Detonics 1911

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A friend of mine has an ex brother-in-law that is now the COO at Detonics, and they are now setting up shop in St. Louis. He told me he could get me a deal on a firearm if I wanted one. I searched here, found very little info on Detonics pistols, and double checked the CHSB approved firearms roster - no dice. Looks like I can't take advantage of this opportunity. Thanks, Massachusetts. [crying]

Anyway, what can you guys tell me about these? Can I maybe just have them send a frame to Collector's? Worth the effort?
 
I fired a Detonics "Score Master", (I think) about 15 or so years ago. It was a sweet, sweet gun. I remember thinking that all .45's should run like this. I know nothing else about them, except I wanted the one I was shooting and the owner claimed it was "as was" right out of the box...
 
Didn't Detonics make one of the first production compact 1911's out there? I'm pretty sure Sonny Crockett carried one as a BUG in Miami Vice (the show).
 
I once owned a Detonics Combat Master Mark IV. It was one of the worst .45s I have ever owned and the only gun I have ever sold. Horrible sights (the front sight was cast into the slide) with a ridiculous divot cut out of the top of the rear of the slide, shortening an all ready too short sight radius. The rear sight itself was an incredibly cheap piece of sheet metal. There was no grip safety and I made the mistake of shooting this pistol with a "high thumb" on the safety. The slide cut a groove in my knuckle so deep that I still carry the scar. I can easily see why they went under; what I can't understand is why someone would want to revive this turkey.
 
PS Sonny Crockett may have liked this pistol, but remember, he used to bunk with an alligator named "Elvis".
 
Detonics was one of the worst 1911's ever made. They never ran reliably, the short gun was terrible, the Score Master was tolerable.
This is why they disappeared off the face of the earth.
I know that they are back and I know who is manufacturing the slide, frames and barrels, and if this is any indication the new Detonics pistols should be just the opposite of what they once were. I don't think they will ever be on the Mass. Roster and this I am sure will be a shame.
 
Detonics was one of the worst 1911's ever made. They never ran reliably, the short gun was terrible, the Score Master was tolerable.
This is why they disappeared off the face of the earth.
I know that they are back and I know who is manufacturing the slide, frames and barrels, and if this is any indication the new Detonics pistols should be just the opposite of what they once were. I don't think they will ever be on the Mass. Roster and this I am sure will be a shame.

Of all my complaints about the small Detonics, reliability wasn't one of them. That gun digested quite a few rounds of 200gr SWC at 175 pf velocities with no problems. I must have gotten a good one. I wouldn't touch a new one unless they get rid of the cut out at the rear of the slide and install a set of decent sights, including a replaceable front sight. The "divot" was originally cut in the slide to make thumb cocking easier, supposedly as part of an LE purchase contract. No one with any sense carries a 1911 with the intent of thumb cocking it when the chips are down. This divot is unnecessary, ugly and shortens a too short sight radius. In my experience the Colt Officers Model is a superior pistol and the S&W 4516 is the best of the bunch, but a little bigger and lot heavier than the other two.
 
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