This is an interesting gun, in a good way. It's very small for a 1911, which was the primary reason I bought it. The barrel is only 3½" long. With the typical 1911 thinness, it seemed a good choice for concealed carry. The .45ACP hollow point cartridges give a lot of peace of mind - even if something goes wrong and the bullet doesn't expand, there's still plenty of splat at the naughty end.
Citadel is one of the brands of Armscor, which also owns Rock Island Armory, High Standard, and STI Spartan. Like the RIA 1911s, my Citadel was manufactured in the Philippines. The quality seems very good, which was a major factor in my purchase decision. Despite its small size, this is a heavy pistol (2.2 lbs unloaded). The frame is steel, as you can see in this picture. The Mrs.' SIG is on the left (disassembled frame/barrel and slide are SIG, the rest is the disassembled Citadel).
You can see that it's not much bigger than her SIG P230. Because it's compact, it doesn't (can't?) use a barrel bushing. To disassemble, you lock the slide back, and then insert a paper clip into a hole in the full-length guide rod. In the picture above, you can see a blue paper clip holding the spring back. Then you can let the slide forward until it hits the paper clip, at which point you can remove the slide lock and the slide itself. It's a lot simpler than it sounds, but I must confess that I had to poke around Youtube for a bit to find a video that showed how to do it.
A note to new shooters: Youtube has a huge number of really good videos for things like gun disassembly/reassembly.
It shoots great - hey, it's a 1911, right? Long time readers know that my marksmanship is modest at best, but here's my first shot (target at 24 feet). There's a reason that so many people use 1911 pattern pistols in competitions. Yes, they're heavy, but they shoot straight and the weight helps control recoil well.
This one is short, and so has a very slightly "snappy" recoil. The usual 1911 recoil is almost pleasant - more of a push back into your hand than an upwards rotation. This has more muzzle rise than you'd get with a full size 1911, but I found it very controllable. I had tried a Smith & Wesson M&P in .45 ACP, and found it decidedly "snappy" and unpleasant to shoot. This is nothing like that; it's very quick to get back on target, because it doesn't go very much off target.
The sights are decent, for a low/mid end production gun. I expect that I'll ultimately upgrade to something like tritium sights eventually, but out of the box these are perfectly serviceable.
The trigger is surprisingly good. The manual claims a 1.8 kg pull (I haven't been able to test this), but it seems a combination of not-too-heavy/not-too-light. This is admittedly subjective, but the Range Safety Officer remarked on how good the trigger was, so it's not just me. There's very little movement required: maybe an eighth of an inch pull. I quite like this feel, as opposed to a military style trigger like on the Beretta 92. The Beretta trigger feels "spongy" to me, with a lot of "take up" before the trigger is ready to break. Unlike this, the Citadel's trigger is crisp. I'm quite happy with it as-is; unlike the sights, I doubt that I'd feel the need for a trigger job down the line.
One thing that has been odd is that the slide doesn't quite return to battery sometimes, stopping perhaps an eighth of an inch before a full reset. #2 Son and I put 15 magazines through it yesterday, and we experienced this 5 times. I suspect that this may disappear after running 400 or 500 rounds through it, cleaning and lubricating it after each range trip. If not, then it'll be back to the gun store for them to figure it out. I've been using Remington Rem Oil to lubricate the slide; if anyone has any suggestions for something better, please leave a comment.
So far, I'm happy with it. Assuming that I get the slide issue figured out, I'll be really happy with it. The quality seems very good for the price ($550), and the size and heft were what I was looking for in a CCW pistol.
Oh, and the standard disclaimer:
I'm not any kind of gun or shooting expert. I like shooting, and shoot a fair number of different guns, but I'm really a dilettante. Your mileage may vary, void where prohibited.
I don't do scientific, repeatable tests. There's no checklist, although that's not a bad idea. I write about what I like and don't like, but it's pretty much stream of consciousness. Opinion, we got opinion here. Step right up.
I'm not a shooting teacher, although I do like to introduce people to shooting. Maybe some day I'll take the NRA teaching class, but until then, you get a dilettante's view. You'll get opinion here, but if you get serious about shooting, you'll want to get someone who knows what he's doing to give you some pointers. It can help.
And oh yeah, shooting things is fun.
Nice review! I'm still waiting on my Colt defender which should be about the same size.
ReplyDeleteGood looking pistol!
Nice toy. You have me considering one as well. If I may be allowed one nit to pick, STI is an employee owned company based in Georgetown, TX which uses Armscor frames and slides made to STI's specs in some, if not most, of it's product line.
ReplyDeleteFor lube, I've been using Weapon Shield. The oil is like any other for the most part; I got a 2oz tube of grease for under $9. I think it'll last me for the rest of my life.....
ReplyDeleteMad Ogre recommends slipstream. I haven't tried it, so I can't vouch for it.
ReplyDeleteOh Lordy!!! I'm going to have to go into my quiet room...should never read reports about 1911's! Now, I want!!!!
ReplyDeleteSteve
It could be a bad spring.
ReplyDeleteYoutube gun tutorials can be a blessing, even if you've been around guns for a long time :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really digging your new gat. I've passed on getting a 1911 because the full sized ones are... well, big. The compact offerings from Kimber and the like are wonderful guns, but out of my price-comfort range.
My favorite gun of all time was my Star BM, which is similar to a 1911 in many ways. Its also about the same size as your Citadel. It was a perfect fit for me and I shot well with it. She was my carry gun for about a year. Sadly, it developed the problem of sheering the barrel link and since replacement parts are almost non-existant I had to retire it.
I'm seriously thinking about picking up a compact RIA now. Even if it means having to stock another caliber of ammo.
A 1911 range report. Today is a good day.
ReplyDeleteGood report! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteA lithium-based gun grease works for me (e.g. brianenos.com) but there are many others.
I taught for years, up to my level of experience/education, before I actually obtained certification.
Everyone has a favorite lube. :)
ReplyDeleteMy current one is Mil-Comm TW25B, which is what Sig uses at the factory. Congrats on the new gun!
The appropriately named "Slide Glide" from Brianenos.com would be my choice. 1/8" out of battery?
ReplyDeletePossibly the barrel lugs are fit a bit tight, probably in combination with a new and a bit stiff recoil spring. Leave the slide locked back for a day or two, then run
some more rounds through it. It
will work itself out.
Personally, I have used Dri-Slide for many years and Break Free for a few less.
ReplyDeleteDri-Slide has been around since the 1950's, and is a moly based lubricant that is slicker'n a claybank during a frog strangler. Good for slide rails, especially tight slide rails.
Break Free advertises itself as a cleaner, lubricant, preservative. I have only used it for about thirty years so I cannot tell about long term use, but it has been satisfactory so far. Try the squirt bottle, I have had a spray can leak down.
Stranger
Stranger
Now the subject of my Sunday post.
ReplyDeletehttp://randomactsofpatriotism.blogspot.com/2011/04/1911s-and-blogroll-addition.html
I love my citadel 45 1911 compact it shoots great when I bought it is thought I was buying a single action 1911 but after shooting it is realized it is a double action compact not sure if it was ordered that way or what but either way I'm very happy with the buy the feel and it balance of this weapon
ReplyDeleteI love my citadel 45 1911 compact it shoots great when I bought it is thought I was buying a single action 1911 but after shooting it is realized it is a double action compact not sure if it was ordered that way or what but either way I'm very happy with the buy the feel and it balance of this weapon
ReplyDelete