I have always been enamored with the look and feel of 1911 handguns from the first time I held my Dad’s Llama .45. As my love for history developed, it was impressed upon me just how groundbreaking John Moses Browning’s design was for that time period. Over 100 years later, variants of 1911 pistols can be found regularly in the holsters of special forces personnel, concealed carriers, and on nightstands across the country, ready to defend life and liberty. That’s not even taking into account the countless shooting enthusiasts who have come to know and love the fun to be had shooting a quality 1911.
Though I’ve had a couple different 1911 handguns in the past, I have never owned a commander length variant, just the short 3 inch officer variants. The full sized 5 inch government styles certainly would be fun to own, but I fear I would never get them out and shoot them, and certainly wouldn’t carry one. The Emperor Scorpion Fastback fits neatly in the commander category with it’s 4.2 inch barrel and full sized grip. Let’s look at some more specifications from Sig’s website:
Barrel: 4.2″
Overall length: 7.7″
Width: 1.4″
Height: 5.5″
Weight: 35 OZ (unloaded)
Finish: PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition)
Trigger weight: unlisted, but in 4.5-5 lb territory, user adjustable
MSRP: $1,234
So, as we can see, the gun is not lightweight, not particularly small, and not cheap, at least judging by the MSRP. The frame and slide are made of steel, which is not light, but also lends itself to the soft recoiling I experienced while shooting the Scorpion. While the .45 ACP is not a particularly hard recoiling round, it does typically have a stout “shove” with smaller, lighter guns, particularly polymer firearms. I found the Scorpion to be very well balanced and a joy to shoot.
I purchased the Scorpion used, and it was missing the second magazine the firearm ships with. However, at the price I got the gun for, I really won’t complain, as the savings more than make up the difference in acquiring several Chip McCormick or Kimber mags. And, should you pick up a Scorpion of your own, you will most certainly want to do that, as the gun is truly a blast to shoot.
The “Fastback” designation in the name refers to the rounded heel of the grip, where as a typical 1911 will be more squared off. I initially didn’t know how much of a difference this would make in the weapon’s handling, but it didn’t take long holding it to convince me this would be far more preferable for carry purposes and even extended shooting sessions than my officer sized Ultra Carry by Kimber.
As of this article, I have not fired enough rounds through the Scorpion to give it a rock solid recommendation, though I experienced zero reliability issues in the 100 or so rounds I fired today. The gun fed and extracted well using the Sellier and Bellot 230 grain full metal jacket rounds, and reliably fed a magazine of Federal’s HST 230 grain +P self defense ammo. Based on my limited experience with the firearm, I have to say I am pleased with it, and do fervently look forward to shooting it more.
As an aside, I apologize for the hiatus from writing. I have been focusing on catching up my YouTube Channel with this site, and making videos for the guns which I have already written articles on. The guns which I have already made videos for, have now been edited to include an embedded video link from YouTube.
I will also be reviewing some rifles and shotguns in the near future, though handguns will always be my true love and passion when it comes to shooting.
As always, thank you for reading, and your support. I hope everyone has a very joy filled holiday season no matter what you celebrate, or if you don’t. Enjoy the time with your family, stay safe, and keep shooting!!!
The Hungry Handgunner 