Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced with Threaded Barrel ~ Review

Review: Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced with Threaded Barrel

By John Crump

Remington Model 1911 R1 with Enhanced Threaded Barrel
Remington Model 1911 R1 with Enhanced Threaded Barrel

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United States -(AmmoLand.com)- John Browning invented the 1911 over 100 years ago for the US Army. Through the years the 1911 have been considered the premier semi-automatic handgun in the world.

Thanks to John Browning’s innovation the world of handguns made a quantum leap forward. It is a testament to this design that so many companies make the 1911 today.

I have owned 1911s from Kimber, Colt, Sig, and even Rock Island. Although these guns are based on Browning’s design the quality and performance of each of these guns vary drastically. I owned a Remington 1911 R1 and was never too impressed with it.

So when I won a Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced with a threaded barrel in a raffle I was torn between selling it and rolling the dice and keeping it.

Since I have never fired the Enhanced version of the R1 I decided to take a chance and it was a great choice!

The difference between the R1 and the R1 Enhanced is staggering. They are basically two different guns with two very different price points. The R1 has an MSRP of $729 and the R1 Enhanced with a threaded barrel has a MSRP of $1140. The target market for the R1 is people looking to buy a Taurus 1911 or similar while the R1 Enhanced target market is to go head to head against the likes of Kimber.

The Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced comes in a very nice plastic molded case. The case is the classic John Deer like green which gives it a hunting feel which I am not sure that captures the spirit of the 1911 that is inside the green box. I think Remington would have been better served sticking with black. The case is massive and reminds me of a Springfield Armory case. There is a lot of unused space inside the case that is wasted. I am not sure what the reasoning for making the case as big as Remington decided to make it, but when I take to the range I take it in a smaller aftermarket case.

Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced Pistol
Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced Pistol

The R1 Enhanced comes with two 8 round magazines with bumper pads instead of the standard 7 round magazine. I usually replace the factory supplied magazines that comes with 1911s with Wilson Combat Magazines, but after putting 1000 rounds through these Remington magazines I can say quality of these magazines are on par with the Wilson Combat magazines and far exceeds the standard 1911 magazines.

Remington 1911 Bushing Wrench
Remington 1911 Bushing Wrench ( https://tiny.cc/e4vjcy )

The last two things that come in the case is a bushing tool and lock. The bushing tool is used in the breakdown of the 1911 for cleaning. Without the bushing tool breaking down a 1911 is almost impossible.

The bushing tool that comes with the Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced is a standard bushing tool. The lock is also a standard gun lock that goes through the magazine well to prevent a magazine from being loaded into the gun and preventing the gun from going into battery. All and all pretty much standard equipment for any 1911.

The laminate grips on the 1911 have a very nice pattern. They felt great in my hands while shooting the gun. The one down fall of the Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced is that after a day at the range the grips had to be tightened down. This happened again after second and third trip to the range as well. Both grips were very loose. Adding thread locker, in my case Loctite blue, was a cheap and easy fix and prevented the grips from becoming loose again.

The Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced has a stainless steel match grade barrel that is 5 ½ inches long. The model I am reviewing has a threaded muzzle allowing the addition of a silencer with matching steel thread protector. The match grade barrel helps with the accuracy of the gun which is excellent right out of the box. The thread protector is made of metal separating it from a lot of other factory thread protectors made of plastic. The overall look and performance of the barrel is excellent.

The 1911’s hammer and trigger are skeletonized and the trigger is also blackened. Remington says the trigger pull will be between 3.5 lbs. and 5 lbs. My trigger pull was 3.5 lbs. The trigger had a smooth deliberate break on the same level as the Kimber’s trigger. The recoil is very manageable and easy to get back on target while rapidly shooting.

The sights on this 1911 are not the standard sights found on other 1911s. The R1 Enhanced model that has the threaded barrel has a tall two dot dove tailed sight system. This is to allow the shooter to see over a suppressor. Right out of the box the sights were dialed in and did not need any adjustments allowing shots to be put right on target using a center mass hold. I would have loved to see the sights to be night sights, but they can be easily swapped out for a new set of sights.

The R1 Enhanced comes with a beavertail grip safety with checkered memory bump. The thumb safety is extra wide. The main spring housing is flat with a checkered finish. All these features give the gun a beefy look that really works especially when you add in that the front and back of the slide is serrated. The only complaint that I have with the look is that the finish looks average. It isn’t a bad finish, but I just think it would have added more if more time I was spent on the finish.

All and all the Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced is a great gun.

I put 1000 rounds of Blazer Brass through it over 3 range visits without cleaning it and did not have a single failure. Add in the fact that it is 100% American made and you have a real winner.

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and The Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.

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JordanaBrewster

rokflyer is correct in so many ways.

This statement, leaves you suspect:

“Without the bushing tool breaking down a 1911 is almost impossible.”

I suspect that a gun writer as yourself, with any level of experience with a 1911 would know this is a false statement.

DAVE V.

JordanaBrewster is 100% correct. As I said above, I do own this firearm, and it easily disassembles without the use of a bushing tool.

rokflyer

John, I love the 1911. At 58, I’ve been shooting them since I was 12. It was the second pistol I ever shot. It belonged to my father, I still have it. Im sure this old Remington Rand, would be beneath a professional as yourself. The real truth is, most people, you included, just need to practice more with the base GI 1911. It’s where real pistol shooting begins.. I noticed you said you had owned even a Rock Island, which I have found to be a tremendous value. I have found so many folks will walk away from a… Read more »

DAVE V.

I own a Remington R1 Enhanced with a threaded barrel, and it is a fine gun. ( I do wish I could replace the high-rise sights with lower ones to use without a suppressor.) That being said, I have to agree with rokflyer. Having shot many 1911’s, spending more money on a handgun will not replace spending more time on the practice range.

Jeffrey

Great Review: You just helped me decide.
Best, JR