The 1911 boasts more than a century’s worth of use for self-defense, whether in combat or for personal use. And while modern double-stacks have gotten popular, the 1911 was originally a single-stack—and its classic chambering is in 45 ACP.
Why not get the best of both worlds? SIG Sauer understands the melding of history and modernization, and the result is the SIG 1911 X-Full, a durably built gun that’s fantastic for self-defense use.
What’s the SIG Sauer 1911 X-Full?
The SIG 1911 X-Full is, as its name implies, a full-sized 1911. That means it’s a Government size with a 5.0-inch barrel and full-size frame. It has a steel frame, which does make it heavier than some guns, but it also increases durability and longevity.
This is a gun that’s great for open carry around your personal property or for home defense use, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for concealed carry. It’s possible to conceal a full-size gun, and this one’s no exception. The SIG 1911 X-Full is a solid choice for range days and defensive purposes — basically, it’s versatile.
the details
With its 5.0-inch barrel and overall length of 8.7 inches, the 1911 X-Full is definitely a bigger handgun. It also has a height of 6.5 inches and a width of 1.4 inches. Thanks to the stainless steel used for the frame and slide, the gun has an empty weight of 42 ounces. That might sound hefty — and it is — but there are a lot of pros to it as well.
This is a customizable gun, which isn’t something you can say for a lot of 1911s. You can choose to get an optics-ready model or stick with iron sights (and the optics-ready model does ship with iron sights installed). Then there’s the accessory rail in front of the trigger guard, which makes adding a weapon-mounted light simple. Included grip panels are black G10, but you could change those if you wanted to do so.
The gun has quite a few useful features. It has a flat-face trigger rather than the skeletonized version you see in many 1911s, and trigger reach is at a good length. The hammer, magazine release, and external thumb safety are all ridged for a more tactile surface during use (especially handy with wet hands).
SIG also took care to extend the beavertail to facilitate a high, tight grip, and the frontstrap and backstrap of the grip are aggressively textured. It’s a gun that’s built for both a clean, smooth look and reliable functionality, and it delivers.
How does the gun shoot?
Throughout testing, the gun performed reliably. It didn’t have failures of any kind, and I did run it with both magazines the gun shipped with.
Accuracy
As for accuracy, I tried it out both from the bench and shooting offhand and got good results. From the bench at 25 yards, five-shot groups hovered around 3.5 inches.
Shooting offhand at 5 yards I got nice, single-hole groups doing playing card drills. Stretching that to 10 yards opened up groups about as expected to 1.5 inches with slow, measured shots, and at 25 yards offhand the groups hung out closer to 4.5 inches. That makes this an accurate pistol that’s absolutely on-target for self-defense use, although it isn’t exactly precise.
Acquiring the target quickly is simplified thanks to the factory XRAY3 Day/Night sights. The front sight is bright green and I find that’s the ideal color to draw my eyes. I did also run the gun with a Romeo-X Compact red dot sight, and it also worked well. Whether you want the iron sights or red dot is a matter of personal preference.
Other Features
Trigger pull of the 1911 X-Full is awesome, which is what I expected from this gun. The break is crisp and clean, the re-set is brief, and rapid-fire is comfortable and easy. You can run this gun pretty fast, and even though your groups are going to open up, it’s still accurate (that’s an important note for self-defense).
The 1911 X-Full fits my hands well, which is one of those your-mileage-may-vary things. We all have different hand sizes, but this gun’s single-stack design and full-size frame are going to be a nice fit for the majority of shooters. The rounded edges of the trigger guard are a big plus for a comfortable grip, too—when a guard has sharper edges it can be an issue.
Here’s where the bulk of the 1911 X-Full is useful: mitigating felt recoil and muzzle rise. It’s true that .45 ACP isn’t really a rough recoiling caliber anyway, but the 42-ounce weight combined with the 5.0-inch barrel makes it more of a hard push into your hand. That’s due to the design of the gun, too — SIG did a fantastic job.
Ammo Used in Testing
Testing any gun means using more than just training ammo, so I took care to use a variety of loads. For hollowpoints, that included Hornady Critical Defense 45 ACP 185 grain JHP, Nosler Assured Stopping Power 45 ACP 230 grain ASP JHP, and Federal Personal Defense Hydra-Shok 45 ACP 230 grain JHP.
More than one training load was used, too, including Winchester 45 ACP 230 grain FMJ and Browning 45 ACP 185 grain FMJ. I also ran the gun with and without a red dot sight.
Holstering the Sig 1911 X-Full
I did spend time carrying the SIG 1911 X-Full in a Safariland 7378 ALS. It’s a combination paddle and belt-loop holster made from the SafariSeven nylon blend.
The 7378 ALS is molded to the shape of the handgun for improved retention and features the Automatic Locking System — hence the “ALS” — for additional security of the holstered firearm.
The ALS system is straightforward and doesn’t add steps to your drawstroke, you simply activate the raised lever located to the interior of the holster with your thumb and draw straight up as usual.
With the paddle attachment, putting the holstered gun on — and taking it off — is easy. There’s definitely something to be said about the convenience of paddle holsters. That does mean OWB carry, of course, which means concealment is achieved with the right cover garment.
If you want to swap the holster’s attachment point to the belt-loop option, it’s quick and easy. You just remove the hardware holding the paddle onto the body of the holster and replace it with the belt-loop piece, which comes with a trio of screws to hold it in place.
The belt loops fit 1.5-inch belts, just be careful to keep an eye on thickness of the belt in question. Really bulky duty belts don’t slide through the loops easily. You always have the option of the paddle attachment as well, which solves that problem (the paddle fits 1.75-inch belts).
Drawing from the 7378 7TS ALS is smooth; the holster remains in place with no slipping or catching.
But it’s in .45 ACP…
Yes, the 1911 X-Full is a .45 ACP, and for some shooters that makes it a no-go for defensive use. It’s true that .45 ACP is a heavier, slow round. However, it’s also accurate that utilizing the correct ammunition makes a difference.
If you’re going to use your 1911 X-Full for self-defense, whether at home or out and about, make sure you’re using the best-quality defensive ammo possible. It really does make a difference.
Should you get a SIG 1911 X-Full?
Choosing handguns is always a personal matter, but the Sig 1911 X-Full does check all the boxes for carry use. It’s reliable, accurate, and comfortable to shoot. I find the weight of the gun is useful for reducing muzzle rise and increasing accuracy.
With the Safariland 7378 7TS ALS and a hoodie, it’s relatively easy to conceal. The holster’s cant is adjustable which is helpful for fine-tuning your drawstroke and the trigger is fully protected — that’s another must. This is a modern 1911 that still manages to retain its most important classic features, and that’s definitely a win.
Sig 1911 X-Full Specifications
- Manufacturer: SIG Sauer
- Model: 1911 X-Full
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Capacity: 8 +1
- Barrel length: 5.0-inches
- Barrel material: Black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon)
- Sights: XRAY3 Day/Night Sights; Romeo-X Compact RDS optional
- Grips: G10
- Overall length: 8.7-inches
- Overall width: 1.4-inches
- Overall height: 6.5 inches with red dot, 5.6-inches with iron sights
- Weight: 42.0 ounces, empty
