You would think that with all the years the Model 1911 has been around, the market would be saturated by now. Not so. In fact, manufacturers can't keep up with demand. Over the past few years, I've talked to the folks at Smith & Wesson, Sigarms, Rock River Arms, Kimber and a host of others about the never-ending popularity of the 1911.

They all say sales are brisk, and to prove it they continue to belt out variations of the gun with a choice of slide configurations, barrel lengths and two-tone options.

The author’s best group was this impressive five-shot string that measured only 11⁄2 inches—offhand—at seven yards.

Kimber, for instance, lists more than five dozen models from compact to full-size .45 automatics. While they are all basically the same in operation and appearance, it's the little things that count in a service or defense weapon.

Kimber offers many color combinations in blue and stainless, options in sights and grips, and various chamberings including 9mm, .38 Super, .40 Smith & Wesson and the .45 ACP--covering just about every need imaginable.

Digging deeper we find that certain models come standard with night sights. Magazine bumpers are available and in many cases come standard on tactical automatics. In addition to all this you will find specialized guns such as the Pro CDP II--with a longer Commander-length barrel for those who like the balance and minimal muzzle blast this type of gun offers.

When I was involved in IPSC competitions, I favored the Colt Gold Cup in .45. I installed a stiffer spring, had the gun hard chromed and got a trigger job. At that time, it cost me a few bucks over the original price, but today, most knowledgeable gun manufacturers include the above work as options on the standard-model package.

A view of the checkered slide release, safety lever and magazine release.

Now, with IPSC behind me, and my current liking for extra fancy guns, I naturally gravitated to the new top-of-the-line Kimber Grand Raptor II pistol. If you thought all government inspired .45s are ugly, you had better take a closer look at this Grand Raptor II. Decked out with a blued steel slide--contrasted by the stainless steel frame--this gun scores high in the looks department.

SPECIFICATIONS KIMBER GRAND RAPTOR II
MANUFACTURER:	Kimber, 800-880-2418
TYPE:	1911 semiauto
CALIBERS:	.45 ACP
MAGAZINE CAPACITY:	8 + 1
BARREL LENGTH:	five-inch match grade
OVERALL LENGTH:	8 3/4 inchs
WEIGHT:	38 ounces
SIGHTS:	target night sights
TRIGGER:	single action
GRIPS:	scaled rosewood
PRICE:	$1,490

The Grand Raptor II is a special factory gun, so there is attention given to many of the areas that run in concert with gun handling. For instance, the rear grip frame is checkered, while the front of the frame is scalloped, providing a secure grip without the bite that sharp checkering can give.

The wood grips have a unique scale pattern, surrounded by a border, nicely done on blanks of select rosewood. The slide features the same scalloped pattern on both the front and rear of the slide. While not exactly contributing to handling characteristics as much as aesthetics, the top of the slide has a single row of back-cut scales, which also cuts down glare.

This gun has fully adjustable sights that are melted into the slide. All edges of the rear sight assembly are rounded off. The blade sits at an angle to keep reflections at bay and has a white line cut into the base of the notch. Both front and rear are Meprolight tritium night sights that make for an excellent sight picture in just about any conditions--day or night.