RELOADED VFC 1911
VFC 1911 SWAT OR NOT?
BACK IN ISSUE 120 BILL TOOK A CLOSE LOOK AT THE THEN-NEW VFC 1911 TACTICAL CUSTOM AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT FOR MANY, MANY REASONS! HOWEVER NOW THAT THE PISTOL IS JUST ON A YEAR OLD, AND HAS HAD SOME HARD RANGE AND IN-GAME HIS INITIAL ASSESSMENT HAS PROVED COMPLETELY CORRECT… IT’S ONE HECK OF A PISTOL!
A
s I said right from the get-go, for any selfrespecting gun bunny the name of Kimber is one that they’ll know intimately; it’s acknowleged that Kimber Manufacturing creates some of the very best 1911 pistols out there, and virtually every critical component is manufactured inside the Kimber factory. LAPD SWAT chose Kimber, along with the United States Marines assigned to Special Operations Command (the MARSOC pistol, known as the Kimber ICQB (Interim Close Quarter Battle) MEU SOC), The U.S.A. Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team, and most recently, LAPD Special Investigation Section (SIS), and they all chose Kimber for the same reasons apparently, those of quality, dependability and accuracy. Kimber have pretty much been a success story right from the introduction of the first models back in 1995. In the trials for LAPD SWAT the Kimber Custom II single-stack .45 1911 (5” Government Model) defeated all comers, and became the standard issue sidearm for LAPD SWAT operators; each LAPD SWAT Kimber Custom II came with a reliability upgrade, match-grade barrel and trigger group, fulllength guide rod, Meprolight tritium night sights, a
checkered front strap, front and rear slide serrations (I remember reading at the time this was so the pistol could be cocked against the body or police car door if the officer was injured in one arm), and a matt-black oxide finish. Each pistol also displayed “LAPD SWAT” markings on the right side of the slide, and special serial numbers exclusive to the team. With the release from VegaForceCompany (VFC) in the form of their “1911 Tactical Custom” though I believe we’ll be seeing some happy replica collectors, especially given the popularity of the movie “SWAT” and the more recent TV show of the same name, and the replica is a lovely handgun in its own right, both to own and shoot with! Again, as I said when I first got the pistol in my hands the VFC 1911 Tactical Custom is a striking looking pistol! It aimed to break a few moulds in both looks and performance, and it has proved to do both very well indeed. The pistol is beautifully finished in every respect, living up to the “Kimber” feel. I haven’t gone to the extent of having trades put onto this replica, and in fairness I probably won’t given my personal feelings on hokey markings, but that’s not to say that the pistol is missing anything in overall finish
“KIMBER HAVE PRETTY MUCH BEEN A SUCCESS STORY RIGHT FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FIRST MODELS BACK IN 1995. IN TRIALS THE KIMBER CUSTOM II SINGLE-STACK .45 1911 (5” GOVERNMENT MODEL) DEFEATED ALL COMERS, AND BECAME THE STANDARD ISSUE SIDEARM FOR LAPD SWAT OPERATORS.” 72
DECEMBER 2021
