I bought this Colt XSE Commander, in .38 Super, in 2015. I took delivery of my XSE Commander at a gunshop that had an indoor range, so after inspecting the pistol, and doing the paperwork, I decided to test it right out of the box. Once inside the range, I took the pistol out its case and loaded it with nine rounds of Federal 130 grain FMJ ammunition. I ran a target to seven yards and proceeded to shoot the new pistol. After firing three rounds the pistol failed to feed the fourth round. The fourth round had failed to chamber completely, so I cycled the slide and chambered another round. I fired the pistol again and the pistol again failed to chamber the next round. I discovered that the factory lube, Colt had used to lubricate the slide rails, had softened the Cerakote finish on the slide rails. The Cerakote was coming off the slide rails in balls of oily Cerakote, and was causing the slide to bind. I scraped the remaining Cerakote off the rails, with my thumbnail, and was able to get the pistol to run fine. After this, the pistol has functioned just fine. I've used it for the past six years, and it has seldom ever malfunctioned since that first day. When new, the pistol had just a bit of creep in the trigger. I solved this by fitting the pistol with a fire control set from Cylinder & Slide. The grip safety rattled, so I added some tension to the spring under the grip safety. The thumb safety overtraveled, so I replaced the Colt thumb safety with one from Wilson Combat. I also had the front strap of the frame checkered. I use this pistol as my woods and fishing sidearm. It is very accurate,, and is easily carried. It is a very versatile pistol that will last a lifetime. I'm just sorry to see that Colt had decided to quit producing this particular model. I think had they taken the time to make the updates I did, to my XSE Commander, and get rid of the front slide serrations, that they could sell every one of these they could make.

This thing's neato-keeno! Every handgunner needs a 1911, right? There are many choices, but if I'm going to have only one, it needed to be a genuine Colt. The low Bud's price new, plus the normal high resale value for Colts, plus the chance the company may be soon bankrupt, pretty much guaranteed that I'd be able to get my money out later, no matter which model I bought. Since I already have guns in .380 ACP, 38 Special, 9 mm, and .357 Magnum, getting one in .38 Super somehow made the most sense. The fact that, in size and weight, the Lightweight Commander falls halfway between a Beretta 84BB and 92FS led me there. And the modestly priced options package led me the rest of the way to this O4045XSE. Online reviews mentioned that recent Colts were coming well-made right from the factory, and I'd have to agree. The only nit to pick is that the steelwork, especially the hammer, has a lot of sharp edges. Since it's not blued, I'll do a little touching up with a file when I get brave enough. Yes, as the previous reviewer mentioned, there's some rattle in the slide/rail fit. I measured the 'slop' to be around 0.004" which many sources say is close to the best balance between reliability and accuracy. With only 2 range sessions and ~100 rounds of practice on my first 1911, I can't comment on accuracy; the grip still feels very strange compared to the fat-handled Berettas. With the body build of a science nerd, I'm no fan of recoil, but even with full-house 124 gr, 1300 fps, 550 ft-lb loads, it's a comfortable shooter. Finally, the blue flaming donut coming off the barrel with every shot is a work of art!

I had one of these in 2009 (see previous review). I wanted another 38 super so I ordered this one. I think this is a nice pistol, it fired every time just like every other Colt that I have had and that's a good thing. But, quality control at Colt is not great and I know that I will catch it for this but, it is not as accurate or tight as my Kimbers. It rattles when you shake it and there are little tools marks and a feww small chips in the frame that the finish was applied over. I am left handed and this pistol is supposed to have an ambi thumb saftey and this one did not, that is poor quality control. And though it is not heavy it just feels blocky to me, only my opinion you Colt people. So anyway, I have already sold it and picked up a Kimber Pro HD 38 Super that is really perfect, again to me. I admit that I am bias, I have 17 Kimbers. If you are a Colt person I think that you would be very happy with the Colt. Buds was good as usual, I have bought over 60 guns from them over the years with no real problems.

I got the pistol today and ran 100 rounds through it and had a great time! When I opened the box it was one of the best looking guns I have seen. I stripped it and cleaned it and took it out for a little shooting. It is light and well balanced and felt great in my hand, a perfect fit. I shot it from 10, 15 and 25 yards and was right on target, it is very accurate. I was shooting Fiocchi and Magtech FMJ and had no problems what so ever. Great pistol, I can't say that enough. I can't wait until tomorrow so that I can put more rounds through it. This gun is light enough and small enough that it will be one of my concealed carry weapons along with my M&P 40 compact, they are close to the same size and weight. Great pistol, did I say that alredy?

Wow!!! I picked up a this gun used from Buds earlier this week. It is in almost perfect condition. I have 4 other 1911's, but this is my first Colt and I will never buy anything but Colt anymore, unless it is one heck of a bargain. The finish is great, balance is perfect and the weight is awesome for concealed carry, and most important no malfunctions or hicups so far. Recoil is virtually non-existant. Great deal @ $699 Time for the .45 Thanks to Buds again for great service as usual.

I love this gun. It the best so far

Accurate & Reliable!! No malfunctions, not even on the first

Light and very well balanced. Bud's was very fast in shipment and I would buy from them again!

Accurate & Reliable!! No malfunctions, not even on the first magazine! First purchase from Buds... and it won't be my last, Great service.