First Look: Ruger SR1911 Lightweight Commander

Ruger has introduced the SR 1911 Lightweight Commander, a new compact version of its popular SR1911 Commander that weighs about 7 ounces less than its predecessor.

The SR1911 Lightweight (LW) Commander pistol incorporates a black anodized aluminum frame with a stainless steel slide to achieve its classy two-tone appearance. Ruger has addressed a problem all too common with aluminum-framed pistols by equipping the LW Commander with a polished titanium feed ramp to protect against excessive wear and resulting misfeeds.

As with previous SR1911s, the LW Commander is American-made and features Novak LoMount Carry 3-dot sights, a lowered and flared ejection port and a titanium firing pin. Its barrel and bushing are also precision machined from the same piece of bar stock. The pistol also comes with an integral plunger tube, beaver-tail grip safety, oversized magazine release, extended thumb safety and a skeletonized hammer and trigger. Hardwood grips and checkering on the frontstrap and mainspring housing add to the ergonomics and attention to detail.

The Ruger SR1911 Lightweight Commander sports a 4.25-inch barrel for an overall length of 7.75 inches. The pistol has a width of 1.34 inches, a height of 5.45 inches and a weight of 29.3 ounces with an empty magazine. It ships with two 7-round magazines and a bushing wrench in a soft case for an MSRP of $899.