The Taurus PT1911 is Brazillian firm Taurus International's attempt to recreate the classic M1911. Released in 2005, the PT1911 features many elements, that other M1911 examples would have fitted at an extra cost, as standard.
Design Details[]
The PT1911 is manufactured entirely from steel, with the frame and slide being manufactured from forged steel, and finished in blued carbon steel. The slide is custom fitted to each PT1911 so that the action is smoother and more reliable while also being slightly oversized to aid dismantling and reliability. Meanwhile, the barrel is fitted as close as possible with bushes to prevent/restrict the movement of the barrel, as this could potentially move the barrel out of alignment with the slide or sights. The barrel is given a rifling ratio of 1:16 twist with six grooves to persuade the bullet to spin.
The PT1911 has many polished surfaces to aid the mechanism, with the feed ramp and barrel throat polished along with a bevelled magazine well working together to make the reloading/chambering process significantly easier and quicker. The ejection port is made to be flared to allow more room for the fired cartridge to be ejected while also having been positioned lower to allow for custom scopes/sights mounted on the factory fitted picatinny rail on selected versions of the PT1911.
The PT1911, being a modern clone of the M1911, features the classic beaver-tail grip safety as well as an extended, ambidexterous, thumb safety as most other M1911 examples have been fitted with (such as the Ruger SR1911). The beaver-tail safety, on the PT1911, is also fitted with a memory pad to better fit the shooters hand, not suprising as Taurus custom fit each PT1911 to the customer's hand. The PT1911 is also fitted with Taurus International's own custom made gun lock.
Ammunition[]
The PT1911, like the original M1911, is chambered in the .45 ACP round. Taurus have also released the PT1911 chambered for the 9x19mm Parabellum round. Three magazine capacities are available with the PT1911, with either a seven, eight or ten round magazine, each with one round in the chamber.
Variants[]
The PT1911 has been released in several different versions. The basic design of the PT1911 is the same across each of the models, the only major differences between them being either calibre, finish or grips.
- PT1911B range (B standing for the Blued Carbon Steel finish).
- PT1911B - The standard version of the PT1911.
- PT1911B-1 - Virtually the same as the PT1911B but with a picatinny rail installed.
- PT1911B-3 - A "Compact", concealed carry version of the PT1911, reflecting the Colt CCO (Concealed Carry Officer) of old.
- PT1911B-9 - The 9mm equivalent of the PT1911B.
- PT1911B-BHW - Same as the PT1911 but with Bulls Head Walnut (BHW) grips.
- PT1911DT - Dual Tone version of the PT1911, with a blued carbon frame and mirror finished steel slide.
- PT1911SS range (SS standing for Stainless Steel finish).
- PT1911SS - A stainless steel equivalent to the PT1911B.
- PT1911SS-1 - Same as the PT1911 with the addition of a picatinny rail.
- PT1911SS-BHW - The PT1911SS equivalent of the PT1911B-BHW.
- PT1911AL - Aluminium frame version of the PT1911, with a blued carbon slide.
- PT1911ALR - Same as the PT1911AL but with the addition of a picatinny rail.
Usage[]
The Taurus PT1911 is not a military pistol as the M1911 became. The PT1911 has instead become, like the SW1911 produced by Smith & Wesson (or Remington 1911 R1 or Ruger SR1911), a hunting and practice shooting pistol, designed for collectors and shooters who cannot afford the other M1911 based alternatives.