As a counterbalance to its significantly lighter weight, the Magna T5 carries a 14-pound recoil spring that helps keep felt recoil in check.
» PERHAPS THE BIGGEST DRAWBACK to carrying a full-size Model 1911 for personal protection is not its size but its weight. Let’s all be honest: By bedtime, it feels like an anchor tugging on your belt or shoulders. That’s a pity, because accuracy-wise, a well-tuned Government Model is a sizzler. I’ve never had any qualms about carrying one while walking into a dark place. That .45-caliber bullet is a proven fight stopper; the “heavyweight” of modern self-defense rounds. At about 2.5 pounds empty, the typical .45 ACP M1911 feels like one heavy customer after eight or nine hours, though I’ve carried one off and on for years. Nowadays, I typically opt for a Lightweight Commander model with an aluminum frame. Carried in a comfortable IWB rig, it’s been a good companion, and at 27 ounces (make a note of this), it’s much lighter than the all-steel Government Model.
“Magnesium-Aged Alloy T5” Full-Sized Model
But what if you had a much lighter full-size model? We’ve seen pistols with aluminum frames, and titanium’s been tried in various firearms, most notably some lightweight revolvers. Now comes The Magna T5, featuring what creator Rick Uselton, proprietor at UA Arms in Franklin, Tennessee, calls a “Magnesium-aged alloy T5” frame with its own specific designation. Quite honestly, it is one of the most surprising and intriguing semi-autos I’ve ever seen, much less fired.
Compared to my aluminum-framed Commander, the Uselton specimen is a bit lighter, even when both are fully loaded.
According to an online description, “elemental magnesium is a graywhite lightweight metal, two-thirds the density of aluminum.” Not having a background in metallurgy, I’ll certainly take someone else’s word for that because after toting this pistol around for an all-too-brief field evaluation, it stunned the heck out of me, even in the form of an alloy. Compared to my aluminum-framed Commander, the Uselton specimen is a bit lighter, even when both are fully loaded.
Uselton told me via email that the empty weight of his full-size Magna T5 is about 22 ounces, noticeably lighter than my Commander. It has an accessory rail, G10 grip panels, an adjustable rear Novak sight and a dovetailed front sight. There are cocking serrations fore and aft on the 4140 carbon steel slide, while the frame features a squared trigger guard and lightweight competition trigger. It is stamped “Oriskany Arms” in which Uselton is a partner. A skeleton hammer, flat mainspring housing and beavertail grip safety round out the package.
Incidentally, the slide is finished inside and out with a clear ceramic that is very tough, and at first glance, it looks like stainless steel. Indeed, the whole gun is finished with this coating, and my guess is that it will stand up to years of service.
The pistol Uselton supplied is the first prototype, and before he shipped it, he told me that he ran about 2,500 rounds through it. Designed for ball ammo, which I used during the testing along with an assortment of JHPs with bullet profiles similar to FMJs, this Magna T5 is a real shooter.
Cocked and locked, the Magna T5 carries the same as any other M1911 … without the weight, that is.
Out of the 5-inch match-grade stainless steel Storm Lake barrel, the FMJ ammunition from Black Hills shot a bit low at 15 yards with a two-hand hold, but that can be solved by a simple sight adjustment. I noticed that the grip safety was a bit sticky, which Uselton confirmed. This being a prototype, that’s one thing he’ll pay attention to in the production guns. Otherwise, the safety functioned fine, as did the extended thumb safety. Cocked and locked, the Magna T5 carries the same as any other M1911 … without the weight, that is.
Now, one might think because of the lighter weight that a full-house .45 ACP would make this pistol buck like a rank horse. Not so! According to Uselton, the Magna T5 is fitted with a 14-pound recoil spring, and to be honest, felt recoil was virtually the same as my Commander. Any difference was negligible, and this is important in a defensive situation because it allows for faster target reacquisition.
Trigger & Ammo
Trigger letoff was crisp at approximately 4 pounds. Rail-to-rail fit was nice and tight without being overly so, and the pistol cycled just fine. Empties kicked out wide and to the right rear.
Uselton advised me that if someone runs personal defense ammunition, his recommendation is the Hornady Critical Defense round.
Uselton said this pistol has been in the development stage for some two years. Working in the aerospace industry in Washington State, he developed some new blended magnesium alloys.
“I built some receivers and had some failures until our blind hit on (the right formula),” he wrote about the alloy.
Turned out he was onto something. The material was aged and then “bingo, we finally got it down pat,” he said.
He certainly did. The frames are now machined from a solid billet of the material, the exact specifications being a trade secret. Whatever the formula, it works, and after being subjected to Northwest rain and cold, it stands up without a whimper.
Uselton put a lot of work into this handgun, which is evident at a glance. The ejection port is lowered and flared slightly. I had no trouble at all ejecting live rounds between shooting strings during two different range visits.
On my second trek, I tried the pistol off a solid surface rest and discovered just how tight a group this thing can produce with a little work. On one relay, I punched one hole at the 15-yard line six times at the bottom of the X-ring on a Birchwood Casey overlay, and those targets never lie. And that was with 230-grain Black Hills FMJs.
Uselton advised me that if someone runs personal defense ammunition, his recommendation is the Hornady Critical Defense round. Frankly, I had no problem with Remington Golden Saber 230-grain brass-jacketed hollowpoints.
Alas, I didn’t have the pistol long enough to do a check on the feed ramp to see whether repeated pounding created any wear problems, but I had a pretty good look at it, and all the ammunition Uselton said he ran through it before shipping didn’t leave so much as a marred surface visible to my naked eye. Whatever else this magnesium alloy is, it’s certainly tough.
It really is different shooting the Magna T5 than any other full-size M1911, not in terms of recoil, but simply in terms of weight and getting a sight picture.
Firearm Grips
Meanwhile, the G10 grip panels are as functional as they are handsome. They are longer than the frame and beveled at the bottom to enhance positive magazine insertion and speed reloading if necessary.
It’s kind of an odd surface pattern that Uselton puts on these panels (they are manufactured in-house), but it turned out to be very conducive to providing a solid hold even in pouring rain. It was during my time with the pistol that the Northwest was hammered by a string of rainstorms, so take my word for it, those grips do not allow the pistol to slide around during recoil.
Testing at the Shooting Range
My first range visit was in the evening, and, between downpours, I knocked out a few groups with a two-hand hold that were so-so. I counted that off to the weather, lousy light and getting the feel of the Magna T5.
When I returned a few days later with better weather and better light, things tightened up considerably. By that time, I had a feel for this pistol. It really is different shooting the Magna T5 than any other full-size M1911, not in terms of recoil, but simply in terms of weight and getting a sight picture. The lighter weight honestly takes some getting used to, but once you have, you can really go to work.
The Magna T5 features functional and attractive G10 grip panels. The beveled design makes magazine insertion a breeze and lends itself well to speed reloading.
Concealed Carry Options
One universal positive about the 1911 is that there is no shortage of holsters available, even for guns with accessory rails machined into the frame. I don’t really care for rails, because I don’t use accessory lasers or lights and they make for a less concealable pistol. I’m a tritium sight guy.
My recommendation would be for a strong-side high-ride holster. The weight of this pistol allows for a very quick draw and presentation, and it also makes for a very comfortable throughout-the-day or night carry. Of course, therein lies the ultimate moral to this story.
This lightweight full-size M1911 is ideal for concealed carry because of its weight, quality and the round it fires. It more than meets the first rule of a gunfight (“Have a gun”) and it will definitely put bullets where they are aimed. The owner of a Magna T5 will be happy to take it along everywhere, and if something bad happens, it will be there to stop it.
