Gun Tests Grade: A-

$902

Because this is a modern pistol intended for personal defense, we matched it up against the flashy Ronin. This gave us two steel-frame Government Model pistols, a steel-frame Commander, and an aluminum-frame Government Model. The Commander-size Bobcut was actually heavier than the full-length aluminum-frame Kimber Custom LW. The Metro was the most expensive pistol, but it offered good features, including a few the other pistols do not.

Metro Arms Mac Bobcut 1911 Deep Blue 45 ACP

Metro Arms is the brainchild of noted competitive shooter Hector Rodriguez. They are manufactured in the Philippines. The Metro Arms gun was notably well fitted and finished. The Bobcut is a standard-size steel-frame Commander with a 4.25-inch barrel. There are no forward cocking serrations. The pistol featured high-visibility sights and a fiber-optic front sight. The rear sights are adjustable for elevation and windage, a nice touch on a 1911. They appear to be rugged, and they are compact.

The ejection port was properly lowered and polished. The blued finish was nicely applied. The pistol featured an ambidextrous slide-lock safety, an improvement over both the Springfield and the Kimber pistols. The beavertail grip safety was nicely fitted and functioned properly. The grips had a dragon-scale-type treatment. (The rater owning the pistol added a set of imitation stag grips. Most of the testing was done with the original grips.)

The pistol is called a Bobcut due to the frame modification. It is similar to the bobtail modifications that have gained popularity among concealed-carry shooters. The bobcut is usually found on expensive handguns. The grip frame is cut diagonally at the bottom of the grip to make for an easier handgun to conceal without compromising grip area.

The slide-lock safety, slide release, and magazine latch were nicely serrated. The trigger was steel. Slide-to-frame fit was tight, without lateral play. Trigger compression was a consistent 5.8 pounds. All raters liked the front-strap treatment. These scallops helped the shooters control the pistol. A 1911 pistol fits most hands well, and grip checkering allows good control. The Metro Arms pistol had the most secure grip of the pistols tested. We liked the balance of adhesion and abrasion a lot.

On the firing line, the Metro Arms pistol performed well in combat drills. We liked the easy point and rapid acquisition of the sights. The grip frame had a neutral pointing characteristic, and we did not fire low. This was an important point we had to clarify with the different-style grip frame.

We ran across a problem early on. We slammed a magazine home, released the slide, and the cartridge did not chamber. The 200-grain semi-wadcutter bullet hung up. We traced the problem to the ACT MAG magazine supplied with the pistol. With the SWC load and also JHP loads, this magazine would not feed properly — odd because this was the supplied magazine. The Bobcut grip was intended to aid in concealment, but the supplied magazine had a basepad which lengthened the grip — this is counter-intuitive. We rated the pistol down a half grade on this odd malfunction. We also discarded the magazine for use in any of the test pistols, but before this, it may have caused the Springfield’s odd malfunction.

In accuracy testing, the Metro pistol was not expected to be as accurate as the 5-inch-barrel guns, but it was close. The best groups were never below 2 inches. On average, the pistol exhibited accuracy that was not as good as the Kimber or Springfield. Generally, Commander-length barrels show velocities of 50 to 60 fps less than 5-inch-barrel guns. This one was in that range with standard loads, but it was a 85 fps slower with the Gold Dot +P load. The Gold Dot probably uses medium-burning powder. Faster-burning powder isn’t as affected by barrel length.

Our Team Said: In the end, we liked the Metro Arms pistol a lot. It featured an ambidextrous safety, an adjustable rear sight, and front-strap texturing that worked. While it may not appeal to those on a tight budget, we feel the pistol was worth the money. We rated it down a half grade on a defective magazine and another half grade on accuracy, grading on the curve against the other pistols. There were no malfunctions related to the handgun itself. In this case, a quality Commander-length handgun held its own in combat shooting, but not in bench accuracy, against 5-inch Government Model 1911 handguns.

45 ACP Range Data

Value Guide 45 ACP 1911 Handgun Rankings