TECHNICAL DOPE BAG TURNBULL M1911 AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG/TURNBULL1886 he Turnbull Mfg. Co. of military-style from days gone by, guns of this period. Some of the Bloom eld, N.Y., is probably with the rear unit having a semi- early M1911s came with lanyard Tbest known for the mag- circular notch. The hammer is of loops on the at mainspring hous- ni cent color case-hardening its the knurled, beavertail design. ing and magazine, others did not. craftsmen produce. However, the The ejection port is also of World Turnbull’s copy of this pistol does company has also built quite a rep- War I design, as is the short-spur not have lanyard loops. utation by accurately restoring vin- grip safety. It has the long tage rearms to like-new condition. trigger and at mainspring Not to rest on its laurels, Turnbull housing just like the origi- has recently begun to manufacture nal. The two magazines that a series of M1911 pistols. come with each gun con- The Turnbull M1911 provided tinue the quest for historical for this test is an exact reproduc- accuracy by being of the two- tion of a 1918 U.S. Model of 1911 tone coloration associated with pistol in .45 ACP. The M1911 pistol was manufactured commercially The Turnbull is from 1912 to about 1924, when a of conventional few modi cations were made and design and the handgun became known as eldstrips in the M1911A1. the usual It appears that Turnbull went manner. Its to great lengths to accurately nish, inside reproduce the original M1911. and out, is excellent. The sights are of the small, 82 OCTOBER 2014 AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG SHOOTING RESULTS (25 YDS.) TURNBULL M1911 .45 ACP VEL. @ 10' ENERGY GROUP SIZE IN INCHES MANUFACTURER: TURNBULL MFG. CO. CARTRIDGE (F.P.S.) (FT.-LBS.) SMALLEST LARGEST AVERAGE (DEPT. AR), 6680 STATE ROUTE 5 AND 20, BLOOMFIELD, NY 14469; FEDERAL 165-GR. 1112 AVG. 476 2.31 3.80 3.12 (585) 657-6338; TURNBULLMFG.COM GUARD DOG 23 SD CARTRIDGE: .45 ACP HORNADY 185-GR. 1050 AVG. 411 3.70 4.50 4.18 ACTION TYPE: RECOIL-OPERATED, HAP STEEL MATCH 7 SD SEMI-AUTOMATIC CENTER-FIRE PISTOL FRAME: FORGED STEEL WINCHESTER 1911 880 AVG. 395 3.21 4.39 3.82 SLIDE: FORGED STEEL 230-GR. JHP 12 SD RIFLING: 1:16" RH TWIST AVERAGE EXTREME SPREAD 3.70 MAGAZINE: DETACHABLE BOX; SEVEN-ROUND CAPACITY NOTES: VELOCITY WAS MEASURED WITH A PACT PROFESSIONAL CHRONOGRAPH AT 10 FT. STOCKS: CHECKERED WALNUT ACCURACY RESULTS BASED ON FIVE CONSECUTIVE, FIVE-SHOT GROUPS AT 25 YDS. FIRED FROM SIGHTS: FIXED FRONT; A SANDBAG REST. TEMPERATURE: 88° F. HUMIDITY: 27%. ABBREVIATIONS: HAP (HORNADY DRIFT-ADJUSTABLE REAR ACTION PISTOL), JHP (JACKETED HOLLOW-POINT), SD (STANDARD DEVIATION). TRIGGER: SINGLE-ACTION; 4-LB., 11-OZ. PULL OVERALL LENGTH: 8.5" WIDTH: 1.34" HEIGHT: 5.45" WEIGHT: 38 OZS. ACCESSORIES: SPARE MAGAZINE, PLASTIC CASE SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $2,150 Period-correct patent mark- ings are replicated in the car- several ways that have become bonia charcoal blued nish standard practice today. The on the gun’s slide. sights were enlarged, though they were still small by today’s In order to complete this standards. A short trigger and an duplication of the early M1911, arched mainspring housing were the Turnbull staff hand polishes used. And the spur on the grip each pistol just like the origi- safety was lengthened to prevent nals were years ago. The nish is the slide from biting the web of period-correct carbonia char- the shooting hand for those with coal bluing. And the attractive large hands. appearance of the pistol is set off It is important to keep in mind by the hand-checkered, double- that Turnbull set out to build a the Federal 165-gr. Guard Dog diamond stocks made from historically accurate copy of the load being slightly in the lead. American black walnut. original M1911 pistol. It will be of It should be noted that group We tested the Turnbull value to historical re-enactors and sizes were somewhat adversely M1911 with three modern .45 those who shoot the Wild Bunch affected by the small sights, ACP defense loads. Federal matches in SASS and other cow- which are authentic for this was represented by its 165-gr. boy events. In addition, the prices period of M1911. Guard Dog round, which gave of original M1911s in decent Throughout the tests, the an average velocity of 1112 f.p.s. shape have greatly increased Turnbull M1911 functioned aw- Next up was the Hornady 185-gr. through the years to the point that lessly. The slide-to-frame t was Steel Match hollow-point load they may be out of the range of tight and without any noticeable with an average velocity of 1050 many of today’s shooters. burrs, and the barrel locked up f.p.s. And the accuracy test was Sadly, a number of reproduction tightly. The trigger exhibited slight rounded out with Winchester’s guns only resemble the appear- creep, but broke cleanly at 4 lbs., 230-gr. jacketed-hollow-point ance of the historic examples they 11 ozs. Trigger reset was positive. 1911 load, giving an average copy. Turnbull obviously took the Just to keep the record velocity of 880 f.p.s. Accuracy time and effort to reproduce not straight, around the year 1924 was uniform regarding the three only the appearance of the original the M1911 pistol was modi ed in brands of cartridges fired, with M1911, but also its quality. One can hardly handle and shoot this The American Ri eman has used the phrase “Dope Bag” since at least 1921, when Col. Townsend Turnbull M1911 without thinking Whelen rst titled his column with it. Even then, it had been in use for years, referring to a sack used by target shooters to hold ammunition and accessories on the ring line. “Sight dope” also was a of the likes of Black Jack Pershing traditional marksman’s term for sight-adjustment information, while judging wind speed and direction and his ride into Mexico, or Alvin was called “doping the wind.” York and the rest of the boys who WARNING: Technical data and information contained herein are intended to provide information based went “over the top” in Europe dur- on the limited experience of individuals under speci c conditions and circumstances. They do not detail ing World War I. the comprehensive training procedures, techniques and safety precautions absolutely necessary to It is that good. properly carry on similar activity. Read the notice and disclaimer on the contents page. Always consult comprehensive reference manuals and bulletins for details of proper training requirements, procedures, techniques and safety precautions before attempting any similar activity. AMERICAN RIFLEMAN OCTOBER 2014 83.