PMCI - March 2021

TRAINING: VFC 1911 TACTICAL CUSTOM
When it comes to “1911” 6mm training models right now it seems to be all about the fancy “tacticool” versions,
and whilst that’s no bad thing it’s worth remembering that the original single stack “daddy” is still a great
option for serious pistol shooters, and the latest tactical model from VegaForceCompany is as good as it gets
from the box!
IAlthough I seem to be spending a lot of time on the Short
Range at the moment with the latest “6mm Training”
models as I’m unable to travel out of the UK to shoot “real”
due to the current C-19 restrictions, I have to admit that I
do love a “classic” and there will always be a “1911A1” in
my collection of replicas simply because, just as in the real
world, it’s just a wonderful pistol to own and shoot!
Since it’s so versatile, the 1911 is a great gun for
competition shooters, concealed carry or as a homedefence
pistol, and of course it’s still the “secondary of choice” for
some Tier 1 units. It could be said that modern pistol designs have
made the 1911 obsolete in its role as a combat sidearm, but when
it’s set up and running well, it’s one of the most accurate pistol
out there, and the .45 ACP round certainly has all the power that
you’ll ever need! Since it is a uniquely American design that was
created by uber-gun-guru John Moses Browning and was used by
US soldiers in conflict from WWI onwards, it also sits high and proud
in American gun culture, and owning one for many is like getting
the “gun nod” from John Wayne or Audie Murphy themselves!
But in a world of striker-fired polymer double-stack handguns,
is the old warhorse still worthy of its reputation as a fighting pistol?
Some would argue that the undoubted reliability of modern pistol
designs, and indeed the increased round count that they offer,
makes the classic 1911 seem dated to say the least. Numerous
shooting luminaries have commented that a “stock 1911”, even one
from a well-reputed firearms manufacturer (let’s not forget that it’s
not only Colt that make 1991’s these days!), needs significant work
to turn it into a reliable combat pistol, but it would seem that there’s
a model that was purpose-built for the modern “operator” to use as
is from the get go, and that’s the Kimber Custom TLE II.
For any self-respecting gun bunny the name of Kimber is
one that they’ll know intimately! It’s acknowleged that Kimber
Manufacturing (somewhat interestingly founded by an Australian!)
based in Troy, Alabama creates some of the very best 1911 pistols
out there, and virtually every critical component is manufactured
inside the Kimber factory. LAPD SWAT chose Kimber, along with the
United States Marines assigned to Special Operations Command (the
MARSOC pistol, known as the Kimber ICQB (Interim Close Quarter
Battle) MEU SOC), The U.S.A. Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team, and
most recently, LAPD Special Investigation Section (SIS), and they
all chose Kimber for the same reasons apparently, those of quality,
dependability and accuracy.
As a volunteer unit within the LAPD formed in the 1960’s, the
LAPD SWAT team was initially made up of officers who furnished
much of their own equipment, including their own firearms. Not
satisfied with the performance or capacity of the “police special”
revolvers that were standard issue at the time, SWAT officers, many
of them former military, requested and were ultimately allowed
to carry 1911 .45 ACP semiautomatic pistols that they’d used, and
trusted, in the armed forces; it’s rumoured that even before formal
permission came for the SWAT officers to be issued a 1911 they
TRAINING: VFC 1911 TACTICAL CUSTOM
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