When Colt Firearms introduced the Commander in 1951, it started a revolution in lightweight carry guns. Prior to that time, the choices were pretty limited, especially in America. Our primary carry guns at that time, at least in the civilian sector, were guns such as the Colt Detective Special 2” revolver in .38 Special, small pocket-sized semi-automatics like the Baby Browning .25ACP and the Colt 1903 and 1908 in .32ACP and .380ACP, respectively. A few who were “in the know” went the way proposed by men like Elmer Keith, and carried full-sized, N-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers in .44 Special or Magnum, a Colt New Service in .45 Colt, or a Colt Government Model 1911, in .45ACP, of course.
All of the guns mentioned are great guns, but all had things going against them. For the small guns, they were just that: small. No one had any misconceptions about how powerful they were, but they were handy and could always be close by. The larger guns were just that: LARGE! An N-frame Smith & Wesson revolver or a Colt 1911 weigh close to 40 ounces or more and required substantial leather gear and dedication to carry them.
There had to be a better way. The US Army had begun trials in 1949 to try and find a replacement for the legendary Government Model 1911. Colt’s answer was the Commander, with a 4¼” barrel and slide, a ring-style hammer, and a frame made of “Coltalloy,” which is an aluminum alloy, bringing the weight down to around 27 ounces. Instead of the standard .45ACP cartridge, the Army wanted it chambered in 9mm Parabellum, which was the original Commander chambering. The US Army decided to stay with the full-size 1911, but Colt introduced the Lightweight Commander to the civilian market, and a star was born.
Why the Commander?
The Commander was a hit with those who admired the 1911 format but wanted something that didn’t weigh the belt down so much. For some, the 4¼” barrel balances just a bit better than the standard 5” of the Government Model, and the Lightweight seems to clear leather just a little faster. LTC Jeff Cooper, founder of Gunsite, father of the Modern Technique of the Pistol, and grand promoter of the 1911 as a fighting pistol, thought so highly of the Lightweight Commander .45ACP that he carried one more often than not in his later years. Apparently, the idea hasn’t gone away, because every company that makes 1911s now, big and small, makes a Commander-style 1911.
For those who carried or carry a gun on a daily basis, the weight of the Lightweight Commander is a true blessing. Weighing almost 13 ounces less than the standard Government Model .45, at the end of the day it doesn’t feel like you’ve been carrying a boat anchor on your belt. It provides the wearer with the comfort of having a large caliber fighting handgun on them without paying the cost of weight. It’s a win all around.
The Novak Lightweight Commander
My experience with the Lightweight Commander began with an article written by the late Peter G. Kokalis in Soldier of Fortune magazine. In it, he details acquiring a Series 70 Colt Lightweight Commander in .45 ACP, then sending it off to the shop of gunsmith Wayne Novak to transform it into a proper fighting 1911. With that article still in mind, somewhere around 1995 I picked up my own Series 70 Lightweight Commander. Over the course of time, I purchased the various parts I wanted installed on it, and finally sent it off to Novak’s shop, along with six magazines to be fitted to the gun.
The resulting gun represented everything I wanted in a gun I would protect my life with. Most of the items on it are things that just about every 1911 comes with today: beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, flat mainspring housing, long trigger, and Novak low profile night sights. I also had a Harrt’s mercury recoil-reducing full-length guide rod installed. Normally I don’t care for full-length guide rods in 1911s, but this thing actually works in reducing recoil in the alloy-framed gun. I also had it coated in Walt Birdsong’s ‘Black-T’ Teflon-based finish. In all that time, I haven’t had a single malfunction that wasn’t operator-induced. That speaks volumes about the quality of Novak’s work.
Carried in a Blade-Tech Kydex belt holster, with a Blade-Tech magazine/flashlight combo pouch on the opposite side, I felt totally confident in my ability to handle pretty much any threat that came my way.
There are those who criticize the perceived weakness in the alloy-framed Commander, as well. It is a common notion that the frame will not last nearly as long as the steel frame if shot on a regular basis. Well, there are a couple of things to think about here. One, most shooters will not shoot anywhere near enough to do any damage to the frame. If they actually happen to, they can send them back to the manufacturer for repair. Pretty simple, really.
The other thing to consider is this: there are also many reports from shooters who have shot many thousands of rounds through their Commanders and never had an issue. The late noted trainer Chuck Taylor, who was also a fan of the Commander, reported that one of his had close to 118,000 rounds through it before it was lost! I doubt Col. Cooper kept track of his rounds, and instead just shot his Commander. Clint Smith, owner of Thunder Ranch, shot thousands of rounds through his before the frame finally cracked. He had it fixed and kept on going with it, before finally placing it in semi-retirement. The best thing one can do to keep it up and running, and this applies to other guns as well, is to replace the springs on a regular basis, and you’ll have no problems.
If I had to narrow my handgun collection down, the Lightweight Commander would stay, no matter what. It is the epitome of the easy-to-carry, easy-to-shoot, powerful fighting handgun. Were you to choose to carry one, you would be in very good company.
On a personal note, shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, I had to travel to go to another Army school. Since I was driving, I decided to make sure I was armed. Out of all of my handguns, the one that went with me, that I trusted my life to, was my Novak custom Lightweight Commander. I can’t give it a higher recommendation than that.
