Detonics Combat Master?

[Freagan]

Anyone else seen this? I have always heard of Detonics being really high end, considered up there with Wilsons and Les Baers as someone else put it.

Then we find this:

http://detonics.ws/?page_id=101

a sub-compact 1911 that is held to the high standards of Deltonics, that is CA compliant, and MRSP around $750



Looks friggin awesome

[The SoCal Gunner]

Looks good, but I don't see it on the roster.

[Max-the-Silent]

I own an original MkI Combat Master that I purchased new back in the 70's.




I highly recommend the Detonics with this caveat - parts and magazines are harder to find than for current manufactured 1911 platform compacts. I've got around 5K rounds through this one, and it's been 100% reliable.

I have had to do a little searching for consumable parts, but it's worth it for the reliability factor.

[lunde]

Yeah, the Detonics Combat Master fell off the roster on 12/29/2008.

Well, good thing that I own two of them.

Below are photos of one of them using Larry Davidson grips:

[Blue]

Yeah, the Detonics Combat Master fell off the roster on 12/29/2008.

Bah! That sucks!!!

[Sam]

I own an original MkI Combat Master that I purchased new back in the 70's.

I highly recommend the Detonics with this caveat - parts and magazines are harder to find than for current manufactured 1911 platform compacts. I've got around 5K rounds through this one, and it's been 100% reliable.

I have had to do a little searching for consumable parts, but it's worth it for the reliability factor.

Do they not share parts commonality with most 1911s?

Why exactly does the rear sight sit further up than most other 1911s?

[lunde]

The rear sight of the Combat Master is fairly far forward in order to better enable thumb-cocking of the hammer. It was originally intended to carry the Combat Master hammer-down, and to thumb-cock it when drawn.

[Sam]

From the side view I thought that the slide was recessed and the hammer functioned in the space that the slide usually is on a 1911. Then I saw that this wasn't the case and was confused. They look like neat little guns.

[trashman]

The Detonics it considered widely, well, by me anyway :P to be the pinnacle of compact 1911 design.

It's a small package, to be sure....I had to resist buying the one for sale at Krausewerks recently.

--Neill

[dfletcher]

The Detonics company has been bought and sold more than ....... well, I can think of a few examples - most of which would probably get me scolded. I don't know if the latest incarnation is still in business, I heard they were last headquartered in GA?

A company in western MA has evidently bought quite a few Detonics parts. I think if you google "detonics parts" you'll get there.

I've had a Mk I since the late 70's and it feeds everything. I used to load a 300 grain H & G semiwadcutter and it fed even that revolver bullet. Detonics originally made do with other company parts, my barrel is a Colt NM that was cut down and sleeved at the muzzle creating the bull barrel configuration and this was a pretty common procedure. Detonics over the years has all sorts of parts variations. I also have a stainless Mk VI in the box, also runs fine but I don't use it very much though.

I really wouldn't compare them to Baer and Wilson. They're great little guns & getting a 45 ACP to work well in so small a package is an accomplishment, but fit really isn't up there with either of those two companies.

Great gun, too bad that whoever ends up owning the brand seems to be unable to make it work.

[1923mack]

The Georgia company (Detonics USA) is out of business. I think the photos are of the newest Detonics company. They plan to sell guns in the near future. Maybe they will add their new guns to the roster.

[dfletcher]

The Georgia company (Detonics USA) is out of business. I think the photos are of the newest Detonics company. They plan to sell guns in the near future. Maybe they will add their new guns to the roster.

Good to know. With any luck, maybe whoever is running it will do well enough to be bought up by a larger company - similar to CZ buying DW. It would be great to have Detonics stick around.

[lunde]

The forthcoming Victory Arms Defense is designed to be parts-compatible with the Detonics CombatMaster, and the Defense Professional is effectively a sightless CombatMaster. See: http://victoryarms.com/defense/index.html

I am planning to buy a couple of their recoil assemblies for my two CombatMasters.

[dfletcher]

Looks good - the grip frame does look shorter than the Detonics, though they say it's a 6 round magazine. Their gunsmithing prices seem OK and I notice that Peter Dunn - long associated with Detonics - is one of their principals.

[dwh100]

Roster may be null and void soon. Just waiting for the CG team to figure out the NeRF end round! Detonics=one to add to my NeRF list!