BIRDS OF PREY - Jeffersonian

TAFFINTESTS
John Taffin
THE SIXGUNNER
HIMSELF: GUNS,
GEAR AND MORE
DoubleStar’s .45 ACP 1911-A1
Taffin’s grandson,
Factory loads from Black Hills, CCI, and
16-year old Brian
Cor-Bon were used in testing the .45 ACP
Panzella, shoots
DoubleStar 1911.
the DoubleStar .45
1911-A1 using
the Iron Maiden.
Future gun’riter?
The DoubleStar 1911 comes in this
zippered padded pistol bag and is
loaded with features normally found
on a high-end custom gun.
Quality And
In the old days when newspapers actually
reported the news a well-known
axiom was a dog biting a man was
not news, however a man biting a dog
was a different story. For something
to be worthy of reporting it had to be
unusual. Unusual things also happen in
the firearms industry, things definitely
worthy of being noticed. When a longtime
manufacturer of rifles enters the
handgun scene it certainly catches my
attention very quickly. The company we
are talking about is DoubleStar, long
known for making quality government
Trial Run
A
question I am frequently asked is how
do you break in a gun? My answer is
always the same, just shoot it. I just don’t
have the patience or the inclination to clean the
barrel of a brand new gun, shoot a round, clean
the barrel, shoot a round and all the rest. Maybe
it’s necessary for someone trying to get the best
possible accuracy in a 500 yard BPCR or a 1,000
yard long-range bolt action rifle, however I’ve
never found it necessary for handguns, most of which
already shoot better than I can. I take it out of the box,
The DoubleStar
1911 features
a Greider
trigger and Ed
Brown Memory
Grip Safety.
and law enforcement rifles, even to the
point of being known as “The Black
Rifle Specialists.”
DoubleStar has specialized in M16/
AR15 platforms giving military and law
enforcement officers the choice of semiauto,
full-auto, or burst fire configurations,
as well as M-4 sniper carbines producing
1/2" MOA groups at 100 yards.
For the civilian population DoubleStar
offers some of the best quality ARs in
both .223 and 6.8 SPC. Now DoubleStar
is offering a 1911 with the same qualities
of workmanship, accuracy and reliability
These four Sierra Bullets, 185, 200,
230 JHPs and 230 FMJ, were loaded
in Starline
brass and
used in
testing.
Value Galore
found in their line of ARs.
Jack Starnes of DoubleStar, like most
shooters, has a long time appreciation for
the Colt 1911 and for the past four years
he has been working toward offering a
premium .45 ACP under the DoubleStar
label. He says, “What we set out to do is
produce a high quality 1911 that delivers
match gun performance at a production
price. We accomplished that and more.”
Now that could just be hype but as old
Gabby Hayes used to say, “No brag, just
fact.” It’s not hype if it delivers and the
DoubleStar 1911-A1 definitely delivers.
make sure it’s all there with no barrel obstruction,
load it, and shoot.
For the trial run of the DoubleStar .45 I loaded
six rounds in the magazine, took a good solid rest on
the Iron Maiden, my name for the heavy-duty pistol
rest a good friend made for me, and watched a one
ragged hole group form at 20 yards. You definitely
gotta love it when a plan comes together!
For my entire life, and long before that,
shooters and engineers have argued the merits of
forged versus castings for producing firearms. Bill Ruger
turned casting into a high art, however before World War II
Continued on page 95
The DoubleStar
.45 ACP handled
factory and
reloaded
jacketed
ammunition
as well as
cast bullets
well.
30 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010