The Rock River Arms .45 ACP Elite Commando comes with a National Match Kart barrel, radiused dovetail front sight, Novak or Heinie tritium rear sight, Ed Brown Beavertail Grip Safety, and extended manual thumb safety.

BUILT FOR RELIABILITY
What arrived was a simple and well-thought-out self-defense pistol that immediately caught my fancy. As with all other RRA 1911s, its foundation is the Rock River Arms forged National Match frame. It is high cut and sports machine cut checkering on the frontstrap. Customers can choose from 20, 25, or 30 lines-per-inch (lpi) checkering to suit their individual tastes. Fitted to the frame is the RRA Match Commander hammer and Match sear. These pieces mate to an aluminum speed trigger that features an adjustable overtravel stop. Trigger pull is set to 3.5 pounds, although a customer may request a different weight. (For example, I prefer a slightly heavier pull on a carry gun, and Rock River is glad to accommodate my tastes.)

An Ed Brown Beavertail Grip Safety is carefully fitted to the frame, and a flat (or arched) checkered mainspring housing is installed. To enhance reliability an extended ejector is fitted, and to make the pistol more user friendly an extended safety and a "Tactical" magazine release are installed. To ensure reliable functioning the feedramp is carefully polished and contoured.

Carefully mated to the frame is a forged National Match slide with front and rear cocking serrations. To increase reliability the slide features a lowered and flared ejection port. Handfitted to the slide is a National Match barrel made by Kart. Each barrel's chamber is hand reamed and then carefully throated for reliable feeding. The barrel is mated to the slide with a hand-fit National Match barrel bushing. To increase reliability a tuned and polished extractor is fitted. Then, to keep things simple and reliable, a standard recoil system (no full-length guide rod) is fitted. A 16.5-pound recoil spring is standard, but Rock River will set the pistol up to match your intended carry load.

My review gun was topped with a Novak rear sight; a Heinie sight is also available. The Novak is a simple and rugged design with nothing protruding to catch on clothing and no sharp edges to dig into flesh. It is mated to a serrated front sight dovetailed to the slide. After being fitted, the front sight's dovetail is carefully radiused to match the contour of the slide, and this gives it a distinctive look. Because this model is intended for self-protection rather than competition, tritium vials from Trijicon are installed in the sights, and they ensure a usable sight picture will be available even in low light.

When the pistols are completed they are then checked for reliability and accuracy at 50 yards. If any functioning problems are encountered the problem is diagnosed and the pistol is reworked. If the pistol should fail to meet its accuracy requirement, in this case 2.5 inches at 50 yards, it is reworked. During test-firing the sights are also aligned with the point of impact. Normally this is done at 50 yards, but a customer may choose another distance.

The Elite Commando's recoil spring system is integral to the pistol's superb reliability.

There are many small operations, such as the slide stop holes are all undersize and reamed by hand to fit each slide stop, and each Elite Commando takes approximately 12 hours to hand fit and assemble. Because this model is intended for concealed carry, it is totally dehorned. Finish on the review pistol was a deep blue complemented by handsome rosewood double-diamond stocks. The pistol shown in the accompanying photos is a standard model, but Chuck Larson made it very clear that RRA is happy to meet the specific needs and desires of a customer.

CAPABLE OF IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE
My initial impressions of the Elite Commando were quite positive. The pistol seemed to be aesthetically pleasing with commonsense modifications. The sights were simple, rugged, and straightforward. I liked the front and rear cocking serrations on the slide. The single safety lever was unobtrusive yet easy to manipulate. I liked the high-cut frame and checkered frontstrap. Working the action, I noted the slide mated perfectly to the frame with zero play, yet it reciprocated smoothly and easily. Pushing down on the hood of the Kart barrel showed zero movement. Dry-firing it revealed a crisp 3.5-pound trigger with just a hint of creep. Magazines inserted easily, thanks to a nicely beveled well, and ejected cleanly with a push of the button.