types. The front tritium dot is just that, a round dot while the rear tritium sight is a horizontal bar.
I really like this set up. The rest of the pistol is unique. The grips are aluminum finished in green with splashes of red. The slide is marked with a green Z. The top of the slide doesn’t have a Legion marking, but rather a hazardous material warning. This is the ultimate Zombie .45.
Two thoughts on this gun
– SIG ruined a good gun and it is a monstrosity.
– Cool. Has everything. You have to have it.
I took it home.
The pistol was field stripped and lubricated along the long bearing surfaces. The pistol exhibits the usual SIG workmanship. The fit of the barrel, barrel hood, and bushing are excellent. The solid trigger is a good choice for a hard use pistol. The trigger action breaks at a clean 5.4 pounds.
I broke out a few rounds to evaluate the pistol. I really didn’t think I would add it to my carry rotation, but I like to know that everything in the gun safe functions or it doesn’t. The SIG 1911 ran and ran very well. I used a number the Remington UMC 230 grain FMJ loads during the evaluation. There are clean burning loads, accurate, and pack a punch.
When hiking or spelunking around Appalachia this is as good a load as you could desire. I found I needed to adjust the sights. Funny- every fixed sight 1911 seems to come out of the box zeroed. The adjustable sight pistols are always off!
The pistol required two clicks in windage to get dead on target. SIG’s recoil spring system works well. Recoil was modest as this is a five inch barreled, steel framed pistol. One fluke, one of the supplied magazines did not lock the slide back on the last shot. I dropped this SIG magazine in the trash and continued to use the other SIG magazine, along with MecGar and Wilson Combat magazines.
The pistol is quite pleasant to fire. As for absolute accuracy- this was a fun outing but just the same I put the SIG on the MTM Caseguard K zone rest and fired for a group at 15 yards. Five shots went into 1.2 inches. That is very good. This is a well fitted five inch barrel Government Model pistol with a good trigger and excellent sights. It should shoot that well.
I find the SIG Zombie gun an excellent addition to the battery. It is a fun gun, a conversation starter, and if need be as effective as any 1911 .45.
