In my last review of the Metro Arms American Classic II, I noted numerous first-round failures to feed FMJ ammunition, using multiple magazines. The value-priced made-in-Manilla 1911 had a lot of things going for it. Reliability wasn’t one of them. A representative of the company contacted us to ask us to give another American Classic a chance.
Metro Arms sent a hard chrome version to replace the blued model I’d tested previously. The American Classic’s internals appear the same as its predecessor, but the finish does more to add some class to John Moses Browning’s legendary design. Online, I found the ACII in this finish priced between $569 to $630; a little over $100 more than the blued version.
Inspection revealed that the “new” gun had been fired before it got to me, and not just once or twice. Even so, its internals and outer finish were clear of significant wear marks. But the breach face and bore were marked by the passage of more than a few loads.
I put 100 rounds through the gun over a two-day period. Using a mix of CapArms 230gr FMJ and Winchester 230gr FMJ rounds, I experienced one malfunction. As before, it was a first-round failure to feed. It occurred with the manufacture-supplied magazine supplied on the sixth magazine (41st round) fired. I had no failures using either Wilson Combat or STI magazines.
Reliability sorted.