FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Colt’s Combat Commander Davidson Custom One of the supporters of Arnie’s who regularly send us news on ACM products; RSOV.com put me in contact with a gunsmith who is looking to release his products on to the airsoft market. The Story Begins! Now having agreed to review his product I was asked not for my postal address but to actually meet someone to pick the product up, highly irregular! A time and a place were arranged and I headed over to Tokyo to meet the gentleman who was to pass the sample to me. I was beginning to hear Monty Norman in my head. The meeting place was Japans busiest railway station “Shinjuku”, and having gone to the meeting place I was approached by a young Chinese couple who I thought were going to ask for direction on how to escape the labyrinth that Shinjuku station is. To my surprise they addressed me by name and informed me that they had the sample with them and that maybe we should find somewhere a little quieter to pass the sample over. Having received the sample I knew straight away that this was something special and the whole reason for the face to face exchange over that of a postal delivery is that this is a one off, no over like it exists. The Box The Davidson Custom was boxed up in a Tokyo Marui 1911A1 box for reason that will be made obvious later on in the review, having got it home I decided to open it up and take a really good look at it, rather than the tentative glance that I got in the coffee shop. Upon lifting the Davidson Custom out of the box you will know that this is no ordinary replica straight away you notice the weight, 1.161 Kg with magazine which is almost on par with the real steel which weighed in at 1.02 Kg or 1.05 Kg without magazine. Just for a comparison the Tokyo Marui 1911A1 with PGC kit weighs in at 783g. Now one of the main things that blew me away was the quality of the trades and printing on the Davidson Colt’s Combat Commander. The edges of the print are absolutely beautiful and on the italics, make it look almost as if it stands out off the frame rather than indented. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Upper Slide The upper slide is a remarkable piece of engineering and craftsmanship, those familiar with the Tokyo Marui 1911A1 will recognise the break down image below, and also contains some real steel parts including the slide stop and bushings. The slide itself is made out of one piece of steel and the fit is so perfect that the Tokyo Marui blow back and hop chambers slide perfectly in and out. The outer barrel has also received the custom treatment and again is made out of steel, making the whole of the upper assembly weigh in at 440g, that’s around 38% of the gun’s total weight in the slide so HFC134a users should think about getting a propane rig or CO2. The front and rear sights are also taken from its real steal cousin and the famous Novak’s rear sight was modified and fitted perfectly allowing adjustments and fine tuning of the sights. Overall the upper slide is as close to the real thing as you are going to get in Airsoft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Lower Slide Again this does not disappoint, the trades and overall finish are exceptional. The lower frame is also made out of one piece of CNC machined steel and engages perfectly with the upper slide. Again there are some real steel parts included on the lower including the beavertail grip safety, ambidextrous thumb safety, flat checkered mainspring housing, mag release, bevel and magwell! The trigger is also real steel and has been tuned with a 4.5lbs trigger pull, this is connected to a Match hammer and sear, again real steel modified for airsoft. Another cool feature are the pins on the lower frame for attaching the grips, these again are from the real gun and allows the use of all original grips. (Yes, I’m aware that a standard TM 1911 has this feature but still someone is bound to ask.) The gun was supplied with real steel Hogue grips and having used these before I can’t go into to just how comfortable and ergonomic to the hand they are. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Firing Not only is the Colt’s Commander Davidson Custom an amazing replica it also has a job to do, now like I said earlier, there is no way you are going to be able to cycle the slide correctly on HFC134a, now one way around this is to use a standard Tokyo Marui recoil spring but that’s going to take a lot of the snap out of the slide, so the only option you have to really enjoy this weapon is to use either propane or CO2. Now when firing you can certainly tell that it was built by a master Gunsmith, all the parts cycled perfectly and the crack of the slide after each shot is a joy to behold. The inner barrel is also custom made for this gun and the groupings at 10 meters are extremely tight. Now as I mentioned before the Davidson Custom weighs in at 1.161 Kg and it really does make a huge difference in the feel of the weapon, you actually feel that you have a hand gun in your hands rather than an Airsoft Toy. Conclusion I would have to give this 9/10. It would have received a 10/10 but the simple fact that it isn’t capable of cycling properly on HFC134a puts it out of the reach of a lot of players here in Japan. With propane though this thing rocks! The overall finish is that of a real gun, I used to think that PGC kits were realistic but the Davidson has seriously made me think about the quality of some of the kits on the market. I have no idea of the price of this as it is a one off right now and as soon as I get any more information on the cost I will let you know in here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rolling-thunder Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Wow sound like a fun gun to own & use.Good review! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Im wondering if I have to give it back or not! But words can't discribe how amazing this thing is! If you have fired any real steel this will really feel at home in your hands. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rolling-thunder Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Back in the 80s i got to shoot a Colt,i think it was a 1911 & i enjoyed that experience if not the cost of the Ammo. I was wondering if you have to give it back as well,services rendered & all that.The possible business that your review could drum up worldwide is astounding & i'm in the market for a Colt 45 at some point.I like realism in my airsoft guns & i'd seriously consider one of these babies. {speaking of which my son is due this week so i have to curb my spending for a bit} Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pinkfloyd Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 My God, I almost wet my pants when I saw that thing! FarEast, you HAVE to let us know when these will become available and how much they are. Hopefully it won't be four digits... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Catman Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Ohhhh me wants, I almost got a steel kit for a WA 1911 a while back but after some research got told they didn't cycle very well Can it be decocked like a WA? Can we get pics of the mag please? And how many does the mag hold/manage to shoot? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pacino Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Excellent review again, Fareast..... Pleeeease keep us updated as to when this will be available! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Ohhhh me wants, I almost got a steel kit for a WA 1911 a while back but after some research got told they didn't cycle very well Can it be decocked like a WA? Can we get pics of the mag please? And how many does the mag hold/manage to shoot? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Magazine is the original Tokyo Marui mag, but has a Wilson combat floor plate. How does the WA decock??? not to savy on WA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tom lawson Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 woah... that is amazing! i may have to have one of these, just to drool over! it really is a work of art! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Can it be decocked like a WA? Can we get pics of the mag please? And how many does the mag hold/manage to shoot? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok I undersatand what you are talking about now, and yes it can. You can lower the hammer manually with your thumb while pulling the trigger. The other cool feature is that you can fire it from half cocked Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Ok I undersatand what you are talking about now, and yes it can. You can lower the hammer manually with your thumb while pulling the trigger. The other cool feature is that you can fire it from half cocked <{POST_SNAPBACK}> how? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 (edited) Ouch, a TM 1911 with steel slide? I'm guessing like, maybe 5-10 full power shots on a full tank of gas? Also the slide must cycle rather slowly. I don't even wanna know what it costs, probably more than its RS counterpart. Edited August 13, 2007 by Utty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigAl Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 5 -10 shots is more than the RS so good enough and as for the slide cycleing he answered that one i the review. It's bound to be more than the RS as it's custom built by a RS Gunsmith not produced in a fasctory. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 5 -10 shots is more than the RS so good enough<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good enough? Whew okay, no worries then, I can sleep safely now. For a minute there I thought that 5-10 full power shots out of a monstrously expensive custom GBB was pretty poor, glad we got that sorted out. and as for the slide cycleing he answered that one i the review. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It says 'the crack of the slide after each shot is a joy to behold'. I don't even know how to translate that. It's bound to be more than the RS as it's custom built by a RS Gunsmith not produced in a fasctory. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So overall, a kickass product (wicked, wicked)! Where's my checkbook?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
captainamerica Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 ok ok so where can I get one? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guinness Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Looks outstanding FE- great review and pictures! I didn't notice mention so if I missed it, apologies, but with all those trades, i.e. Novak sights with patent numbers, etc., How is this going to fly here in the US and any country that enforces trademarks? Again, great write up Slainte! -G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
suicidalsnowman Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Can they do these for WA pistols? Already got mags for those. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
flipsnip Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 dont care on the cost. Just need to pre-order from somewhere! stunning looking piece. great review. Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Anachronism327 Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 beautiful... brings tears of happiness to my eyes... Nice piece, I think I'd just frame it and stare at it all day... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kevshin21 Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 so its a DA/SA? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FarEast Posted August 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 Ouch, a TM 1911 with steel slide? I'm guessing like, maybe 5-10 full power shots on a full tank of gas? Also the slide must cycle rather slowly. I don't even wanna know what it costs, probably more than its RS counterpart. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> On HFC134a you're not getting anywhere with this, propane and CO2 which I do beleive it is designed for taking into account that the hammer spring recoil spring and valves are all modified. Using Propane I emptied the magazine with shots averaging at 98m/s 5 -10 shots is more than the RS so good enough and as for the slide cycleing he answered that one i the review. It's bound to be more than the RS as it's custom built by a RS Gunsmith not produced in a fasctory. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh and thats 24 shots (That's a TM MAgazine filled to capacity) Looks outstanding FE- great review and pictures! I didn't notice mention so if I missed it, apologies, but with all those trades, i.e. Novak sights with patent numbers, etc., How is this going to fly here in the US and any country that enforces trademarks? Again, great write up Slainte! -G <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Novak sights are real steal so I don't think there is going to be any issue there as they are not copies but purchased through Novaks for the gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tom lawson Posted August 13, 2007 Report Share Posted August 13, 2007 this just sounds better and better, i wish i could sign up for one btw FarEast would anyone know the gunsmith who made this? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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