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Cylinder
& Slide R&D 1911 .45 ACP
Accurate
and reliable, a custom quality that won't bust a budget!
By
Charlie Cutshaw
Photos by Chis Rohling
The only handgun
remaining from the early part of the 20th
century is the M1911. All the others that were
considered state-of-the-art and “most influential”
at the time have long since faded into obscurity except
as historical collector’s pieces. The M1911 from one
manufacturer or another continues in service with many
special operations units, numerous law enforcement
organizations and civilians whoa re serious about
self-defense. There are more manufacturers of M1911s
today than ever. Some are mass-produced, but there is a
thriving market in custom 1911s for the discerning user
and one of the most notable custom makers is Bill
Laughridge of Cylinder & Slide. Bill usually builds
“high end” custom 1911s, but the subject of this
evaluation is what is best described as a “subtle”
custom 1911.
Gun
Details
At first glance,
the C&S R&D 1911 doesn’t appear to be anything
unusual. It is only when one sees the list of
modifications that Bill has made to Springfield
Armory’s GI Model 1911 that the true nature of this
pistol can be understood and appreciated. Yes, a subtle
modification but still an enhancement on Springfield’s
base GI Model.
As an old Army
vet, the term “R&D” for some 30 years meant
“research and development,” but this isn’t that
case with the C&S R&D. The term “R&D” as
interpreted by Bill Laughridge stands for “recreation
and defense.” What Bill has done with his latest
creation is to build a serviceable, reliable and
affordable 1911 that can be used for informal target
shooting, tactical competition such as IDPA and serious
defense work. The R&D 1911 has tolerances that
ensure traditional 1911 reliability while maintaining
good groups at 25 yards, not to mention many custom
features. So to understand  how
Bill has achieved this subtle 1911, let’s take a tour
beginning at the top.
The GI 1911
sights have been replaced with Novak Low Mount Carry at
the rear and C&S’ proprietary improved ramp-type
dovetail sight at the business end. These give one a
smooth draw with rapid sight acquisition for defense
use, while at the same time allowing a precise sight
picture for precision target engagement. The ejection
port has been enlarged and a
bullet nose relief added at the front to help clear live
rounds quickly and safely. The slide edges have been
slightly “broken” and radiused, features that
aren’t readily apparent until one puts bill’s
R&D 1911 alongside an original Springfield pistol.
These facilitate comfortable operation and concealment.
At the business end of the R&D 1911, the stock
barrel bushing has been replaced with a fitted GI
national match component and the barrel  muzzle
crowned at 11 degrees. Slide serrations have been added
at the front to facilitate press checking the pistol to
determine load status.
Moving down to
the frame, Bill has continued in the same theme as he
did with the slide. Subtle changes that significantly
enhance the pistol’s function and handling are the
order of the day throughout the R&D 1911. First,
Bill dumped the original fire control entirely and
replaced it all with C&S components, the C&S
24/7 Professional hammer, sear and disconnector  CNC
machined from bar stock and heat-treated for maximum
service life. The frame, of course, is original
Springfield Armory as is the slide and barrel.
Springfield Armory has an enviable reputation for
building quality 1911 pistols and their pistols are in
use by the US marine Corps MEU-SOC units, FBI Regional
SWAT and others. We carry a Springfield MC Operator when
we are on duty as a reserve officer at out local police
department, as do several other officers of our
acquaintance. The bottom line is that Bill Laughridge
could have chosen pistols from any of a number of 1911
manufacturers to use as a baseline for his R&D 1911,
but he chose the Springfield Armory GI Model and,
knowing Bill’s penchant for perfection, that says a
lot in our estimation.
The front strap
is lightly stippled in an attractive pattern, as is the
flat mainspring housing that replaces the arched housing
of the original. The stippling is just as effective in
enhancing grip as is fine line checkering, costing much
less. As important, it doesn’t get uncomfortable
during a long day’s shooting.
The original GI
grip safety was replaced with a Smith & Alexander
beavertail with a palm swell/memory bump to unsure that
the grip safety is disengaged when the pistol is
gripped. The beavertail also prevents hammer bite, sits
the  pistol
slightly lower in the shooter’s hand, reducing felt
recoil and muzzle rise somewhat, while at the same time
spreading recoil forces more evenly on the shooter’s
hand, improving feel and control. A C&S smooth face
aluminum trigger was substituted in place of the
original short GI type, hand fitted for optimum feel and
release. The smooth face, again, is designed for long
days on the range and is intended to prevent discomfort.
The trigger also lacks any holes that tend to gather
grime. Factory specification for the R&D trigger
pull is 4.5 pounds and our test pistol’s average pull
weight was 4.5 pounds. It isn’t too often that we test
a firearm whose trigger pull is exactly what the
manufacturer states it to be, but the R&D’s is, as
our British colleagues used to say, “spot on” with
zero creep or backlash and a break like the proverbial
snap of a glass rod.
Grips, made of
linen Micarta, are manufactured on CNC machinery by VZ
Grips and are finished by blasting them with 320-grit so
they can stand up to long periods of shooting while
giving the shooter the kind of grip and control he or
she needs. As a final touch, the magazine well has been
chamfered to provide a funnel to facilitate magazine
changes. The entire pistol is finished in matte blue
rather than Parkerizing. The contrast between the green
Micarta grips and the dark, almost black, blued surface
is a very attractive package.
The R&D 1911
comes with two C&S 7-round magazines and packed in a
cardboard box similar to the boxes that original
M1911A1s were shipped in some 65 years ago, but with the
C&S logo. Like the original, the serial number of
the pistol is written on the box in pen and ink, and the
pistol is wrapped in oil paper. The current R&D also
ships with a 0.75-gallon bucket of DUNK-KIT gun cleaner
that has a retail value of $49.95. About the only point
with which we disagree with Bill’s execution of this
excellent pistol is the 7-round magazines, which are
claimed to be the most reliable on the planet. Perhaps
they are, but we have been using quality 8-round
magazines from several manufacturers and have never had
a failure to feed in any of our numerous 1911-type
pistols. While at one time 7-round magazines may have
had a reliability advantage over 8-rounders, our
experience with the latter has convinced us that there
is no longer a reason to use 7-round magazines. Before
the 1911 purists out there take me to task over my
opinion in this matter, don’t bother. We have been
using 8-round magazines for over 10 years and never had
a failure from any magazine from a quality manufacturer.
Most manufacturers today shop their 1911-type pistols
with 8-round magazines and, again, we have never had a
failure to feed from any of them. In fact, the R&D
1911 is the first such pistol within recent memory to be
shipped with 7-round magazines.
Shooting
Impressions
 The
R&D 1911 functioned with 100 percent reliability
during our testing and achieved good accuracy. This
isn’t a match pistol, but one that can be counted upon
to function when the chips are down and deliver
“minute of human” accuracy at typical combat
distances. As the late Jeff Cooper correctly pointed
out, most gunfights take place at conversational
distances, so we usually test fire our handguns at 15
yards, which is more representative of the real world
than the 25 yards that’s more appropriate to pistol
match shooting than combat gunfighting. Firing from
about 2 inches using Black hills 230-grain FMJ ammo and
only slightly larger groups with ammo from other
manufacturers.
Final
Notes
 The
Cylinder & Slide R&D 1911 offers a shooter who
either is on a budget or who doesn’t require one of
Bill Laughridge’s “high end” pistols the
opportunity to own a true custom 1911 at a very
reasonable price. Retaining the
original Springfield frame, slide and barrel and not
hand-lapping the slide to the frame helps keep costs
down, but where it counts, the R&D 1911 has what it
takes to get the job done when the chips are down and,
as can be understood from our preceding description of
what Bill has done to produce the pistol, the R&D
1911 is a true custom handgun. For the individual who
wants the legendary C&S quality without the high
entry cost, the R&D 1911 is an excellent place to
start. Whether it is informal recreational shooting or
defending one’s person and family, the R&D 1911 is
a good pistol to have in your holster.
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