So. Who needs a nice 1911 these days?

[bobsguns]

Shop owner is a buddy of mine, sent me this link. I gather he ran into them at this year's SHOT show. He's ordered one for himself & several for his shop & GB.

I have a Nighthawk (bought used), several Les Baers, a couple of STI's & had a Ed Brown before it got stolen. So I know & love a NICE 1911. He's telling me these guys are 2X better than Nighthawk or anyone else you can name.  

Their build style is similar to the SVI/Infinity builds but I can't remember what to call it. Sectional? Component? The grip & dust cover are two separate sections, whereas most 1911s are one solid piece. I guess it's a good thing to do since the top, top upper tier guys are doing it.

They give a LOT of options when ordering a gun too. You can get a slide-lock version or not (race gun version). You can get a sub-3lb trigger, which is unheard of these days, IMO. I didn't look, but I would imagine the usual suspects apply when it comes to calibers. They sell parts as well, so one can do some serious upgrading on something you already have now.  

I guess when I find a bag of $$$$ a drug dealer has tossed out his car window when the cops were chasing him, I'll buy one. Their prices start at $5200.  

I'd be interested to hear from Ken Mays about these, if he's played with one before?

Oh, yes. Their web site:   Atlas Guns

Edited February 6, 2022 by bobsguns

[TGO David]

Atlas Gunworks makes superb firearms.  I've used their components in other 1911 and 2011 handguns in the past.

[bobsguns]

2 minutes ago, TGO David said:

Atlas Gunworks makes superb firearms.  I've used their components in other 1911 and 2011 handguns in the past.

Which parts, might I ask? Do they make their own barrels?

[TGO David]

4 minutes ago, bobsguns said:

Which parts, might I ask? Do they make their own barrels?

Ignition parts, mostly.  Triggers, disconnectors, mainspring housings.   We ran their mainspring and EGW hard sear in a Kimber Warrior that I had Jeff Meiser at Hero Gear completely blueprint and rebuild for me.  I'm pretty sure that @MacGyver still has that one.

I have one of their curved triggers for my Staccato C2 but haven't stopped to put it in yet.  Flashy red.  Just for grins and giggles.

 

[Johnny Rotten]

Where is Jeff nowadays?

[KahrMan]

17 minutes ago, Johnny Rotten said:

Where is Jeff nowadays?

Last I heard he was done in Texas working for a 1911 company that I forget the name of.

[deerslayer]

Atlas 2011s are fairly common in USPSA for Limited and Open division.  I’m currently experimenting with their 140/40 mag with my STI Edge.  

[bobsguns]

3 minutes ago, deerslayer said:

Atlas 2011s are fairly common in USPSA for Limited and Open division.  I’m currently experimenting with their 140/40 mag with my STI Edge.  

It's been several years since I've shot a match, but I don't recall ever seeing one there. Might've been before their time?

[deerslayer]

5 minutes ago, bobsguns said:

It's been several years since I've shot a match, but I don't recall ever seeing one there. Might've been before their time?

No idea how long they have been around, but I started hearing about them maybe four or five years ago?  And you are correct, bring a few paychecks if you hope to buy one. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by deerslayer

[TGO David]

11 hours ago, KahrMan said:

Last I heard he was done in Texas working for a 1911 company that I forget the name of.

Jeff was at Republic Forge.  What's odd is that Republic Forge was in Texas, was sold to someone else who moved it to either New Mexico or Arizona or something like that, and I'd heard that Jeff wanted to stay put in Texas so he didn't move with them.

But, I just searched and it seems that Republic Forge is back in Texas again... so I dunno.

[ken_mays]

I've seen them.  I haven't had the opportunity to shoot one.   They have been around since about 2009 which makes them a new kid on the 2011 block.  The 2011 patent filed by Tripp and Strayer (aka STI and SVI) expired in 2004 so that's why all the copycats popped up shortly thereafter.   Atlas has a good rep from all I've seen, and have primarily been focused on the competition market.   They make most of their parts and buy some from other outfits like Phoenix Trinity.  

They charge nearly as much as Infinity but their lead times are a lot shorter.   The 2011 space is getting a little more crowded now that old school 1911 players like Nighthawk have entered the game.

My personal opinion is that better values exist if all you want is a custom 2011 for competition.   And if I were going for the ultimate spare-no-expense 2011, I would probably buy another Infinity.  But that's just me.

 

[Grayfox54]

As much as I love the 1911, these just ain't my thing. 

Way outta my budget too. 

[bobsguns]

9 hours ago, ken_mays said:

My personal opinion is that better values exist if all you want is a custom 2011 for competition.   And if I were going for the ultimate spare-no-expense 2011, I would probably buy another Infinity.  But that's just me.

Don't be too modest as I value your opinions on 1911s very highly. You've always been honest in your opinions & are almost always correct on them, IMO. 

It surprises me just tiny bit that you've not shot one yet. I also didn't know they've been around since 2009.

Thanks for chiming in.

[bobsguns]

7 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

As much as I love the 1911, these just ain't my thing. 

Way outta my budget too. 

Well, the cheapest one seems to be a single stack, I think? As for price, that's why we buy lottery tickets.  

[ken_mays]

1 hour ago, bobsguns said:

Don't be too modest as I value your opinions on 1911s very highly. You've always been honest in your opinions & are almost always correct on them, IMO. 

It surprises me just tiny bit that you've not shot one yet. I also didn't know they've been around since 2009.

Thanks for chiming in.

Thanks for the kind words!   It's been a couple years since I shot a USPSA match, so if anyone locally has one I haven't had a chance to shoot one.  And at any rate (just my personal taste), I have zero interest in the Atlas offerings.   I like the styling of the Infinity guns more, and at this price level, let's be honest, aesthetics are a big part of it.  They offer a bewildering set of options via their Gunbuilder app, including some exclusive stuff they have patents on like the interchangeable trigger system, interchangeable breechface, etc.   They make every part in-house including barrels and sights.   And it's worth mentioning the fact that Sandy Strayer helped invent the darn thing back in 1993, so why buy from a Johnny-come-lately?   

Not a knock on Atlas, I hear great feedback from their owners... it's just my somewhat old-school opinion.   At that level, you are really looking for something done exactly the way you like it; there is no reason to settle for something you might not be 100% thrilled with.  I do hear that Atlas is probably little more flexible and a little less my-way-or-the-highway than the Strayer clan, and the wait time can certainly be a factor.

 

[bobsguns]

11 hours ago, ken_mays said:

They offer a bewildering set of options via their Gunbuilder app, including some exclusive stuff they have patents on like the interchangeable trigger system, interchangeable breechface, etc.   They make every part in-house including barrels and sights.  

At some point, wouldn't all the changeable options effect accuracy? Swapping this & that out all the time can't help consistency, would it? Even a top tier-made gun?

I'm a bit surprised about them making their own barrels. I've heard this is not an inexpensive thing to jump into for mfg. Given how many mfgrs use Nowlin/Wilson/Kart barrels & fit them, I bet this is pretty rare these days.

[tnhawk]

Until I can outshoot my WC. Ed Brown and other pistols, I can't justify the additional expense of more expensive pistols.

 

[papa61]

Not my style or price range. If shooting competitively maybe. I'll just stick with my Para 14.45

[bobsguns]

5 hours ago, tnhawk said:

Until I can outshoot my WC. Ed Brown and other pistols, I can't justify the additional expense of more expensive pistols.

Well, to some of us, it's more than simply being more accurate. Fit, finish, cosmetics, features, etc all come into play when comparing something in those price ranges, IMO.

Kinda like having a BMW & saying you don't want a Ferrari until you can run a NASCAR race & win it.  

[ken_mays]

11 hours ago, bobsguns said:

At some point, wouldn't all the changeable options effect accuracy? Swapping this & that out all the time can't help consistency, would it? Even a top tier-made gun?

I'm a bit surprised about them making their own barrels. I've heard this is not an inexpensive thing to jump into for mfg. Given how many mfgrs use Nowlin/Wilson/Kart barrels & fit them, I bet this is pretty rare these days.

The options are specified when you place the build order.   Such as, I want this kind of sight, this kind of slide serration, this kind of grip texture, single side or ambi safety, etc.   Infinity doesn't have standard models, every gun they make is from a customer order where the customer specifies the configuration.

[bobsguns]

3 hours ago, ken_mays said:

The options are specified when you place the build order.   Such as, I want this kind of sight, this kind of slide serration, this kind of grip texture, single side or ambi safety, etc.   Infinity doesn't have standard models, every gun they make is from a customer order where the customer specifies the configuration.

Ah, I stand corrected now. I thought it was the owner that could swap out such items. Should've know better as breech faces aren't swappable.  

[ken_mays]

39 minutes ago, bobsguns said:

Ah, I stand corrected now. I thought it was the owner that could swap out such items. Should've know better as breech faces aren't swappable.  

Ah, but they ARE!

 

 

[bobsguns]

10 hours ago, ken_mays said:

Ah, but they ARE!

Now I feel like the puppy chasing the laser dot on the floor & you're holding the laser!  

Hey, I'm gonna work up a post asking about pistol cal PDW's in the handgun section. Please drop-in & comment what you think, if you would?