Another Turkish pistol: Girsan MC1911 C XLV

[jar]

My latest Turkish 1911 is a Davidson Exclusive import from the Turkish manufacturer 'Girsan'. It is a Commander size XLV ACP and is shipped with only a single eight round ACT magazine in a small plastic clam shell case.

The basics are 4.25 barrel, ambi-safety, Novak style three dot sights, beaver-tail with speed bump, skeleton hammer, long solid trigger and full length guide rod with flat-coil recoil spring. Factory trigger pull of four pounds ten ounces average. Trigger is ribbed, front strap and flat mainspring housing are checkered. Grips are plastic but feel solid and offer great control.

Initially I experienced some failure to feed and failure to go fully into battery but as I shot it more those kept becoming less frequent. I'm still getting a failure to go into battery but only on the last round of some of my Mec-Gar magazines. My Checkmate, ACT, Ed Brown and Wilson magazines work as they should and I imagine after another hundred round or so the Mec-Gars will also be reliable.

For a low cost imported 1911 I'm impressed. Fit and finish are not as high as on the three Tisas 1911s but certainly not bad. The two real complaints are that the cut out on the slide for the thumb safety does not mirror the safety itself ,,,



... and there is a scratch underneath the slide stop about a half inch long and parallel to the center line of the slide stop itself. The scratch is only visible when I take the slide stop out so someday I'll touch it up.

[RickB]

The relationship of the safety and the plunger suggest the safety should rotate higher when engaged.

[jar]

Originally Posted by RickB

The relationship of the safety and the plunger suggest the safety should rotate higher when engaged.

Yes, but it doesn't. I may look into that but as it is currently it is a very positive on/off.

Also, it really looks like the hole itself is set too low. Note the top edge of the safety and the top edge of the cut out are parallel.

[gc70]

The top of the safety and the bottom of the notch in the slide don't look parallel.

[RickB]

Originally Posted by RickB View Post
The relationship of the safety and the plunger suggest the safety should rotate higher when engaged.
Yes, but it doesn't. I may look into that but as it is currently it is a very positive on/off.

Normally, it's the slide notch that limits upward movement of the safety; engage the safety with the slide off, and the safety will rotate well past the engaged position.

[jar]

Originally Posted by RickB

Normally, it's the slide notch that limits upward movement of the safety; engage the safety with the slide off, and the safety will rotate well past the engaged position.

Except in this instance it does not. It stops at exactly the same spot slide on or slide off.

[Jim Watson]

Is the safety secure? Does it pass the YARF test? An Ayoob term; Yank And Retain Function. Cock the hammer, set the safety, pull the trigger hard. Does the hammer fall?
Disengage the safety, does the hammer fall?
If not, pull the trigger, does it take a normal trigger pull to drop the hammer?

[jar]

Originally Posted by Jim Watson

Is the safety secure? Does it pass the YARF test? An Ayoob term; Yank And Retain Function. Cock the hammer, set the safety, pull the trigger hard. Does the hammer fall?
Disengage the safety, does the hammer fall?
If not, pull the trigger, does it take a normal trigger pull to drop the hammer?

It secure and behaves as it should and also has a very positive on/off.

The issues is simply cosmetic rather than functional.

It also behaves the same way and looks the same with other Commander sized slides.

[jar]

Interestingly I found a bunch of Girsan reviews on YouTube and what I see relating to the fitment of the safety appears to be really common across many of the samples going back at least several years.

As I've said, it functions just as it should and just looked strange but seeing other similar examples is somewhat reassuring.

I still think it looks wrong though.