Competition shooters frequently choose the 1911 platform and there are even classes within the popular competitive organizations devoted to the 1911 exclusively. John Moses Browning’s masterpiece of design may be the most copied, revered, and customized handgun in the world today. A well-executed “custom 1911” is truly a work of art and an exquisite machine. Sig Sauer has taken the elements of fine custom 1911s – ergonomics, accuracy, manufacturing precision, and hand-crafted fit ‘n finish – and applied them to a “production” – albeit high-end production – offering. This pistol is not intended to perform double duty as range and self-defense or range and “service” gun but is rather dedicated to recreational range or competition uses.
Highly successful professional shooter Max Michaels currently captains the Sig Sauer competitive shooting team and specified the “custom” elements of his preference for inclusion in the 1911 model Sig named after him, called the “1911 MAX.” Upgrades from the standard 1911 design include a nitron-finished stainless slide with forward cocking serrations and a natural stainless frame with 26LPI checkering on the front strap. Max’s “MM” logo is custom engraved on the slide and machined into the Hogue® custom G-10 “Chainlink” grips, which offer a very aggressive, non-slip surface to the shooter. Michel’s specifications also include a SIG SAUER flat trigger, external extractor, a Dawson® Ice Magwell®, a Koenig® Speed Hammer® and EGW® sear and firing pin. Fiber optic front and adjustable rear sights also provide high-speed visibility.
A shooter who sends his 1911 off to a custom shop to have improvements of the above magnitude competently worked into his platform would pay much more than the price of a 1911 MAX to get a precision piece of the quality that comes out of the box with the Sig, but we can “kick the tires” and debate the relative merits of each and all of the MAX features and prove nothing. The truth will out when, as they say, the booger hook presses the bang switch. So, the Bunker Bunch borrowed a MAX from one of our customers and put it through its paces on the range.
Accuracy There really are two kinds of accuracy. One is the inherent ability of a gun to shoot straight, given ammunition that is up to the task, and the other is the ability of the average, albeit competent, shooter to easily adapt to the ergonomics of the gun, including sight picture and trigger feel.
As we expected, those big ole 45 caliber bullets impacted the targets exactly where the sights were pointed when fired off a bench rest. To get as objective a result as we could, we used a bench rest for part of our tests to eliminate shooter variances from the shots. We used the most accurate ammo we knew of and picked a calm day so as many external factors as we could were eliminated from the testing. Sig Sauer handguns are well known for their inherent accuracy and the MAX is at the pinnacle of that already excellent reputation.
The sight picture presented by the MAX is combination of a colored fiber optic front sight and white double-dot rear adjustable target sight. This may not be the preference of every competition shooter, but the sight picture certainly does lend itself to the common technique of focusing on the front sight.
The trigger has a flat front preferred by many competitors and accuracy-driven range shooters because it provides excellent tactile feedback to the all-important trigger “feel” necessary to, among other things, result in straight-line movement during its travel. Together with other ergonomic features of the gun, the trigger feel of the MAX allows the competent shooter to exercise maximum control of the firing process for enhanced real-world accuracy.
Ergonomics The 1911 platform is well known for its ability to suit a wide variety of hand and finger sizes and shapes. It fits “perfectly” for a large percentage of shooters and fits “well” for and even greater number. Improvements to the original or “standard” design of some components will, however, increase the gun’s suitability for range/competition duty. Sig’s choice of aggressively checkered grip panels made of G-10 material, along with 26 lpi checkering on the front face of the grip, practically eliminates slippage during repetitive firing. The flat face of the trigger provides excellent tactile feedback, enhancing minute finger control of trigger movement. Choice of the sight combination enhances hand/eye coordination for more precise target acquisition. Including a magwell improves the shooter’s ability to reload and continue shooting quickly.
Many experienced shooters believe even a moderately well-made 1911 with “standard” features is an excellent competition/marksmanship platform. With the enhancements Sig has applied to the MAX, its operator will be able to perform to his/her full potential. This piece is a real joy to shoot and a very precise tool in the hands of a competent 1911 operator.
Reliability While reliability is not as important at the range as it is in a self-defense scenario it is still mission-critical, and a failure to feed or eject will cost the competitive shooter some aggravation at least and some score points at worst. This is unacceptable and need not be tolerated with the high quality firearms available in today’s market even at moderate prices as long as the “right” ammo is found for a given gun. Reliability with a wide variety of ammunition is a bit more elusive and can be a bigger problem with finely tuned custom guns than more lowly production guns, which give up something in their compromise toward wider ammo acceptance.
Sig’s design and production effort with the MAX has resulted in a finely tuned racehorse that eats almost any kind of oats. The MAX we tested functioned perfectly on a wide variety of ammo of various bullet weights and profiles, and even thrived on our hand loads with lead and plated bullets. Some of this ammo was, naturally, more accurate than others but this had nothing to do with the quality of the gun and should be considered perfectly normal.
Conclusion: With a MSRP of $1,713 and a street price probably somewhere around $1,400 the MAX is not for everyone. Those shooters, however, who appreciate the finest quality in every facet of the marksmanship genre will certainly not be disappointed. Every one of the dollars above the cost of the “run of the mill” high quality production 1911’s is well spent in terms of build quality and useful upgrades. The MAX really belongs in the class of custom 1911’s that cost up to twice as much, where it will hold its own in every practical category.
Respectfully Submitted
The Bunker BunchOctober, 2014
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