Coonan 1911's

One of my favorite products at the NRA Convention in Pittsburgh were Dan Coonan's .357 Mag 1911's*. (not .357 SIG!!)  I'd heard of Dan Coonan before but had always assumed they were at a premium price point above what I could ever afford.  At the Coonan booth I spoke with VP of Coonan Inc. Dave Neville.  As it turns out Coonan makes a beautiful entry level .357 for about $1200.  Not cheap, but the piece I handled was nice and tight, the trigger was crisp, and of course it was pretty.

Personally I love Coonan's disclaimer on their website, which reads,

"Please Note: This firearm is NOT for beginners! If you are looking for your first firearm, don’t buy this one" 

Hey, it may not be a good first gun, but it's 1911-esque and sure as hell looks like it'd be a blast to shoot! As Mr. Neville explained, the gun can shoot both .357 Mag and .38 using the same magazines provided you swap out the recoil spring for a lighter, factory supplied 10 lb. spring. This is good, considering factory mags are $60 direct from Coonan.  I suspect the gun might be somewhat finicky with certain .38 Spl. loads since it's designed around .357 Mag, but of course I can't verify that until I've got one in my hands.


*1911 style would be more accurate, since not all parts are interchangable with a standard 1911.


Sometimes you want a gun that you have absolutely no practical use for whatsoever.  For me, this is that gun.  I want it and I don't even own a single firearm in .38 Spl. or .357 Mag.

Photos courtesy of Falnfenix

I will defer to the talented Oleg Volk for pictures of this fine pistol.  Go click and look at The Precious.