Handguns – October-November 2019

| FIRING LINE REPORT | BY JEFF CHUDWIN

DAVIDSON’S IS ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN

firearms retailers in the country, having
been in the gun business for more than
60 years, and its Gallery of Guns is one
of the best sources for Internet firearms
sales. A recent arrival to the 1911 scene
is an exclusive collaboration between
Davidson’s and Armscor/Rock Island Ar-
mory: the 1911-A1 Rock Standard FS DS.
I spoke with Bill Bennett, Davidson’s
director of marketing, and asked what
the concept was for this 1911. He said
Davidson’s wanted a full-featured Gov-
ernment 1911 with a unique look that
stood out as to price point and perfor-
mance—one that also gives a salute to
thosewhoservedinourmilitary.
Armscor—aPhilippines-basedcompa-
nythatmarkets 1 911sundertheRockIs-
landArmorybrand—tookits 1 911-A1FS
DSandaddedCerakote’sPatriotBrown
fin ishto theslideandframe.Theblend

of brown and bronze gives the pistol look

that says it’s ready for hard use, and the

application of the finish is evenly applied.

The metal finish of the slide and frame is

further set off by matte-blue controls.

Both the slide and frame are 4140 steel

and are cut on CNC machinery to ensure

close tolerances, so the pistol demon-

strates minimal play between the slide

and frame. The slide houses a full-length

recoil spring guide and sports GI serra-

tions on the rear only.

The frame and the barrel feed ramp

are polished, and the ejection port is

lowered and bevel-cut to ensure brass

is kicked out cleanly. The ejector has an

extendedtipforpositiveejectionandis

pinnedtotheframe.

Theframefeaturesa high-swept

beavertailgripsafetythatdistributesthe

recoilacrossthewebofthehandand

preventshammerbite.Thegripsafety

DAVIDSON’S ROCK ISLAND ARMORY

1911-A1 ROCK STANDARD FS DS

DAVIDSON’S/ROCKISLANDARMORY

1911-A1ROCKSTANDARDFSDS

TY PE: 1911

CALIBER:.45ACP

CAPACITY:8- roundmagazinesupplied

BARREL:5 in.

OAL:8.6in.

WEIGHT:39.8 oz.

CONSTRUCTION:CerakotePatriotBrown-

finishedsteelslideandframe

GRIPS:G10 DesertStorm

SIGHTS:no-snag,adjustableforwindage

re ar;postfront

TRIGGER:medium-length,skeletonized; 5

lb. pull(measured)

SAFETIES:ambidextrousthumb,gripw/

memorybump

PRICE:$609

MANUFACTURER:Armscor

RETAILER:Davidson’s,GalleryOfGuns.cOm

has a memory bump to ensure it gets

depressed deep enough to fire even if

you’re wearing gloves.

The grips are sandy brown G10 Desert

Storm with black highlights and

56 HANDGUNS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 WWW.HANDGUNS.COM