Got a new Coonan 1911 357 magnum

The only thing I don't like is it does beat up the brass slightly. Some case mouths were dented and the case walls had some scratches going down the sides.

Also it flings the brass a good 20-30 feet away lol. I need to bring the brass catcher every range trip.
 
I had read about those a couple times, never thought I'd see let alone shoot one. I'm very impressed as well and glad you bought one so I don't...must not...can't.....argh...
 
wegman said:
I had read about those a couple times, never thought I'd see let alone shoot one. I'm very impressed as well and glad you bought one so I don't...must not...can't.....argh...
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Haha I never thought I'd own one either. You were shooting it like a champ. Definitely need to whip up some more reloads. Only got about 250 reloads left.
 
I must say that was a good couple of hours of shooting hand cannons, etc. The Coonan didn't kick as bad as I thought it might and I'd like to see those fireballs at dusk or night time. I also like shooting the Colt 70 series Gold Cup -- whadda trigger. [thumbsup]
 
Parker Duofold said:
I must say that was a good couple of hours of shooting hand cannons, etc. The Coonan didn't kick as bad as I thought it might and I'd like to see those fireballs at dusk or night time. I also like shooting the Colt 70 series Gold Cup -- whadda trigger. [thumbsup]
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Haha yeah it was a blast. We had some cool guns at the range today for sure.

Ya I was very surprised at the recoil with the Coonan. Just a little more of a punch to the hand compared to a 45 1911. I can't wait to shoot this closer to dusk when the weather gets nicer and the snow melts. It will light up the whole range lol.
 
The Anchor said:
Change out the springs with a stiffer one. Mine doesn't team age the springs and it only throws the brass 8-10 feet!
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The supplied 357 recoil spring is 20 or 22 pounds If I recall. The 38 spl spring is 10 pounds. So a stiffer/heavier recoil spring will keep it from whipping the brass as far huh. How much heavier do they make the springs? And will any 1911 spring fit? I'll have to do some googling.
 
Also Coonan got back to me on Facebook, they're going to email tomorrow so they can get some new grips sent out to me.

I tested a small spot on the white logo with m pro 7 cleaner and regular clp. It absorbs it immediately and darkens the background. I basically have to make sure my hands are completely dry and clean before I touch the grips which is kind of silly. They shouldn't be that delicate. They need to put some sort of sealant/protectant over the logo.

I'm going to see if they'll send me the milled logo grips which cost $5 more than the laser etched grips I have. Those seem to be more durable since they're milled.
 
Regular 1911 springs are longer ( if I remember correctly) and just grab a heavier spring and snip it. I bet if you told Coonan they would send you a heavier spring too. I tried springs as low as 8lb to get my model b to work with 38sp ( I have 4k loaded in the safe and only 1500 in 357) I couldn't get it to work 100% with my 38 loads so it only gets fed a steady diet of flamethrower loads now.
 
The Anchor said:
Regular 1911 springs are longer ( if I remember correctly) and just grab a heavier spring and snip it. I bet if you told Coonan they would send you a heavier spring too. I tried springs as low as 8lb to get my model b to work with 38sp ( I have 4k loaded in the safe and only 1500 in 357) I couldn't get it to work 100% with my 38 loads so it only gets fed a steady diet of flamethrower loads now.
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Ohh aright. Thanks!
 
Ordered 24, 26, and 28lb springs to try out. Also ordered a box of Buffalo Bore 125 gr JHPs ($26.38 shipped from Budsgunshop! not bad) to test and I already have some Buffalo Bore 158s and 180s...should be a fun range trip.
 
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Spoke with Coonan on the phone earlier and they're sending me the nicer all black milled logo grips today and having me return the defective grips. Great service from Coonan.
 
When I called to order some new Mags for my B, they told me that the magwell would need some minor fitting to open it up to accept the new mags. They said if I shipped the frame to them they would do the work for free. I opted to have a friend do the work but I thought that was pretty cool that they would offer.
 
The Anchor said:
When I called to order some new Mags for my B, they told me that the magwell would need some minor fitting to open it up to accept the new mags. They said if I shipped the frame to them they would do the work for free. I opted to have a friend do the work but I thought that was pretty cool that they would offer.
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Wow that is really cool that they offered that. They seem like a well run company with great customer service.
 
New milled logo grips already arrived today from Coonan. Also my Wolff recoil springs and some Buffalo Bore 125 gr JHPs arrived. Hopefully I can keep this beast from throwing brass into the next town. Brass catcher worked great at the range yesterday.
View attachment 132931View attachment 132932

Blew through 200 rounds of 158 gr and 125 gr JHPs yesterday. Actually got a blister on my hand from not wearing gloves or maybe having a death grip since these reloads were just a wee bit too hot for me. Below max but wasn't all that comfortable after 100 rounds. Also the grips are very aggressive so that didn't help either. Check out these rings of fire!! 21.8 gr of H110.
View attachment 132933View attachment 132934View attachment 132935View attachment 132936
 
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My dad was asking me why it shoots rings of fire like that. I assume it's due to the amount of energy and pressure compared to a 9mm or 45 semi-auto? Because 357/44/500 mag revolvers don't shoot rings of fire which may be due to have the cylinder gap releasing some of the pressure/energy? Or is it just the way the gases travel in a semi-auto compared to a revolver? Other big bore semi-autos like the Desert Eagle shoot the rings too. Not sure why but damn it's cool [smile]
 
In God We Trust said:
Does it feel too big in the hand? I think that is the coolest gun ever.
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No not at all. I've got decent sized hands so that helps. Yeah it's a sweet shooter for sure. I just ordered some adjustable sights for it since it shoots high at 25 yards using my 125 gr reloads. 158s shoot closer to POA at that distance. I might try the smooth walnut grips since I got a blister after 200 rounds on Sunday lol. Also need to lighten the powder charge as its pretty snappy near max loads.

Also need to test the new recoil springs.
 
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Just tried out the heaviest recoil spring - 28 pounds and it flung the brass about 20 feet away. So it helped a little bit compared to 30-40 feet. I don't think Wolff makes a heavier spring than that lol.

Also tried the 10 lb spring with my light 357 loads (800ish fps) and it would not cycle at all. I ordered a 5 and 7 lb spring hoping that might help.
 
WW296/H110 (same powder distributed by different companies) is known for high muzzle flash. I get very bright flash from my revolvers when using that powder.
 
Rob Boudrie said:
WW296/H110 (same powder distributed by different companies) is known for high muzzle flash. I get very bright flash from my revolvers when using that powder.
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Yeah it's crazy, but awesome lol. 2400 powder is also flashy too.
 
believe it or not i have seen a few of these for sale at a gun store here in mass... the price tag is as big as you can imagine it would be..
 

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