It’s nice to see two very knowledgeable individuals who understand how good the Beretta PX4 Storm is!
If I weren’t on a 1911/2011 fixation, I’d probably be shooting this gun more!
So, I’m done with my gun purchases this year. I’m quite happy with my recent purchases.
What’s for next year’s gun buy?
I’m looking at the Costaint COS21, which is a semi-custom 2011. It starts at $2200, comes with 2 x 17-round mags, and is optics-ready
I’m also considering the Stealth Arms Platypus – I’m aware that this isn’t a true 2011, but more of a double-stacked 1911 that uses Glock mags. I’ve spec’d one out at $1535 with all the options I want. Not sure if it comes with mags, though, but I can certainly order them without issue and it won’t break the bank!
Another consideration would be the Bul Armory SAS II UL Comp ($1890). Or, the 4.25″ SAS II Tac ($1760).
I’ve also been looking at Alpha Foxtrot’s single stacked 1911s, Fusion Firearms’ single stacked 1911s, and Bul Armory’s single stacked 1911s. No, I don’t need a Dan Wesson. I’d be happy with one, but I’d also be happy with any of the aforementioned 1911s.
Whatever I’ll buy next will be almost certainly a 2011 or 1911, though.
Someone asked me on Reddit, “Why not a Staccato?” I’ve no interested in a Staccato at all. Why? Everyone has one. It’s is THE gateway 2011. I don’t necessarily want what everyone else has. The Staccato is $1000 more than my most expensive handgun (the Bull Armory SAS II UL), but I’m that guy that believes in diminishing returns.
A Staccato C2 is $2000. A Staccato P is $2199. A Staccato CS (probably what I’d want and is very equivalent to the SAS II UL) is $2499, which is $1000 more than the cost of a SAS II UL but I’m not getting double the value of a SAS II UL.
I get that the Staccatos have no MIM and that they’re built in the US. I’m not afraid of MIM – most good gun makers that use MIM have never had issues with dependability of those MIM parts. I’m also not afraid of buying high end items from foreign companies.
Staccato mags are expensive at approximately $70…that’s $20 more than the SAS II UL mags, which I thought were expensive AF but still bought 2 of them. The saving grace is that each Staccato comes with 3 mags.
Staccato optic plates are REALLY expensive, at $160 for the 507K optics kit (they don’t include them with the gun as a package deal, either).
Why would I pay $2500 for a Staccato CS and then want to also spend another $300 on optics mounting gear and two extra mags? That’s close to $3000 at that point.
Basically, I don’t have a problem not owning a Staccato while owning Bul Armory 2011s. I’m not a brand snob and a non-Staccato will suffice, while I’m absolutely sure that I’ll shoot a non-Staccato as well as I would a Staccato.
I’m not sure why I haven’t posted about this yet, but a few months ago (Jan/Feb timeframe) I was cleaning my RIA Rock Ultra MS and noticed that the front sight was very loose. I’m not sure what occurred to loosen it, but I’d been carrying that particular gun for a while and hadn’t noticed that issue until it happened.
I was carrying that handgun in a Tenicor kydex holster, but the kydex doesn’t touch the front sight. I do remember dropping the gun once, on a carpeted floor. I’m thinking that might have been enough to dislodge the front sight. I can’t remember how the gun landed, but if it landed on the front sight, that would explain why the sight was loose.
The front sight was loose enough to where it slid all the way out of the dovetail with very little effort. Not only that, but the dovetail edge was surgically sharp and sliced my finger badly (had an issue stopping the bleeding).
When I cleaned the slide of blood, I saw that it looked as if the only thing that kept the sight in place was red threadlocker. I could see old threadlocker on the bottom of the sight and in the dovetail. I’m almost certain RIA didn’t fit this sight to the dovetail, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to slide it back on and off the slide.
I’ve ordered another sight (from Armscor) but do not have the tools needed to perform an installation (I’ve no vise, I’ve no files, I’ve no sight pusher).
I can either order the needed tools or give the slide and sight to a local gunsmith so that they can install it.
After I had the issue, I couldn’t carry the gun, but I ended up installing the 9mm barrel to my 22TCM RIA Tac Ultra so that I could carry that gun instead. That gun also fit in the Tenicor Certum holster.
My review notes:
Initial thoughts
- S15 is well-built
- Has tight tolerances
- No slide-to-frame gaps
- No slide-to-frame wiggle
- Nice barrel lock-up
- Nice trigger – not laterally loose and has no creep.
- Trigger does have some vertical play
- Has great finish
- Has very nice control surfaces
- Front and rear strap checkering is very aggressive, which offers great controllability.
- Has great shooting traits
- For me, it offers low recoil impulse
- Slide is heavier than my SAS II UL, which soaks up recoil
- For me, it offers low recoil impulse
- Has tight tolerances
- Sights are OK – not the best but can be worse
- Even with irons, I can shoot this gun just as well as the SAS II UL
- I was shooting 7 and 10 yard groups just as well with this gun as the SAS II UL.
- Caveat – my SAS II UL has an optic, so I’m not going to be able to match it’s quick follow-on shots, especially at distance.
- Even with irons, I can shoot this gun just as well as the SAS II UL
- Cons of the S15
- $1500 guns need to have at LEAST two mags
- WTF – the cost of a second Shield Arms mag is a drop in the bucket
- Fat beavertail is somewhat uncomfortable – it is very wide at the top, which isn’t the norm for 1911s/2011s
- I hear that the beavertail on the previous version was wider than how it is now
- Apparently this was a common complaint, so Alpha Foxtrot made an effort to lessen the width of this area.
- It is still wide and can be problematic for some folks.
- Apparently this was a common complaint, so Alpha Foxtrot made an effort to lessen the width of this area.
- If you normally shoot a 1911 with the thumb of your strong side hand over the thumb safety, you might have an issue with the beavertail beating up the knuckle bone at the base of your thumb
- I noticed that this may be an issue and also noticed that the thumb safety is super-stiff in actuation, so I shot the S15 without having a thumb over the safety – I had no issues with recoil making it back to that knuckle.
- I hear that the beavertail on the previous version was wider than how it is now
- I ran into an issue when field stripping the gun after I picked it up from the FFL. I field stripped it once without issue. The second time I field stripped it, I cleaned it, lubed it, and then attempted to put the gun back together. I couldn’t. This is my 6th 1911/2011, so I’m aware of how to take down these guns and put them back together, but I was having issues getting the takedown pin back into the hole. The pin wouldn’t go into the hole of the frame. I tried it after putting the side and barrel aside – it wouldn’t go in. I noticed that the front rail module slides into the frame and saw that it was out of alignment with the frame – I had to use a screwdriver to lever it back into alignment. After doing that, I tried putting the takedown pin into the hole and it slid in. I then tried to do it with the slide and barrel and failed – the rail module had moved again, so I again used a screwdriver to push it back into alignment with the frame. I tried again to put the gun back together and was successful, but that is a concern for an out-of-the-box $1500 gun.
- I’ll be reaching out to Alpha Foxtrot about that soon. Even with that issue, the gun still shot 150 rounds without a problem, but I don’t want to have to deal with this issue every time I have to clean the gun.
- $1500 guns need to have at LEAST two mags
- Comparison to the SAS II UL
- Fitment and finisih
- Between the two handguns, the AF has slightly better fitment
- The AF has far better finish
- DLC coating has that $$money$$ feel
- Grip
- Grip feels (and is) smaller on the AF
- Grip texturing and checkering is MUCH better on the AF
- Sights
- While I’ve moved to an optic on the SAS II, I did shoot it quite a bit with irons
- Irons on the SAS II are better
- They can be adjusted for windage as well as elevation; the AF sights can only be drifted for windage (but have elevation adjustability)
- Irons on the SAS II are better
- While I’ve moved to an optic on the SAS II, I did shoot it quite a bit with irons
- Shooting
- This is a tough one
- SAS II UL:
- For me, the SAS II UL talks a bit (not large) effort and/or some training to get used to it’s lightness. It might feel snappy to folks that are used to heavy 1911s. For how light and short it is, it should be much snappier than it is. What snap it has can be easily managed.
- Grip – the immediate impression for me was that the SAS II UL’s grip was not grippy. I thought it would be a problem, but it’s not (I shoot indoors, so I’m not sure if sweaty hands will compromise grip with this gun.
- The trigger on the SAS II is light, and may be too light for some folks to carry. I don’t consider it a HUGE issue but I DID have two instances of premature detonation when at the range. The first time it occurred was during the first range visit. I’ve been trying to train with the gun to get used to it’s trigger, but at the last (and 4th) range visit, it happened again.
- I may consider getting a sear spring adjustment done on this gun.
- AF S15:
- In my hands, I shot the S15 better than I did the SAS II (when considering both first range visits).
- Grip – I immediately noticed the checkering of the front strap of the grip and thought that this is going to give me an edge, and it did. The gun doesn’t move in my hand at all. The SAS II moves in my hand and I’ve to constantly re-adjust my grip to short it up.
- Trigger – the trigger on the S15 is a bit heavier but probably better for carrying. The trigger has no creep, which probably helps with accuracy, but it’s actually noticeably heavier than the SAS II’s trigger – that’s just an observation, though, not a con.
- SAS II UL:
- This is a tough one
- Fitment and finisih
They both shoot VERY well but are different in ways that require a decent amount of elaboration — there’s no quick way to discuss the differences.
I’m happy with carrying the SAS II for now, but that might change as get more trigger time wit the S15.
This gun can shoot!
I took it to the range today and shot 150 rounds from it (Blazer flat-nosed 147-gr FMJ and Herter’s Target 115-gr FMJ). There were no feed/eject or firing issues.
I shot it at 7 yards then moved to 10 yards. I initially had issues – was hitting low and left of point of aim. Even when I stopped pulling left, I was still hitting an inch low. As I kept shooting, I learned how to better control the gun, and so my groups got tighter as I shot. I began to hit bullseyes.
Even at 10 yards with irons (and I wasn’t wearing my prescription glasses), I was hitting bullseyes.
It’s easy to shoot this gun well – much easier than the Bul Armory, IMO. The differences are that the S15 has great front strap and back strap checkering, which helps greatly with gripping the gun. As well, the S15’s slide is heavier, which helps with recoil management, as the slide soaks up some recoil.
The SAS II UL became a different beast altogether once I added the optic to the handgun. I’m shooting the S15 just as well, without an optic, which is amazing. Yeah, the SAS II still shoots quicker at distance, but that’s solely due to the optic. Once I get the S15’s slide cut for an optic, it’ll be just as good as the SAS II at shooting quicker at distance.
And yeah, I shot 150 rounds through one magazine. it was a pain in the ass, but I had no choice. I had no issues with the magazine (it is a gen 2 Shield Arms mag).
GT Distributors did send me an RMA shipping label and I’ll be sending them back the wrong mags they sent me…once I send them back, I’ll reach out to them and ask them when to expect them to correct their mistake…I still need (and paid for) S15 mags.
I’ll update this post with range footage sometime this weekend.
Can’t wait to get this gun to the range – will try to visit the range either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Ordered it Sunday, received it today around 3 PM.
Comes with the one Shield Arms mag (this gun wasn’t cheap – they should think on including two mags with the gun). I ordered 3 more from GTdist.com and they arrived yesterday but they sent the wrong mags – sent me 3 AR PMAGS…WTF. So, I’ve to visit the range with one mag until GTdist.com remedies my order.
The mag doesn’t rattle within the grip, as I’ve seen in Youtube videos, which is very good.
The gun is very tight. The DLC coating looks and feels really good. I will more than likely sent it somewhere to get the slide cut for an optic, but I’ll probably do that 6-12 months from now.
It feels slim. I’ve been carrying the Bul Armory SAS II UL long enough to where this gun feels heavy in comparison, but realistically, it’s not heavy at all.
I love the grip texture (feels less “slick” than the SAS II UL).
The thumb safety is super strong, though…execessively so, IMO. Perhaps it’ll wear-in.
Trigger is super-crisp…no creep whatsoever. It’s the best trigger of any of my 1911s/2011s.
I checked the trigger pull with my Lyman gauge and got 4 lb 15 oz from an average of 5 pulls (lowest being 4 lb 8 oz).
It also fits in my Tenicor Certum 3 holster.
I’m impressed so far. Waiting for some gotcha to show itself, though.
I kept eyeing the AF1911-S15 even after purchasing the Bul Armory SAS II UL, so I took a hard look at it and decided to purchase it.
I bought Gen 2 version of the handgun, which also has a threaded barrel. I bought it from Battlehawk Armory. Since it only comes with one 15-round mag, I ordered three more (generation 3 mags from GT Distributors – I’d have ordered straight from ShieldArms.com, but they our currently out of stock).
Now, I could’ve waited until mid June for their optics-ready version but I’ll be out of the country that timeframe and these were currently in stock (they aren’t always stocked).
I’m excited, as this particular gun is very nice.
If I find that I want/need an optics cut, I can find a business that can perform that modification.
I’d mentioned before that I bought a silver and flat-faced trigger shoe from the Bul Armory online store.
The SAS II Ultralight has a modular trigger shoe. At their store, you can chose between 15 different shoes (5 types of shoes, with each being offered in 3 colors).
The gun comes with the short curved black trigger shoe. I bought the short flat silver trigger shoe.
It took me a while to determine how to remove the trigger shoe (sounds simple to do, but not if you don’t have the correct sized allen key).
When I finally got the short curved shoe off, I found that the short flat shoe wouldn’t fit. It required fitting.
Now, I understand what fitting is and why there’s the need to fit 1911 parts, but this is a damned trigger shoe…marketed as modular. It should be immediately swappable, just as most mag releases or slide catches should be immediately swappable.
I was going to let it sit until I went on vacation but this was bugging me, so, today, I fitted that shoe. It was just a hair off. It took maybe 15 minutes to remove just a bit of material from the shoe. The most difficult part was trying to determine where to remove the material (the part that needed to be fit was curved. I ended up taking a bit of material from each end of the curved part, taking my time, removing a bit, then attempting to fit (wash, rinse, repeat).
Once I got the part on, I added a bit of blue thread locker to the overtravel screw (needed to be removed to remove the trigger shoe).
The new trigger shoe looks GOOD!!
This is just a video-captured 20 minute summary of my experiences with the SAS II UL.
My range notes for today’s range visit:
This is the first time I’ve tried a range other than Elite. Elite closed last weekend, so today I visited XCal in Ashburn (30 min drive – 30 miles).
Shot 48 rounds of Norma 115-grain FMJ. There were no fails.
I also shot 64 rounds of Fiocchi 115-gr FMJ. There were no fails.
Total rounds this session was 112 rounds of FMJ. There were no fails.
I spent a majority of the 1-hour session adjusting my new optic (Holosun HS507K-X2 ACSS). It was initially frustrating because I couldn’t hit point of aim at all. I kept adjusting the sight and was able to get proper windage but couldn’t get the proper elevation…no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get the dot lower than 6-8″ above the bulls-eys when shooting at 10 yards.
I finally stopped and decided to remove the optic wedge I’d installed (was supposed to fix an issue with the SAS II UL having elevation issues when an optic is mounted). Once I removed the wedge, I reinstalled the optic and was immediately hitting the bulls-eye. It still needs to be fine-tuned, but I’m quite happy with the functionality of the optic and that I solved the elevation issue!
I bought a crapload of ammo, but only got to shoot 112 rounds, since I was attempting to adjust the optic’s point of aim and since I had the issue with elevation.
I wish I’d shot a bit more to break the 500 round count.
I’ll attempt to visit again next week. I’m probably going to apply for membership before then.
I almost decided to put the irons back on tonight, at the range. The only thing that stopped me was that I’d forgotten to bring the irons with me. That forced me to bird-dog the issue – I didn’t need that optic wedge I’d installed and I shouldn’t have immediately installed it. That’s what I get for believing an internet source – bottom line is, don’t believe everything you read on the internet! Trust but verify. If I’d have installed just the optic and not the optic wedge, I’d have not had an issue at all.
