I wanted a place to discuss my handguns and firearms in general. Everyone seemingly has lots to say about guns, so I promise you this won't be a rant blog.
I talked about the EAA Girsan Witness 2311 Brat a few days ago. Well, it is now released for consumption (meaning that it is now actually being sold).
I’ve checked the street pricing and, as of 11/11/2024, it is showing as $540 as a lowest-price (see pricing here). That’s not a bad price for such a gun, but I’m suspecting that it will have QC issues, as the other EAA Girsan Witness 2311 variants have all had issues when being reviewed by independent YouTube channels. I’d be very surprised if the gun actually does well, especially with it being a smaller 1911/2011, as the smaller versions can sometimes be difficult to develop.
We’ll see how well it does, but I’m not holding my breath for a good review.
I’ve been seeing a few YouTubers posting about the new 2011 from the collaboration between Fusion Firearms and Ermox, called the XP Pro.
Usually, the first thing out of someone’s mouth is, “It’s a Turkish import that Fusion put their name on” or some crap like that. This is a true collaboration. Just as when SDS Imports worked with Tisas to up their specification standards, Fusion Firearms did the same. If it weren’t for SDS Imports showing Tisas how to make the parts in the proper fashion using the proper specs, recent Tisas products would’ve been shitty. Fusion Firearms did the same thing. The CEO of Fusion Firearms used to own Dan Wesson and he later sold DW to CZ. He’s been working with Ermox, providing them with the proper specs for the parts and advising them on how the parts need to be made.
I’ve already seen the table-top video of the XP Pro by Graham Baates. This gun looks to be well-made. Yes, there are machine marks, but that doesn’t outright define a bad 1911/2011. The culmination of parts, fitment, and finish is what makes the gun a well-received product. My first thought was that the gun looks to puch way above it’s level, similar to how $400 Tisas 1911s match a gun twice their price. I think this gun is equivalent to a Prodigy. Many folks think that Apollo 11s are equivalent to Prodigies. They are not. From what I’ve seen, the XP Pro looks to be over-built, which means it’s probably going to make a great 2011.
Some things that stood out to me were the fact that the gun comes with two optics plates – one for RMSc and equivalent footprints and one for 507C and equivalent footprints. The plates have irons built into them.
Another thing is that the gun is all bar stock. There is no MIM at all.
Almost all the parts are interchangeable with other 1911s/2011s. About the only parts that are proprietary (by necessity) are the slide catch, the mag catch, and the beavertail, and those proprietary parts are necessary due to gun being built around Glock mags.
Additionally, the grip module (yes, this is a 2011) is all-metal. The gun is heavy, which means that this gun will probably be a recoil sponge.
There will be a comped version later on.
There will be a 45ACP version later on.
The grip angle is good – it’s not Glock-like.
The controls appear to cater to concealed carry.
TheHumbleMarksman has one, as well…he’s just waiting for time to begin conducting the review.
GBGun has his but he’s leaving the country for 2 weeks, so the range portion of his review will be on-hold until he returns.
I’d talked myself into not settling for another budget 2011, but I might have to buy this one (next spring). I’ve another 4-5 months for the kinks to be worked out and for the major channels to review the gun. If things are favorable by March/April, I’ll be grabbing the XP Pro (and possible another higher-end 2011 too).
What is this gun bringing that the other 2011 variants aren’t? Well, You don’t see all that many 2011s chambered in 45ACP, especially in Officer size and while having a bull barrel.
That price is definitely attractive and offsets the fact that it’s an EAA/Girsan offering.
I ordered 3 17-round mags since they’re so cheap. See below – these are regularly over $50 each.
I figured I’d buy a few – I do not know if they’ll fit in my Tisas but if I’m sure if the Duramag fits (it does – I bought a 17-rounder), the MPA DS9 mags will fit. I plan to buy another 9mm 2011 in early 2025, so if these don’t fit in the Tisas, they’ll probably fit in a Romulus or Prodigy (those are the two guns I’m considering buying).
I posted here that the Ultralight had to be sent back to Bul Armory for repair (again).
It is September 27th and I just got an email that the UL is on it’s way back to me. They received it September 11th.
The notes they provided:
The pistol underwent a full inspection where we made sure all the different components are within spec.
We then adjusted the main spring and test fired the pistol and the pistol works well as it should.
I’m kinda wary, as the pistol itself was working well when I sent it to them…the issue was that the grip safety wasn’t working properly.
It should be back to me on October 1st.
If it’s not fixed (as I suspect), I’ll stop carrying it. I may sell it to finance a different 2011. I may research to see if I can fix it on my own. Or, I may find a gunsmith that can fix it.
I may be overly worried about this, but I don’t think that the issue was a mainspring adjustment issue, especially since since Bul Armory has had the chance to fix this (twice now). I do not have any other 1911 or 2011 that has ever had this issue and I don’t believe mainsprings just loose adjustability out of the blue to the point that the grip safety stops working.
Two weeks ago, I bought a Streamlight TLR-7 X since I’ve never owned a good weapon mounted light (WML). I bought it during a Labor Day sale at Midway. I wanted a light that would fit my smaller 1911s and 2011s that wouldn’t stick out 3-4″ from the guns’ muzzles. BTW, this will fit on my Tisas DS9 Carry without using any of the extra keys that the TLR-7 came with.
I don’t currently carry with a WML but want to give it a try, so that’s the main reason I bought one. That means I need a holster that accommodates a WML, so…..
I ordered a QVO Tactical AIWB holster. The particular version I ordered was their More Discreet holster for 4.25″ 2011s so that I could use it with both my small and bigger 1911s and 2011s. I asked that the holster accommodate the TLR-7 format.
The only thing I didn’t opt for was the DCC clips, as they were a $30 add-on (!!!)
I will share my experience with this holster as I use it.
The grip safety was not stopping the hammer from falling.
This occurred back in January 2024 and I sent it back to Bul Armory then.
When I received it back, I tested it and the grip safety was functional.
Eight months later, I checked again, and the hammer is dropping again, although I’ve to hulk up on the trigger to get it to drop.
I went to Reddit and asked why this would be occurring and I got several answers. The first two were basically the same answer – that whoever built the gun removed too much material on the grip safety when fitting the part.
The last answer wasn’t really an answer…it was more of an accusation that I wasn’t engaging the grip safety fully, which excessively wore the part over time. I told the guy that that wasn’t the issue, and thanked him for his time. I highly doubt that was the issue, as I’ve to tightly grip the gun to control it and when I grip, the grip safety is disengaged.
Another guy chimed in stating that he’d had the exact same issue. He said he’d bought his gun from GP Arms, who was a Bul Armory importer up until a month or so before I bought my Ultralight. Gabe said that he’d seen the issue before with BA guns, and he fixed it. The guy said the issue never recurred.
So, this leads me to believe that this is indeed a manufacturing issue.
Keep in mind that the one-year warranty expired back in March 2024.
My options were to:
Get the safety pinned – not an option on a $1500 gun.
Find a gunsmith that could fix the safety – not an option on a $1500 gun.
Reach out to Bul Armory and explain to them that they “fixed” this back in January, only for the issue to recur eight months later. Ask them to fix it under warranty and if they won’t, ask them to diagnose the issue and if the cost was reasonable, I’d pay to have it fixed.
Fix it on my own – last resort option (would find a gunsmith before I did this).
I ended up reaching out to Bul Armory and explaining that whatever fix they applied did not work, that the gun was out of warranty but wasn’t when the “fix” was applied. I asked them to fix it under warranty since their fix didn’t remedy the issue. I explained to them that reliability was important to me, as the gun was a carry gun. I also asked that they ensure the gun stayed fixed this go-around and asked them if they needed to replace parts, to please do so.
Bul Armory honored my request. I sent the gun to them last week – they’ve had it a week, so far.
I’m carrying the Alpha Foxtrot while the SAS II UL is being repaired.
I will post an update once the gun has been returned to me.
Alpha Foxtrot has added a new product to their product line: The Romulus.
It is a double-stacked 1911, patterned specifically around the 2011, and has a polymer grip module.
It is chambered in 9mm and utilizes a bull barrel. It is being sold as either a 5″ or 4.25″ gun.
The gun is optics-ready, utilizing the RMSc footprint. When using an optic on this gun, you retain your rear iron sight.
The gun uses Staccato-patterned mags. I’m not sure how many mags it’ll come with, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it came with only one.
I’m also sure it’ll have some MIM internals, which isn’t a huge deal (MIM parts can always be replaced with tool steel parts).
The gun is priced at $1620, which is actually a pretty good price.
The only real con is that it is only backed by a 1-year limited warranty.
They started selling the Romulus on 8/1/2024, but I’ve seen NO marketing other than Alpha Foxtrot posting Instagram photos. There’s one Youtube video but it’s just a quick 10 sec video of the Romulus being rotated.
Approximately 80% of the information within this post came from their Instagram posts and not their Youtube or website content, which is a bit crazy. They REALLY need to step up their marketing game. I’m not surprised that I’ve not seen any Youtube reviews yet, and I’m not sure when I’ll see the first one, but when I do, I’ll post it on the blog.
Today, I was looking at a holster that I bought that does not carry well. The specific holster is the Priority 1 PCHS for the Bul Armory SAS II UL. The PCHS holster is designed for a short-barrelled handgun for appendix carry (inside the waistband) and has a habit of pushing out the gun’s grip. I want the grip to be tucked in.
Now, this issue is lessened if you buy a holster that is longer than the gun. For example, I bought the Tenicor Certum for 4.25″ 1911s and I use it with my short-barrelled 1911s. Since the holster is longer, it helps to stabilize and better position the holster – it pertains to the keel method and also applies to wedges and other contraptions that help with positioning the holster and gun.
With the Certum holster, I use a custom wedge that I made from a yoga bar and velcro’d the wedge to the holster. The wedge gives me some extra positioning and pushes the gun’s grip into my body. It’s not perfect but works well enough.
With the PCHS holster, I didn’t use a custom wedge, but received a PHLster holster wedge kit for Christmas present from my sister. I’ve been trying to use those wedges with the PCHS holster but it’s not working well.
Since I’ve been having issues with wedges, I decided to just buy several wedges from Mastermind Tactics.
I ordered the packs because I’ve several holsters and I can benefit from having several types of wedges and pillows to customize the fit/ride of my holsters. Plus, I can get rid of the custom wedge if I find that one of the above solutions works.
I’ll post updates once I’ve begun to experiment with the delivered products.
I’ve been thinking on what my next handgun should be.
A listing:
Dan Wesson (CZ) DWX (full sized)
Cosaint COS21
Bul Armory Tac 5″ or Tac Pro 5″
Alpha Foxtrot Romulus 5″ or Spatha 5″
Stealth Arms Platypus
Springfield Armory 1911 DS (Prodigy) 5″
GP Arms Patriot 4.8″ or Forza 3.10″
My budget is between $1000 and $2000.
What I really want is something I don’t already have, configuration-wise. I do not have a 5″ 1911 that is chambered in 9mm. I’d prefer it to be double-stacked. I’d prefer it to not be over $2000. I do not want another cheap 2011, either – that includes any Tisas, MAC, LFA, or Witness…basically, nothing under $1000.
The Dan Wesson DWX is something that I’m curious about Dan Wesson makes great 1911s and this is apparently a blend of CZ and 1911. They’ve an MSRP of $1999 and can be found as low as $1700, so they’re within the budget. DWXs are a bit different and I love the unique guns. The con of this gun is that they are not optics-ready, which is a bit crazy considering that it costs that much and modern guns are usually cut for an optic.
I was thinking Cosaint COS21 (it’s their 5″ duty gun) but that’s rather expensive, starting at $2600! The smaller variants are $100 and $200 less (starting at $2500 for the Commander and $2400 for the Officer variants). If I’m going to spend that much money, it’ll be on a Stacatto, so scratch Cosaint off the list, simply because they assault my sensibilities. They’re probably great guns but I’ve a budget to consider.
I was also considering the new 5″ Bul Armory TAC or Tac Pro, in 5″ length. The Tac Pro is only a bit lessexpensive than the the Cosaint COS21. The Tac is $2250. Both are out of budget, sadly. As well, Bul Armory only have 1-year limited warranties on their guns, so no more Bul Armory guns for me.
I may do another Alpha Foxtrot – they’ve two new double-stacked 1911s that are in the pipeline: the Spatha and the Romulus. The Spatha appears to be a double-stacked 1911 that is solid-framed, and the Romulus appears to be a legit 2011. The con for Alpha Foxtrot is that, like Bul Armory, they only have limited 1-year warranties, but I love their guns, so I may be willing to overlook the warranty. Of the two (pictured below), the Romulus has more of my interest. Prices aren’t listed yet but I’m thinking they’ll be in the mid $1000s.
There’s the Stealth Arms Platypus. The Platypus’ pro is that it’s highly configurable. It’s cons are that it’s not really a 2011 and that most folks have them.
The Springfield Armory Prodigy is something I’ve always desired, and it has a full warranty, will take standard 2011 mags, has a very robust optics mounting system, has a great grip module, and is very flat-shooting. Yes, they initially had problems. I haven’t heard of any recent complaints, though.
The GP Arms Patriot is not new (they also have the 3.1″ Forza, which is very like the Bul Armory SAS II UL and is priced at $1590) but is very configurable. They are a tad bit pricey, though…they start at $1950.
Outside of 1911s/2011s, I’ve been curious about the Glock 43X and Glock 48. Hell, I can get both of them, in MOS configuration.
Of them all, the 5″ Prodigy is the stand-out option. I can even get the variant that has 3 mags and the HEX optic,which will certainly already have the optic mounting plate, and it will still be reasonably priced (at around $1400). Plus, I already have two Checkmate mags and a 17 round Duramag.
I’ll also keep watch on what else is released this year, as I’ve until next spring to decide.
