Sig Sauer introduced its first 1911, the GSR, in 2004. Not only did Sig incorporate aesthetics with definite Sig heritage—the slide profile, for instance—but it also incorporated design features to enhance the performance of the overall 1911 platform.
Sig uses an external extractor on all of its 1911s, since the standard 1911 extractor is one of the design’s weak points and external extractors have proven more reliable. That’s why most modern pistols use an external extractor. All Sig 1911s also use a Series 80 mechanism that requires the trigger to be fully pressed rearward to allow the hammer to hit the firing pin. Even Sig Sauer’s “stock” 1911s incorporate match-grade barrels and triggers to enhance their performance and accuracy.
Sig Sauer’s 1911s have been built in the U.S. since day one. All Sig 1911s, as with almost all of the company’s firearms, are made in Newington, New Hampshire. Last year, Sig Sauer was the second-largest seller of 1911s in the U.S.—only behind Kimber—and they were a close second.
Warhorse Elite
Sig Sauer offers 1911s in four model sizes: full-size, carry, compact and ultra-compact. Within these sizes, many options and finishes are offered to meet the end user’s needs, including competition shooting, concealed-carry defense or LE duty. The fact is that Sig’s other pistols, the traditional double-action/single-action (DA/SA) line of pistols, are popular with U.S. law enforcement and with elite units in the military. Meanwhile, the Sig 1911s have also been embraced by law enforcement. In 2012, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Special Operations Group adopted the Sig TacOps in .45 ACP as the agency’s official sidearm. The Special Operations Group is the tactical unit of the agency, which includes the Texas Ranger Special Weapons and Tactics Team, the Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Team and the Special Response Team. The TacOps was chosen because the agency wanted a large-caliber handgun capable of making fast and accurate follow-up shots. After intense endurance and environmental testing, the TacOps pistol was selected. The agency’s officers have the option of carrying the TacOps in .45 ACP or their issued Sig Sauer P226 DAK in .357 SIG.
The TacOps is a full-sized pistol that features low-profile night sights, an integral accessory rail, an ambidextrous safety and Ergo XT grip panels. Like all of Sig’s full-sized 1911s, it uses a 5-inch barrel, a checkered flat mainspring housing and an eight-round magazine. The TacOps TB features a threaded barrel for use with a sound suppressor.
Sig Sauer’s Nickel Rail has a nickel, PVD-coated, stainless steel slide and frame with contrasting black controls and custom brown Vector grips. A stainless steel magazine well, low-profile night sights and an integral Picatinny rail are standard.
The Spartan and Scorpion are popular full-sized models due to their standout finishes and because, at their core, they are reliable Sig-made 1911s. The Scorpion has a Flat Dark Earth Cerakoted frame and slide. It features a lightweight, flat trigger with a 5-pound pull and Hogue’s Magwell Grip Set, which combines G10 grip panels and a mainspring housing in an integrated magazine well extension for rapid magazine changes. A threaded-barrel Scorpion model is also available.
The Emperor Scorpion has a similar magazine well setup, but with a Flat Dark Earth PVD-coated slide and frame, and a skeletonized trigger. The “oil-rubbed bronze” finish of the Spartan and the words “Molon Labe” (“come and take them”) engraved along its slide and grips make this full-sized 1911 stand out from the pack. Its features include a skeletonized hammer and trigger, low-profile night sights, a steel magazine well and Spartan custom grips. The TacOps and Scorpion are available with the unique Sig slide profile or in a “traditional” configuration, which has the more recognized round-top and flat-sided slide.
Custom Grade
The refined STX comes out of Sig’s Custom Shop, and it is loaded with features like a Nitron slide and natural stainless frame for a two-tone look that is accented by burled maple wood grips. The cocking serrations are polished, and the slide’s top is milled flat and topped off with adjustable combat night sights. Additional features include a magazine well, 25-lines-per-inch checkering on the frontstrap, 20-line-per-inch checkering on the mainspring housing, and the entire pistol is dehorned for comfortable and snag-free carry.
Specifically designed for target shooters, the Nitron Super Target and the Stainless Super Target are both chambered in .45 ACP, have custom walnut target grips and feature adjustable rear sights along with fiber-optic front sights. The Nitron model has a matte black Nitron finish while the Stainless model wears a natural stainless finish.
The Max is built to speed-shooting champion Max Michel, Jr.’s specifications through a host of custom features, including a flat trigger, a Dawson Ice Magwell, a Koenig Speed Hammer and an EGW sear and firing pin. The sights feature a fiber-optic front and an adjustable rear unit for high-speed visibility. Max’s “MM” logo is engraved on the slide and machined into the Hogue G10 “Chainlink” grips, which offer an aggressive, non-slip surface. The Max is chambered in both .45 ACP and .40 S&W, and it is competition ready right out of the box.
Sig’s Carry models are similar to traditional Commander-length models built with a full-sized frame and topped off with a 4.2-inch barrel. They are designed for concealed carry yet have the eight-round capacity and grip area of a full-sized pistol. The Scorpion, Spartan, TacOps and Nickel are all available in carry models. Along with the shorter barrel for better concealment, these carry models are also dehorned for a snag-free outer surface that enhances draws from concealment. The Carry Nitron is an all-business 1911 with a matte black Nitron finish, low-profile night sights, a checkered frontstrap and mainspring housing, and checkered rosewood grips. This pistol offers an 8+1 capacity and is dehorned for a snag-free draw.
The Nightmare Fastback and Fastback Carry models use a redesigned frame and mainspring housing to create a proprietary rounded backstrap that gives the Fastback models a distinctive look and advantage with a reduced grip signature for better concealed carry. These pistols still provide the same feel and control of full-size models. The Fastback Nightmare features stainless controls, grip screws and a barrel bushing that contrasts with the rest of the pistol’s matte black Nitron finish. Additional features include Hogue G10 grips, low-profile night sights, a skeletonized hammer and a trigger with an overtravel-adjustment screw. It is available in 9mm, .45 ACP, .357 SIG and .40 S&W.
The Fastback comes with a Nitron-finished stainless steel slide and frame offset with Hogue’s double-diamond rosewood grips. The Fastback Emperor Scorpion is the same as its full-sized brother but with the stainless steel Fastback frame and the traditional round-top slide.
For more deep-cover carry, the Sig Ultra models feature a shortened frame and a 3.3-inch barrel. The Ultra Nitron model offers a 7+1 capacity in .45 ACP with a lightweight alloy frame and a black stainless steel side. The checkered blackwood grips offer good texture for a firm hold, and the low-profile night sights make target acquisition fast. The Ultra Two-Tone features the same lightweight black alloy frame but with a natural stainless steel finished slide and double-diamond checkered rosewood grips. It is chambered in either 9mm for an 8+1 capacity or .45 ACP with a 7+1 capacity. The C3 is a hybrid compact with a 7+1 capacity in .45 ACP that weighs just under 30 ounces unloaded. It is built with a 4.2-inch barrel and a shortened frame and features checkered rosewood grips and a two-tone finish.
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The Sig 1911 line of pistols offers operators and users enhanced, high-performance tools. Its roots may be in the 20th century, but it is ready for real-world, 21st century work.
For more information, visit sigsauer.com or call 603-610-3000.
