Coonan range report and 1911 size comparison

Damon555 · October 13, 2017, 02:50 PM

(Cross posted for maximum exposure)

I was bitten by the Coonan 357 bug some years ago when my brother mentioned that he wanted one....Well, after waiting a few years to be able to afford one the progression from "wanting" to in my grubby little hands has moved rapidly. I ordered the Coonan Classic from Buds on Sunday and had it in my possession on Wednesday. I hit the range last night and today because I wasn't about to wait to shoot this incredible handgun. Here are my impressions of it and a little background on my other 1911 also....

Since purchasing my Kimber Eclipse Custom II I've held all 1911's that I've encountered to that standard. The Eclipse is simply a wonderful gun in its own right. Beautiful and refined with a trigger that is to die for from a factory pistol. I have never experienced any of the negativity that others have complained about online with Kimber's.....All of their 1911 have been excellent pistols from what I've gathered.....and that's been more than a few. But the Eclipse was the lone 1911 survivor in my collection....mostly due to other "wants" that got the others traded or sold off.

So how did the Coonan perform? 150 rounds of my hot 140 grain JHP 357 reloads have gone through the gun without a hiccup.....That's with me shooting it and 2 other fellas at the range that wanted to give it a go too.

The pivoting trigger, although different from the standard 1911's straight pull, is quite nice....very little take up, a nice clean break and a minute amount of over travel. It certainly is right up there with some of the best factory handgun triggers that I've ever encountered. The sights are nice and bright of the 3 dot variety. They are fixed but shot my handloads perfectly to point of aim from 7-25 yards.

The grips along with the front and back straps are smooth. I thought that might be a problem but it didn't affect my ability to hold on to the pistol during recoil one bit. It actually feels quite good in the hand. Plain as they might be the grip panels work well for this application.

As expected the muzzle blast and flash are impressive. Everyone knows when you pull the trigger by the flash that goes about 5 feet out from the muzzle and the concussion. But the bark is much worse than the bite. Recoil is not much more than my Kimber 45's. Really it's very controllable....even for a novice shooter (one of the other guys who shot it was very new to handgun shooting and had no problems).

The controls are well engineered just like any other 1911. I'm a lefty and have been shooting handguns for many years without a problem........I've just learned to overcome the right handed world that we live in....especially with guns.

Here are a few pictures to give you guys some idea of the size differences of these very different but similar handguns.....(and yeah, their dirty, I just shot the heck out of them both!)

Coonan Kimber (1).jpg

Coonan Kimber (2).jpg

I was a little worried that the pistol would be too large for my average sized hands because I had never even held one before and online reviews mentioned that it was bigger than the standard 1911.....So the purchase was in good faith that it would be fine.....It turned out that the size differences in the grips are minimal. Yes it's thicker by about 1/4" front to back but it certainly isn't much thicker....barely even noticeable really.

Coonan Kimber (3).jpg

The fit and finish of the Coonan is top notch all the way. No shortcuts taken here. After a good douching with oil the gun is very smooth and I expect it to get even better with time. The gun is entirely made in America...which is a great selling point in my opinion. I suspect that their customer service would also be great if I ever needed it.

I've been shooting for almost 35 years and am no stranger to a handgun.....but I'm no expert that for sure so take this review for what it's worth.....one man's experience with a gun I never thought that I would ever be able to afford!

bbqncigars · October 13, 2017, 07:37 PM

Welcome to the semi-auto handcannon brotherhood. The Coonan is a real fun gun to shoot when you reload. Accurate and fairly gentle recoil. Certain light hollowpoint loads can really put on a show. As for grip dimensions, they feel slim compared to my Auto Mag.

rock185 · October 13, 2017, 09:09 PM

Thanks for the report. As a 1911 guy for a very long time, I thought the Coonan would probably feel weird, clunky, just not right. When I finally got to shoot one, felt just fine to this 1911 guy.

Rockrivr1 · October 13, 2017, 09:52 PM

This is my "someday" firearm. Someday I will have one.

**44 AMP** · October 14, 2017, 07:34 PM

Quote:

As for grip dimensions, they feel slim compared to my Auto Mag.

They are "slim" compared to the other magnum autoloaders. And the Auto Mag feels slim compared to the Desert Eagle or the Wildey!

The LAR Grizzly also feels slim, but long, compared to the DE and Wildey.

libiglou · October 14, 2017, 09:07 PM

I saved up for one over a year. Birthday money,lotto winning(very small) spare OT earning etc. Kept an envelope in my safe labeled "coonan fund". It was the most expensive gun I have purchased. If my wife knew I would be in some serious doghouse. But it is a fun gun. Now I need to make more time to shoot it. Enjoy it.

Sequins · October 15, 2017, 11:29 PM

I've seen one of these at the range but never fired it. It looked amazing. I hope to have I e of these one day too. I don't recall the blast being excessive compared to .45acp or 9mm though it was dramatically louder. Seeing. 357 extracted from an autoloader was inspiring.

Damon555 · October 16, 2017, 12:39 PM

Now it's time to order a bunch of bullets.....I've got a few odd lots of bullets to load up then I'll need to come up with a standard load. I'm thinking that 125 grain bullets might be the cats meow for this thing. Not only will the round be moving along pretty well but it will also put on a great light show....and I won't need to worry about flame cutting a top strap like I do on my GP100.

bbqncigars · October 16, 2017, 08:43 PM

125gr JHP over 21.0gr of 296 with a magnum primer definitely makes an impression. I would hate to shoot those indoors, though.

Irish Jack · October 16, 2017, 09:21 PM

I have the LAR Grizz 1911 in .45 Win Mag with a .357 Mag conversion. The .357 is great in the LAR 1911. I shoot the 180 grs bullets. My Rock Island 1911 10 MM however can exceed the .357 Mag. with the 180 grs and 200 grs bullets.

Damon555 · October 19, 2017, 01:03 PM

Quote:

125gr JHP over 21.0gr of 296 with a magnum primer definitely makes an impression.

That's exactly the load I chose....I'll let you know how crazy it is shooting at an indoor range....My outdoor range is currently moving so I have no other choice!

Damon555 · October 19, 2017, 06:40 PM

I fired some of those 125 grain H110 loads today.....They are a hoot. Not quite as accurate as my 140 grain loads. I've got a bunch of 158's loaded up too.....I'll have to see how they perform.

Areoflyer09 · October 23, 2017, 11:57 AM

I got to shoot a Coonan 357 on Saturday. A friendly man on the range asked me if I wanted to try it. The size wasn’t noticeably different than my Witness and the recoil was softer than I expected. The noise and flash is incredible, but an absolute giggle. What an awesome handgun!

It was humbling in that it’s not often the 10mm I had with me isn’t the loudest in the pistol bay. Until that point, I wasn’t having an urge for another 1911, but it do now!

October 13, 2017, 02:50 PM	#1
Damon555 Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2012 Posts: 384	Coonan range report and 1911 size comparison (Cross posted for maximum exposure) I was bitten by the Coonan 357 bug some years ago when my brother mentioned that he wanted one....Well, after waiting a few years to be able to afford one the progression from "wanting" to in my grubby little hands has moved rapidly. I ordered the Coonan Classic from Buds on Sunday and had it in my possession on Wednesday. I hit the range last night and today because I wasn't about to wait to shoot this incredible handgun. Here are my impressions of it and a little background on my other 1911 also.... Since purchasing my Kimber Eclipse Custom II I've held all 1911's that I've encountered to that standard. The Eclipse is simply a wonderful gun in its own right. Beautiful and refined with a trigger that is to die for from a factory pistol. I have never experienced any of the negativity that others have complained about online with Kimber's.....All of their 1911 have been excellent pistols from what I've gathered.....and that's been more than a few. But the Eclipse was the lone 1911 survivor in my collection....mostly due to other "wants" that got the others traded or sold off. So how did the Coonan perform? 150 rounds of my hot 140 grain JHP 357 reloads have gone through the gun without a hiccup.....That's with me shooting it and 2 other fellas at the range that wanted to give it a go too. The pivoting trigger, although different from the standard 1911's straight pull, is quite nice....very little take up, a nice clean break and a minute amount of over travel. It certainly is right up there with some of the best factory handgun triggers that I've ever encountered. The sights are nice and bright of the 3 dot variety. They are fixed but shot my handloads perfectly to point of aim from 7-25 yards. The grips along with the front and back straps are smooth. I thought that might be a problem but it didn't affect my ability to hold on to the pistol during recoil one bit. It actually feels quite good in the hand. Plain as they might be the grip panels work well for this application. As expected the muzzle blast and flash are impressive. Everyone knows when you pull the trigger by the flash that goes about 5 feet out from the muzzle and the concussion. But the bark is much worse than the bite. Recoil is not much more than my Kimber 45's. Really it's very controllable....even for a novice shooter (one of the other guys who shot it was very new to handgun shooting and had no problems). The controls are well engineered just like any other 1911. I'm a lefty and have been shooting handguns for many years without a problem........I've just learned to overcome the right handed world that we live in....especially with guns. Here are a few pictures to give you guys some idea of the size differences of these very different but similar handguns.....(and yeah, their dirty, I just shot the heck out of them both!) Coonan Kimber (1).jpg Coonan Kimber (2).jpg I was a little worried that the pistol would be too large for my average sized hands because I had never even held one before and online reviews mentioned that it was bigger than the standard 1911.....So the purchase was in good faith that it would be fine.....It turned out that the size differences in the grips are minimal. Yes it's thicker by about 1/4" front to back but it certainly isn't much thicker....barely even noticeable really. Coonan Kimber (3).jpg The fit and finish of the Coonan is top notch all the way. No shortcuts taken here. After a good douching with oil the gun is very smooth and I expect it to get even better with time. The gun is entirely made in America...which is a great selling point in my opinion. I suspect that their customer service would also be great if I ever needed it. I've been shooting for almost 35 years and am no stranger to a handgun.....but I'm no expert that for sure so take this review for what it's worth.....one man's experience with a gun I never thought that I would ever be able to afford!

October 13, 2017, 07:37 PM	#2
bbqncigars Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 525	Welcome to the semi-auto handcannon brotherhood. The Coonan is a real fun gun to shoot when you reload. Accurate and fairly gentle recoil. Certain light hollowpoint loads can really put on a show. As for grip dimensions, they feel slim compared to my Auto Mag. __________________ "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." A. Brilliant

October 13, 2017, 09:09 PM	#3
rock185 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2001 Location: Out West in Rim Country Posts: 1,091	Thanks for the report. As a 1911 guy for a very long time, I thought the Coonan would probably feel weird, clunky, just not right. When I finally got to shoot one, felt just fine to this 1911 guy. __________________ COTEP 640, NRA Life

October 16, 2017, 08:43 PM	#9
bbqncigars Senior Member Join Date: February 1, 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 525	125gr JHP over 21.0gr of 296 with a magnum primer definitely makes an impression. I would hate to shoot those indoors, though. __________________ "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most." A. Brilliant

October 13, 2017, 09:52 PM	#4
Rockrivr1 Senior Member Join Date: June 6, 2002 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 271	This is my "someday" firearm. Someday I will have one.

October 14, 2017, 09:07 PM	#6
libiglou Senior Member Join Date: June 28, 2017 Posts: 184	I saved up for one over a year. Birthday money,lotto winning(very small) spare OT earning etc. Kept an envelope in my safe labeled "coonan fund". It was the most expensive gun I have purchased. If my wife knew I would be in some serious doghouse. But it is a fun gun. Now I need to make more time to shoot it. Enjoy it.

October 15, 2017, 11:29 PM	#7
Sequins Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2014 Posts: 394	I've seen one of these at the range but never fired it. It looked amazing. I hope to have I e of these one day too. I don't recall the blast being excessive compared to .45acp or 9mm though it was dramatically louder. Seeing. 357 extracted from an autoloader was inspiring.

October 16, 2017, 12:39 PM	#8
Damon555 Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2012 Posts: 384	Now it's time to order a bunch of bullets.....I've got a few odd lots of bullets to load up then I'll need to come up with a standard load. I'm thinking that 125 grain bullets might be the cats meow for this thing. Not only will the round be moving along pretty well but it will also put on a great light show....and I won't need to worry about flame cutting a top strap like I do on my GP100.

October 16, 2017, 09:21 PM	#10
Irish Jack Member Join Date: February 26, 2017 Posts: 29	I have the LAR Grizz 1911 in .45 Win Mag with a .357 Mag conversion. The .357 is great in the LAR 1911. I shoot the 180 grs bullets. My Rock Island 1911 10 MM however can exceed the .357 Mag. with the 180 grs and 200 grs bullets.

October 19, 2017, 06:40 PM	#12
Damon555 Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2012 Posts: 384	I fired some of those 125 grain H110 loads today.....They are a hoot. Not quite as accurate as my 140 grain loads. I've got a bunch of 158's loaded up too.....I'll have to see how they perform.

October 23, 2017, 11:57 AM	#13
Areoflyer09 Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2017 Posts: 300	I got to shoot a Coonan 357 on Saturday. A friendly man on the range asked me if I wanted to try it. The size wasn’t noticeably different than my Witness and the recoil was softer than I expected. The noise and flash is incredible, but an absolute giggle. What an awesome handgun! It was humbling in that it’s not often the 10mm I had with me isn’t the loudest in the pistol bay. Until that point, I wasn’t having an urge for another 1911, but it do now!