SAM 1911?

[chrisb]

I bought a SAM 1911 Military from Century International Arms today. It was an impulse buy and I don't know if it is complete junk or what. I did not spend much on it, so if it is, it won't be that hard of a lesson. :D

Anyway it appears to be a Phillipino 1911. I have found that it was made by Shooting Arms Int. and imported by CIA. The magazine sucks pretty much, but the rest of the gun seems fine. This is the first semi-auto pistol I have shot. It may be user error, but I shot about 75 rounds through the thing today and I think two hit a full size rifle target at 15 yards. This is unnacceptable to me obviously. I know how to shoot usually, so I am mystified as to what the problem is. Any ideas?

[JAD1225]

chrisb, you mention that this is your first auto pistol; if so, then you may be slapping the trigger. This is a single action auto, and as such, it is very easy to do without realizing it. Take your time and squeeze that trigger gently while keeping that front sight on the target. I have not shot the SAM pistols, but I have an Armscor and RIA from the phillipines. Actually, the RIA and SAM are both from Armscor also, just marketed thru different companies. As such, your SAM should be a decent quality pistol. Don't be too concerned, take some time to learn the pistol and its trigger! Slapping the trigger on a single action auto is sort of induced by the trigger action itself; it is as I said, very easy to fall into this habit. Work on slow and easy squeeze first, speed with that trigger will come on its own. Good Luck.

[chrisb]

Cool. I took it apart and cleaned it up last night. I am going to head back to the range today to see what happens. Another question though. It seemed whenever I fired the gun, that the front of the barrel would rise quite a bit. Should I try to control this, by gripping the pistol more tightly or something? I think my trip to the shorter range will tell me a lot.

[chrisb]

Alright. I talked to a friend of mine that is a Marine, and he showed me how to hold the thing correctly. Took it to the range last night and was much happier. At the 3 and 7 yard spots I could put all the shots in a 2" group and was able to keep them all in the target area at 15 yards. I was slapping the trigger and not holding the gun correctly. It turns out that the gun does seem rather nice for the price. With a bunch more practice I feel confident that I will be able to shoot this and other auto's with ease. I have to consciously make an effort not to slap the trigger and blink when I shoot it. I am sure this will become second nature shortly, as it seemed to get easier last night.

I started looking at the Kimber carry series also, and plan to get one in a few months after I get good enough with this one, to feel confident enough to get licensed and carry a pistol all the time.

[chrisb]

One more thing. I tore it down completely last night. Cleaned all the parts really well, and lube it all up and put it back together. It seems to work better now than it did the day I bought it.

[JAD1225]

Glad to hear that you are "learning" the pistol and it has worked out alright for you. I would advise you to re think the Kimber purchase though. Quality seems to have gone downhill on Kimbers, and their new firing pin safety set up just isn't right. Pretty doesn't really matter when the lights are out; does it? Kimbers are pretty; but function is what counts, unless it is a wall hanger. Step up one notch to the Springfield Mil Spec, or get a Colt 1991 A1.