Colt Combat Commander .45 ACP Range Session #3 was on 04/29/2019 at 5-Star Firearms in Zion, Il

The last time I had this pistol to the range was in August of last year.  Yeah ... I know ... I'm a Fudd ...

Glocks and glockalike designs pretty much rule the market of what cops / agents carry off-duty or undercover nowadays.  I've mentioned before about the above handgun being part of a cop's estate sale (via a local gun store in case you are rabidly concerned about "legal transfer in Illinois").  Once upon a time in America, even with those minimalist sights, handguns like this were top selections for serious business.  This pistol is no less than what it once was but nowadays the lighter weight handguns that have better sights and hold more rounds of ammo are standard issue for law enforcement, on duty and off duty.   What do "most" citizens prefer for concealed carry?  Hell, I won't pretend to know what "most" people do.  I will safely guess that at least a small percentage would choose something akin to the this heavy old Colt.  Would they be better served with something else?  I have no opinion on that;  I'm very "pro choice."  What other people have inside their pants is none of my business.   It would not surprise me to someday learn that pistols like this became common for concealed carry inside states that passed those silly laws regarding magazine capacity.

 I mentioned in an earlier post about some SQUIBS during this range session.  That was an ammo issue, not a handgun mechanical malfunction.  

This range session was a continuation of my functional shake down of this old pistol.  There are six of the seven-round-capacity magazines and one ten-round-capacity (extended) magazine in the above case / kit.  These are the magazines that I have segregated for use with this particular handgun.  Only three of the seven-round-capacity magazines have previously been "proven" with this handgun.  To a large degree, this range session was to prove the function of the unused mags and re-prove the others.  Most of you already know that a semi-auto without a magazine is, at best, just a clumsy-to-use single-shot.  A bad magazine can turn a mechanically sound pistol into something as functionally worthless as having boobs on a snake, so I tend to be quite persnickety ...  any mag involved in a misfeed gets marked ... if it receives a third mark it is retired to the "recreational range bag" ... mags that get too frustrating for fun-time use are mercilessly flattened with a hammer.

This session was with FMJ ball ammunition ... if a magazine cannot reliably feed ball ammo I have no confidence in it ever being reliable with self-defense hollowpoint ammunition.  My next shakedown phase will be a range session using only my preferred .45 ACP hollowpoint ammunition.   If the handgun and those magazines pass that phase, then this pistol (with those mags) will be declared suitable for carry / travel.

Target #1 set at 30-feet, 20-rounds fired (3 x 7-round mags minus a potential squib round)

Aw jeez, I was expecting to shoot better than that.  I planned on shooting the first target at 30-feet then working on my 45-feet suckiness with the second target; no sense in sticking with that plan.

Target #2, again at 30-feet, turned out just a wee bit better.

31 rounds fired (3 x 7-round magazines + 1 x 10-round magazine)

51-rounds total fired this session.
Still no reliability issues with this old handgun.
All magazines proved reliable during this visit.  Next time will be with all hollowpoints.