Handguns

Despite being 95 years old--and inarguably a classic--the 1911 platform seldom gets referred to today as "elegant." Maybe it's because of the so-called "tactical" niche it has fallen into. And that's easy to see why. Most current Government Model variants--particularly chopped ones--make up a plethora of dehorned, fixed-sight, dull-finished, all-business .45s.

Once in awhile, however, a maker comes up with a full-size, good-looking, single-stack 1911 designed for precise paper-punching.

Ed Brown's new Executive Target is a welcome throwback to that relaxed, Gold-Cup-ish yesteryear, although it isn't issued in light-spring wadcutter trim. It does sport a traditional plunger-type bushing instead of a guide rod. And yes, the term "elegant" fits it well.

The closer you look at it, the better it gets. The pistol features 25-lpi checkering on the mainspring housing and forestrap, a matte-blue-finished slide with square-cut serrations at the rear, a 5-inch match barrel, a long aluminum trigger, checkered cocobolo grips in the traditional double-diamond pattern and a fully adjustable Bo-Mar rear sight.

It's often said that chopped combat 1911s are "made to be carried a lot and shot little." With the Executive Target, the reverse seems to be true, although it does boast a Commander-style hammer, Memory Groove Beavertail grip safety, ambidextrous safety and some of what company literature describes as "gentle dehorning."

I took the pistol out to the range on a rainy, blustery day after first rounding up what ammo I could scrounge. The manifest included Winchester SXT 230-grain JHPs, Hornady 230-grain TAP, Winchester/USA 230-grain hardball, Remington 230-grain Golden Saber, Speer 200-grain GDHP and some Taurus HEX all-copper 185 grainers. Admittedly, this selection was skewed toward the tactical/high-performance side rather than competitive paper-punching, but that's what I had on hand.

The Executive Target functioned flawlessly with everything--no stovepipes, no failures to go into battery, not a burp. I shot the gun for accuracy at 25 yards from a sandbagged rest.

The trigger broke at a glassy 3 3/4 pounds. My best results were obtained with the Hornady 230-grain TAP stuff, which averaged around two inches. The Winchester SXT and Remington Golden Saber 230s averaged three-quarters to an inch more. The 185s and 200s didn't seem to agree with this gun at all, which is not uncommon, although I would very much have liked to have some 200-grain wadcutters to try.

I have no doubt that a Ransom Rest would have pared down group sizes some. But to me, that would seem a shame; the Executive Target is so enjoyably shootable with its broad sights, great trigger and single-stack grip configuration.

All in all, this is a serious, high-end 1911. Fit and finish is what you'd expect in a gun with its pedigree and price tag. The Executive Target has to rank in the top end of full-size .45s out there. And yes, you can also get it in stainless or blue/stainless if that floats your boat.