SIG Sauer 1911-XFull Pistol Review: Classic Meets Modern

SIG Sauer is a company on the cutting edge of firearm design, engineering 21st century solutions for military, law enforcement and civilian use. The company’s Next Generation Squad Weapon is proving to be as much a game-changer for the military as the P365 and P320 have been for the general public. Given this emphasis on the future, some might wonder why the company is continuing to innovate on a 113-year-old handgun design.

Maybe some things are just too good to die. The 1911-XFull is the company’s latest product in the single-stack .45 lineup, combining the classic features that made the 1911 great with some modern twists.

The 1911 can be a tricky handgun to build. John Browning’s design didn’t always lend itself well to mass production outside of the institutional knowledge that lived in Colt’s plant in Hartford. If you stack too many tolerances on that design, you are going to run into problems.

Technology has changed much of that, though. With today’s modern machining tools and techniques, parts can be made precisely and repeatedly to a specified print. I’ve spent some time on SIG Sauer’s production floor, and it is impressive. The company’s machining operations in its New Hampshire facilities are extremely sophisticated, ideal for creating 1911 parts that will fit and function precisely and reliably.

Full-Size Fun

As the name suggests, the 1911-XFull is a full-size 1911, aka a Government model, chambered in .45 ACP. The main components, the slide and frame, are machined from stainless steel. This makes for a heavy handgun, two pounds, 10 ounces unloaded. This mass goes a long way in making the .45 ACP pleasant to shoot. Given its size, though, the 1911-XFull probably isn’t going to be anyone’s first choice for concealed carry.

The slide on the 1911-XFull screams “SIG.” Its contour is clearly inspired by the P320 series of handguns, with the same tri-top cut that sweeps upward as it moves from the muzzle toward the rear sight. The cocking serrations, both front and rear, also match the look of the company’s flagship striker-fired pistol. Aesthetically, this treatment sets the 1911-XFull apart from the wide variety of 1911-style handguns out there.

The top of the slide is a smooth dome with no flat top or serrations. The slide is cut for an optic mount behind the ejection port, and a cover plate is included with the handgun. More on the optic later.

The ejection port is generously cut to allow for spent cases (and loaded rounds) to eject, and it is scalloped at the rear to prevent damaging brass. The saddle area of the slide is cut with a ball end mill and angled to meet the frame’s dust cover precisely. The bottom of the slide is slightly beveled.

Unique Extractor

Unlike the traditional Colt design, SIG Sauer 1911s use an external extractor. Instead of relying on its own tension, the extractor pivots on a pin and is actuated by coil spring pressure, just like the extractors used on nearly all modern pistols.

External extractors are a highly debatable topic among 1911 enthusiasts, but SIG Sauer seems to have it figured out, as my test sample extracted reliably. The 1911-XFull’s slide still has the tunnel cut from the rear for an internal extractor, but a false extractor plug rides in that orifice. The ejector is a standard 1911-style that is pinned into the frame.

The 1911-XFull uses a standard five-inch GI-style barrel that is DLC coated black. The barrel is of full diameter at the muzzle but tapers down by 0.008 inch behind where it interfaces with the bushing, allowing for movement when not locked into battery. This has no effect on accuracy, but aids reliability as it gives the components room to cycle.

The muzzle fits flush with the bushing, and no wrench is required for removal. The 1911-XFull uses a standard one-piece recoil spring guide with a smooth-faced plug and a flat-wire recoil spring.

Modern Elements

The 1911-XFull’s frame is very modern by 1911 standards. For starters, it has a full rail machined integrally into the dust cover for mounting a light or laser. The trigger guard is rounded, and the frame is cut high to allow for a leveraged grip on the gun. The frontstrap is machine checkered at 25 lines per inch, which is my preferred pattern for its good balance of friction and abrasion potential.

The mainspring housing has matching 25-lpi checkering and is threaded at the bottom to accept a hex screw that secures the extended magazine well. The lips of the extended well hang over the bevels on the frame’s well to ensure magazines will not snag when inserted.

The beavertail grip safety sweeps upward to allow for a high grip and has a generous memory bump to ensure that the safety disengages properly regardless of hand position. On my test sample, the grip safety disengaged just before it reached its fully depressed position.

The manual safety on the 1911-XFull is ambidextrous and slightly extended, allowing for a high-thumb shooting grip. The slide stop is extended as well, hooking slightly over the plunger tube. The slide stop fits flush with the right side of the frame, which means a pen or other small object is required for disassembly. There is a dimple cut into the pin to help facilitate this. A nice touch is a bevel where the slide stop meets the plunger, allowing the slide stop to be easily inserted without risking a scratch on the frame.

Get a Grip

The 1911-XFull is fitted with black G10 grips that are cut in a mixture of patterns. There is a cutout allowing easier access to the magazine catch, and that section is smooth.

The grips are secured with Torx-head fasteners. The combination of checkered steel and textured G10 provides plenty of gripping surface, and the high-cut frame allows the gun to ride low in the hand.

Unlike most manufacturers of 1911-style handguns, SIG Sauer uses a Series 80-style firing pin safety on its pistols. This system combines a lever in the frame with a plunger in the slide to ensure that the firing pin cannot move unless the trigger is pulled.

The advantage, of course, is a margin of safety, but this comes at the expense of the trigger pull. Whether this compromise is worthwhile is up to the individual. The trigger pull on my test sample was decent, breaking at 5.5 pounds after a bump that I’ll blame on the firing-pin safety mechanism.

More Controls

The trigger shoe is flat, which fits the modern theme and also allows more flexibility in terms of where the finger can be placed on the trigger. The face of the trigger is serrated.

The internal ignition parts—sear, disconnector and hammer—are produced using the metal injection molding or MIM process. Rounding out the controls is the magazine release, which is slightly extended and knurled.

As mentioned, the 1911-XFull is an optic-ready pistol that is available with a factory-installed Romeo-X Compact red-dot sight as an option. That’s what SIG sent me to test.

The Romeo-X Compact is an aluminum-housed open-emitter red-dot sight with a two m.o.a. dot. There are 15 illumination settings including three for use with night vision. If you’ve never used a red-dot-equipped handgun in conjunction with night vision goggles, you are missing out.

Sights Set

Battery life is 20,000 hours—that’s more than two years—and the battery is side-loaded, which allows for replacement without losing zero. I see the value of red-dot sights on handguns, but I only use them for certain applications. However, this is a quality sight that certainly made my job easier when it came to evaluating the 1911-XFull’s accuracy potential.

SIG Sauer didn’t skimp on the iron sights, either. The X-Ray 3 day/night sights are dovetailed into the slide. The front combines a tritium lamp with a daylight-visible green circle. The rear sight has a serrated face with two tritium dots.

The 1911-XFull is available with two finish options. One is all-black with a Nitron-treated slide and frame and black DLC on many of the smaller parts. The version I chose combines a coyote tan PVD finish on the slide and frame with black DLC accents.

The 1911-XFull is compatible with standard 1911 magazines and includes two steel eight-round Mec-Gar magazines with polymer base pads. With any semiautomatic handgun, function is the primary concern. As much as I love 1911s, factory guns can be finicky, so I focus on evaluating reliability when testing one.

Accuracy and Reliability

The first function test was during the accuracy evaluation, when I fired three different factory loads through the handgun. Not only did the handgun feed, fire, extract and eject as it should, accuracy was very good. As I mentioned, the Romeo-X Compact was a huge advantage when it came to getting good groups from the bench.

Next, I did some reliability-specific tests that I borrowed from Hilton Yam of 10-8 Performance. The first was to load a single round in a magazine and fire the handgun to ensure that the slide locked back properly. I repeated this exercise 10 times, and it passed easily.

The next test was designed to put maximum stress on the extractor. Since the top edge of a 1911’s magazine can aid extraction by supporting the case on its way out of the gun, I chambered a round and then removed the magazine from the handgun before firing. This way, the extractor and ejector had to do all the work.

I repeated this test 10 times and, once again, the 1911-XFull passed with flying colors. Any reservations I had about an external extractor on this gun were laid to rest. Finally, I ran the rest of the box of 230-grain American Eagle Syntech through the gun as fast as I could. Once again, there were zero malfunctions.

Bottom-Line

Overall, I was very impressed with the SIG Sauer 1911-XFull. This handgun combines much of what makes the 1911 series so great with some stylistic tweaks that make it befitting of the SIG Sauer name.

Whether you are a devoted SIG fan looking to test the 1911 waters or vice versa, this handgun helps bridge the gap very well. Its accuracy and reliability were excellent, and the fit and finish were what you would expect from one of the top firearm manufacturers operating today.

The SIG Sauer 1911-XFull is a perfectly capable self-defense handgun, could certainly be used in practical pistol competitions and would also make a fun range gun. As a lifelong enthusiast of the 1911, I am delighted to see manufacturers continue to turn out quality examples that will entice another generation of shooters into appreciating one of history’s great handguns.

There are lighter handguns on the market today, as well as models that hold far more ammo and that boast impressive ergonomics. But the 1911 remains relevant due to its inherent shootability—something even 21st century handguns struggle to improve upon.

SIG Sauer XFull Specs

• Type: 1911
• Caliber: .45 ACP
• Capacity: 8+1
• Barrel: 5 in., DLC coated
• Weight: 2 lb., 10 oz.
• Construction: coyote PVD-finished stainless steel (as tested)
• Grips: G10 panels
• Trigger: Series 80; 5 lb., 8 oz. pull (measured)
• Sights: X-Ray 3 day/night sights; slide cut for optics on RMSc footprint; Romeo-X Compact installed (as tested)
• Safeties: ambidextrous thumb, grip w/memory bump
• MSRP: $1,799 (as tested)
• Manufacturer: SIG Sauer, SIGsauer.com

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