Gun Tests Grade: B (BEST BUY)

$479

The Citadel 9mm is a 1911 type that operates in the same manner as the Ruger and the Tisas Commander, but it has the shortened slide and grip frame of the Officer’s Model, so it isn’t a Commander. The pistol features the Parkerized finish common to Philippine-produced 1911 handguns. The 3.5-inch barrel is a belled version that features good lockup with the slide. The locking lugs seem well fitted. The sights are Novak types, a good touch on an inexpensive handgun. Frankly, these sights are so common on inexpensive handguns these days, we see little point in purchasing a GI-type 1911 handgun with abbreviated sights. However, these sights do not feature a three-dot line up. The slide-lock safety is well fitted. It was a contrast to the slop we found in the Zenith Tisas slide-lock safety. However, it suffered in comparison to the Ruger’s crisp let off. The Citadel is good, just not quite as good. Another advantage in the Ruger is that the Ruger features a new-design integral plunger tube. This is the tube that holds the springs, keeping tension on both the slide lock and the slide-lock safety. They sometimes break off and must be re-staked. In long term use, the Ruger is superior to the other 1911 types in this regard. In re-evaluating the slide-lock safety fit of the Citadel, we cannot complain at all in this regard; however, all the raters noticed the differences. Not a defect, but a consideration, we agreed. The Ruger features a sharper indent.

The beavertail grip safety is properly designed and releases its hold on the trigger halfway into compression. The mainspring housing is nicely checkered. The grips are wood, and while the checkering isn’t presentation grade, it works. The fit of the slide to the frame was comparable to the other handguns. The pistol did not exhibit tool marks when field-stripped.

A comparison all of the raters made was that the Citadel Officer’s-size 9mm was about as easy to fire well as the Commander-type 9mms. This would not be true with the Officer’s Model in 45 ACP, which generates considerably more recoil than a Commander 45. The Citadel is actually heavier than the Ruger SR1911 Commander because the Citadel features a steel frame versus an aluminum frame for the Ruger. But the Citadel is by no means a burden to carry. The shorter sight radius may be an advantage in short-range combat drills because the shooter can quickly line the sights up, but there was a trade off in long range accuracy.

We added two Metalform Officers Model eight-round magazines to the test. Despite the abbreviated grip of the Officer’s Model 1911, the raters were able to maintain a good grip on the handgun. The trigger span is the same as the other 1911 handguns. The trigger is a decent, crisp 4.5 pounds, leaving nothing to be desired. There is some take up, with no discernible creep. The pistol gave good results on the combat course with no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject. The pistol was pleasant to fire. The Citadel would have performed better with a darker front sight or a fiber-optic front post. In certain light conditions, the front sight simply seemed to fade away. We rated the pistol down a half grade for this. We had to use sight black to resume firing. Otherwise, results were comparable to the Commander-type guns in the combat firing test. In bench accuracy, the Citadel trailed the pack. The two Commanders were quite accurate, and the Hi-Power clone provided surprising results. The Citadel is the least expensive handgun tested, and we did not expect match-grade accuracy. The handgun is more than accurate enough for personal defense. At 25 yards, groups ran from 2.9 to 3.5 inches. This isn’t great by 1911 standards, but it is good for the size of the pistol and the short sight radius. We rated the piece down a half grade on accuracy.

Our Team Said: The pistol performed well, especially considering the price. The Citadel is reliable and is the easiest handgun to conceal of the handguns tested. It is the least expensive handgun tested. The finish isn’t as highly polished as the beautiful Hi-Power clone, the latter of which is more expensive. When we consider the advantages of the Citadel 1911, including its flat profile and grip safety, the ease of control, and low bore axis, we think the Citadel is the Best Buy for personal defense, despite it ranking a full grade lower than the Ruger SR1911.

9mm Luger Range Data

Value Guide: 9mm Luger Handgun Rankings