Sig Sauer just sent out a newsletter for a pretty awesome deal, if you buy one of their featured 1911s you’ll get a free 1911-22. OK, so it’s not actually buy a .45ACP 1911 and get a full .45ACP 1911 free. However the Sig 1911-22 retails for $419 and is a pretty sweet .22lr pistol. I have the GSG 1911-22 which is essentially the same gun and it’s one of my favorite handguns to shoot. Check out the list of 1911 models included in the promo and the terms below.

Featured Models
1911 Ultra TT (1911U-45-TSS)
1911 Compact C3 (1911CO-45-T-C3)
1911 Carry Nightmare (1911FCA-45-NMR)
1911 Tacops (1911R-45-TACOPS)
1911 Spartan (1911-45-SPARTAN)
1911 Stainless (1911R-45-SSS-CA)

Terms and conditions: Promotion ends April 30, 2014. Participating dealers only. Supplies are limited. Check with your participating dealer for availability. State restrictions where applicable. You must purchase one of the six full-size 1911 pistols to receive a FREE 1911-22. Pistol is free. Transfers fees, taxes and all other costs are assumed by the consumer. Offer subject to on-hand inventory and not necessarily model depicted.* Call your local dealer to determine participation.** SIG SAUER reserves the right to discontinue all offers and promotions without prior notification.

Note the terms and conditions, it is participating dealers only.

Now, before you roll your eyes at yet another 1911 manufacturer, I encourage you to hold the skepticism for just a moment.  I’ll admit, when I arranged the factory visit I was interested, but not expecting anything out-of-this-world.  By the time I left, I may have taken a real interest in 1911s.

I was hooked-up with Schroeder Bauman (SB) (note, not Schroder & Bauman), through my local range. When I visited to set up my membership for the year, Mike the General Manager was raving about the three new 1911′s that he just got in. He offered to let me handle them (why would I refuse any new gun?) and I was generally ambivalent. The SB full-size model felt good, but it was a 1911. Interestingly, it had finger-groves machined into the frame. My impression was a resounding “meh.”

A stock-photo of the American Defender (full-size) with finger groves w/ optional carrying case.

(Author’s note: I do not consider myself a “1911 guy.” I like them, appreciate them, shot them many times, but I prefer other styles of handguns.)

What did pique my interest was that Mike mentioned SB was based out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I found they were a scant ten minutes from my home. Mike linked me up with Jay Morley, SB’s President. After a short call we set up a time for me to stop by, poke around, and take a few photographs.

Schroeder Bauman is located in a nondescript manufacturing park in an otherwise outwardly boring area of the city. Ashley, complete in safety glasses and gloves, met me at the door and escorted me back to the assembly room. There, Jay was personally assembling a  Officer’s model. Even with the door shut, there was a dull roar of CNC and other machines working in the background.

Jay Morley, the President of Schroeder Bauman right at home behind an assembly table. Jay is much happier running a machine than a company.

After pleasantries and a cup of coffee, we started delving into the history of Schroeder Bauman. Started by Jay, Ashley (who I found out was his daughter) and a third faithful employee, SB was originally going to be retirement “fun.” Jay is the former owner of SWS Trimac, an “electron beam & laser welding, metal fusion, and machining solutions” company originally started by his father. Long story short, if there is a material out there, Jay and SWS tried to fuse, weld, or work with it. Jay has parts on almost all of the US fighter planes and a few even in space.

Still, he’s humble, always deferring to the contribution of his staff and partners. In fact, Schroeder Bauman is named after two of the principal machinists who worked on the prototypes.

I then made the mistake of asking, ” What separates Schroeder Bauman from all the other 1911 companies out there?” Jay winced a moment, but I could see a passion frothing to come forth. It did. 

SB’s custom-built one-off 22 Short Gatling (hand-cranked semi-auto). Beautiful polished brass. SB custom made magazines to feed it.

“John Browning used the best materials available at the time,” stated Jay, “1050 carbon steel was strong, but brittle. We have come a long way since then.” . With his background in materials sciences, he explained the material choices he made. Of interest to myself was when he started to explain how some metal pieces can fuse together, in a process called cold-welding. In short, two highly polished and pure pieces of metal, when pressed together, will exchange electrons and form a single piece of material. 

To counter this, SB fuses ceramic material into the rails on both the frame and slide. Not just a simple coat, the ceramic material interacts and stabilizes the steel rails, increasing lubricity, toughness, and yield strength.

Jay redirected me to a picture of what seemed to be a pale bronze 1911. “It’s one of two we made that can run completely dry.” They infused the metal through a new welding method to have previously unheard of lubricity. “We ran 500 rounds through it of the dirtiest, crappiest, Wolf we could find with no issues.” I believed him, but challenged him to put it on video with TFB’s staff.**

Everything starts out as a block of billet. In this case, you see grip safeties in various stages.

Everything on the SB 1911′s except the barrel (they use Storm Lake), springs, and trigger are all made in-house starting from solid billet. There are no forged parts in their pistols. They hold their tolerances and quality standards high. For example, the only pistol available for me to test was rejected from shipment because the front strap etching was just out of spec. Having handled the demo gun and a production-approved model, I could not tell a difference.

All of the major components are machined in-shop. Pictured above are frames in various stages of machining.

“Don’t buy a that guns that have to be shot in, or that you have to select and test certain ammo,” opined Jay. SB’s guns are all designed and tested to work all the time with any ammunition. A Virginia SWAT team tested SB’s guns versus a few competitors and SB’s came away the clear winner. (Note, SB did not share which SWAT team did the testing).

Billet for future slides.

This level of fanatical quality does not come without expense. The American Defender (full-size model) ranges from $2,000 to over $2,500. The officer sized Liberty ranges from $1,300 to $1,779, depending on the options. Pistols ship with Chip McCormick magazines. Compared to other high-end 1911s, these are a bargain.

Slides in their various stages. Ashley was hand-polishing a Commander model when I arrived.

Distributed through AGSArmament, SB pistols are available for FFL’s country-wide. Be warned, demand for the pistols is high and you may have wait for one to come in or search hard for the model you want.

SB is doing complete custom orders including but not limited to serrations, front strap profile, custom engraving, etc. Contact them directly through their website for custom build or use their online tool to get a general idea of the look and feel.

I am fortunate that SB is loaning a firearm for a full work-up and review. Serial number 13-0013 has seen “over 6,000 rounds” prior to my review. SB claims that there have been no spring or component changes in the pistol. Stay tuned for the full work-up and to see if Schroeder Bauman lives up to my positive first impression.

Frames ready for more machining.

 Update: Fixed a few grammatical errors (thanks to our eagle-eyed readers!) and changed some minor wording. 

**Correction: SB contacted the author and pointed out an error. The run-dry firearm was not explosion welded. It used a different, “high-speed, low-drag” welding method.

Schroeder Bauman impressed me after my factory tour. Their knowledge, service, and dedication to craft was laudable. Now with a pistol in hand and plenty of ammo, I headed out to the range.  Was the American Defender good enough to turn a proclaimed “not-1911″ guy into a fan?

Overview:

Schroeder Bauman started as a subsidiary of SWS Trimac, an acclaimed materials science, tooling, and manufacturing firm. Drawing on a lifetime of welding and forming the world’s hardest materials, Owner and President Jar Morley sold SWS and embarked on something he really wanted to do: make quality pistols. He turned his attention and considerable expertise to hone the iconic Model 1911.

The SB American Defender after a few rounds with at least another 50 to go.

Not content to be just another “me too” custom 1911 shop, Schroeder Bauman has added four features that stand-out over a standard series 70.

1. The pistols, outside of the trigger, barrel (Storm Lake), grips, and sights are entirely machined in-house. SB controls tolerances throughout the entire process.
2. Second, the pistols have optional finger grooves machined into the frame.
3. Third, SB’s proprietary “diamond back” slide checkering for extreme grip.
4. Finally and most interestingly, an infused ceramic coating on the slide and frame rails for increase lubricity.

Handing & Range Testing:

SB provided me serial number 13-0013, an American Defender full-sized 1911 with diamond back slide checkering and a finger grooved frame. SB estimates that the pistol has seen 6,000+ rounds prior to my review with no spring or component changes. Stock sights were the venerable Novak three-dot (tritium sights are optional). SB uses a standard-length guide rod, and the pistol had SB’s new extended thumb safety. The hammers are a nifty EDM-cut “x” pattern and the pistol came with the original rubber grips; carbon fiber grips are also available. The pistol as configured would retail for a suggested $2,539.

As would be expected at this price range, fit and finish was excellent. No discernible wobble between the slide and frame, yet no issues racking the slide. The thumb safety gave an affirmative click into both positions and the slide stop grabbed the slide every time with an empty magazine.

I particularly enjoyed the grooved frame and diamond back slide. With my medium sized (sized 10) hands, my fingers naturally found the grooves and the checkering on the front and back-strap was grippy without being too rough. We attempted to take the pistol from the hand (after chamber-checking and flagging). The finger grooves made it significantly more difficult to steal the pistol from the shooter, the grooves giving the fingers extra leverage to stop rotation and resist pulling.  The slide checkering made it easy to index and rack the slide, especially when used bare-handed.  On a personal note, I  wish SB offered the same checkering on the front of the slide standard.

Tim B., my token “new gun guy” that I take with me on reviews. Tim has a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering; he provides valuable insight into designs and a influence-free perspective. We do need to work on his posture.

For testing, I had 200 rounds of Blazer Brass and 40 hollow-points. SB graciously provided the box of Hornady 185-grain Critical Defender (FTX bullet) and a box of the new Dynamic Research Technologies 150-grain solid jacket, frangible core rounds. The pistol came equipped with 3 Chip McCormick 8-round Power Mags, 2 brand new and 1 well-used. New pistols will come with 2 magazines.

Prior to the range, the pistol was subjected to a thorough field-strip cleaning to remove any outside variables. Using Break-Free CLP, elbow grease, and plenty of weapons cleaning pads, the pistol was cleaned to shine and white cloths. During this process, the ceramic infusion was noticeable. The material used in the process leaves black coloration which looks like residue. Despite the aesthetic trickery, the areas were all completely smooth.

The SB American Defender 1911 after 240 rounds.

The SB American Defender 1911 completely clean. Note the ceramic infusion material left behind in the process. It may look dirty, but it is completely smooth.

Against SB’s recommendations, I immediately shot 100 rounds of the Blazer Brass on the pistol, bone-dry with no issues. I will say that again: a stainless steel 1911 was run bone-dry with no issues. After the first 100 rounds, the pistol was disassembled and lubricated using Break-Free CLP.

Recoil was pleasant and felt most like a polite shove versus the snappy .40 Glock 23 we had for comparison testing.. The video below shows myself running it during the “dry-fire” phase.

*Note: I DID flinch before the third magazine. I caught myself and called it out, but feel free to castigate me in the comments. 

Accuracy was excellent. Using only a Caldwell rice-filled shooting rest, the SB 1911 was shooting  ~1.5″ groups at 25 yards.  The trigger helped immensely. It felt like a high-end two-stage AR trigger, but with a straight pull. The SB trigger had about 2mm of take-up prior to a firm hold-up and and solid break. My Lyman digital trigger gauge measured the take-up at 1.5 lbs and the final break at an average of 4 lbs, 1 oz. It was exceptionally easy to run the gun hard and fast, but with only 8+1 rounds it was over too quick.

My four-shoot group is in the upper left. The other four on the right and bottom left are Tim’s. The fully-adjustable sights arrived about 6 inches low at 25 yards, but were easy to get on target after a about 10 rounds and a flat-head head screw-driver.

Tim shooting for accuracy on the Caldwell rest. The crisp trigger made it easy to break good shots, but Tim was jerking the trigger. We blame the gloves needed to keep warm handing a metal-framed gun.

The hollow-points were shot last and worked flawlessly when loaded with with like ammunition. There was no noticeable point of impact shift between the three types of rounds present, although the Critical Defense was noticeably snappier like the .40 and the DRT felt softer than plinking 9mm out of a Beretta.

The oldest of the three magazines did caused two separate failures to feed.  The first malfunction was about 150 rounds into the Blazer Brass, we experienced a “high angle” malfunction on the last round from the oldest of the magazines, which is indicative of the spring not pushing fast enough.

To push the pistol to the limit, the last four rounds of each box were loaded every-other between the 185-grain Hornady and 150-grain DRT in the worst magazine. Like the first malfunction, the last round of DRT failed to feed, this time a feed-way stoppage. The rim of the case caught on the feed-ramp. A simple tap-rack-bang fixed the problem. I hold this in now way against the SB.

The three magazines I had for testing. Note the middle magazine (the oldest one) has a different follower geometry. Combined with its round-count, the magazine caused two failures to feed.

When I got home for the post-shoot cleaning, I disassembled the magazines for a comparison. The oldest magazine was dirty and and had a different follower geometry.

The pistol itself was pleasant to clean. Unlike some phosphate or other finishes, the stainless was almost effortless to wipe clean. I needed no or very little CLP to get all the gunpowder residue. From a dirty gun to (my meticulous standards) clean one only took a 1/2 hour, including a break to walk the dog.

Conclusion

As Tim put it after we were done shooting. “I would buy the Glock first, but I would get this pistol as a if I had the money and the Glock; In the same way I would buy a truck prior to getting a supercar.” 
Tim’s comment was not a discount to the pistol. If anything, it is a compliment. To continue the metaphor: the SB 1911 is the Audi R8 of the handgun world. It is for those who are looking for a “value-oriented” super-car. Significantly less expensive than other models, yet not sacrificing on quality and completely satisfying while being absolutely gorgeous.

Aesthetically, the SB 1911 makes the Glock look mundane.

So, did the pistol convert me to the virtues of the 1911? Not yet. I prefer ARs and modern semi autos to a Garand. That said, preferring another platform does not preclude me from appreciating another. I may not (yet) be a 1911 guy, but I walk away a Schroeder Bauman guy. As ThomasD so eloquently wrote is his earlier comment on the factory tour:

But beyond the marketing techno-sizzle, when I meet or hear about a new craftsman or manufacturer all I need to know is that they love what they make, and they love making it well.

I hope they succeed.

Me too.

The SB American Defender is a fine pistol. Its the product of true craftsman from the best city I know. For those looking for high quality, innovative features, and the option for complete customization, Schroeder Bauman is an excellent choice.

Sometimes I just cannot go without re-posting the best of the internet.  Created and posted by EverydayNoDaysOff, the gun-owner meme below gave us a belly-laugh.

Irreverence at its best.

What do you think TFB’rs? Accurate or completely off-kilter?

Want to create your own and have it showcased? E-mail me your best, and if they make me chuckle, we’ll post them up later. 

Pachmayr announced the introduction of American Legend grips in a variety of colors for the 1911-style pistol.  The new grips combine laminate wood with rubber inserts to achieve enhanced “looks and handling” according to Pachmayr.

The laminate wood portion of the American Legend grips will be available in the following colors:

• Tropical Purple,
• Tropical Passionwood,
• Rosewood,
• Evergreen Camo,
• Charcoal Silvertone, and
• Heritage Walnut

All of the new grips should be available some time this month.  Each of the grips will carry a MSRP of $49.95.

Pachmayr states the grips have relief cuts for ambidextrous thumb safeties.

Tacome1942 is a genius. He makes working replicas of firearms, out of paper by hand. The use of metal is unavoidable. He does use metal for extractors, springs, firing pins, and screws. Now when I say “working replicas” they don’t fire conventional bullets. The paper barrels can’t sustain that amount of pressure. So what does he use instead? He makes his own bullets using match heads instead of gun powder. So they are technically working firearms with projectiles.

He has made a MG42, 1911, Makarov, AK47, and a Winchester 1894 just to name a few.

Check out his page to see his creations.

Just check out this revolver trigger mechanism he made, out of paper.

Ay Carumba… Just when I think we have caught up on SHOT introductions, another one crops up. This time, a compelling offering from Israel, the e-Lander 1911 steel magazines. 

Exclusively distributed by The Mako Group, the e-Lander 1911 magazines are steel magazines with e-Lander’s KTL coating. The coating is extremely slick and salt-resistant. e-Lander’s 1911 magazines are 8-round with staggered round viewing holes. Interestingly, they have polymer floor-plates with a small bevel for your pinky finger or easy removal from your pistol.

Mako claims that unlike typical 1911 magazines which are welded on the back and then ground smooth weakening the magazine, their laser-welding processes (which leave a visible seam) makes their magazines stronger. See the video for details:

The magazines are listed for retail at $28.10 on Mako’s website. 

I have a few of their AR magazines and have run them without issue. My AR mags have worked with steel-cased ammo notorious for jamming in typical phosphate AR magazines. 

What do you think? The best thing since Wilson Combat’s or just another offering in a saturated market?

Recover Tactical is now shipping the Grip & Rail System for the 1911-style handguns.

If you are not familiar with the product, the system is a grip replacement for the standard 1911-type pistol.  Instead of only providing new grip panels, the product also adds a Picatinny rail to the gun.  This allows standard 1911 owners the ability to easily add a white light or laser.

The Grip & Rail System is made of polymer and can be had in black, olive drab or desert sand colors.

MSRP is $49.99.  The company offers free shipping and a lifetime warranty.

With all the talk about 80% AR lowers, did you know that there are 80% 1911 lowers?Ares Armor sells them, but they are not the only game in town.

Tactical Machining makes a railed 1911 frame. Only a $10 difference between 80% and 100%. The difference is the slide rails, hammer and sear pin holes, as well as the barrel seat still need to be machined to complete the frame.

Here is the 80% 1911 frame

And here is the 100% frame

1911 fans and shooters have another 22LR option to plink with. Browning has announced the release of their new A1 Desert Tan Full-Size & Compact Models:

Full Press Release below:

Morgan Utah:   Browning’s popular 1911-22 pistol line grows in 2014 with the the new A1 Desert Tan and Compact Desert Tan models.

These pistols feature a new composite frame in desert tan color and are even lighter than the aluminum frame 1911-22 models with the composite A1 version weighing only 14 oz. with its 4½” barrel length, and the Compact version weighing a mere 13½ oz. with its 3 5/8″ barrel length.

Both new models feature machined aluminum slides in a matte black finish. 1911-22 pistols are scaled down to 85% of John M Browning’s original 45 ACP model, making them ideal for plinking, hunting and target shooting.

The Suggested Retail for both models is $579.99.

For more information on Browning products, please visit the website at www.browning.com

Thanks to Mr. Revolverguy for sending this to us.

He reviews Colt’s new Wiley Clapp Lightweight Commander Talo exclusive.  He sums it up with “Everything you need, with nothing you don’t.”

Check out his review over at Day at the Range.

MAC has produced a video review on his Colt USMC M45A1 Close Quarters Battle Pistol. Apparently Colt is only producing eighty of these each month for the civilian market …

Browning sent out this teaser image of their upcoming 1911-22 Composite pistol. The Composite model, which features a polymer frame, will be offered alongside the standard aluminum-frame models. The new polymer version will weigh a couple of ounces less and have a tan color scheme.

The GSG .22lr 1911 is a pretty neat pistol, unless you’re one of those purist who thinks John M. Browning’s gift to mankind should only be chambered in .45acp. That’s a topic for another post. With the rising cost of .45acp, .22lr versions of the 1911 have been gaining in popularity. Just like with many other popular firearms, the aftermarket is starting to come up with new parts and mods to trick out the GSG 1911, as well as the Sig 1911-22 which is essentially the same pistol. CW Accessories makes some pretty cool parts for the GSG 1911, their newest is the EXoSKELETON slide.

One of the downfalls of the GSG 1911 is its slide. The cast made slide just isn’t durable. It dents and scratches extremely easily and has been known to crack. CWA’s new EXoSKELETON slides are CNC machined from 7075 aircraft grade aluminum billet and hard anodized. CWA skeletonized their new slide to reduce weight, opened up the ejection port and strengthened a few key areas to ensure their slides would last much longer than the factory GSG slides. The new CWA slide will be available in two configurations, one that will accept the factory sights and one that will allow you to mount a red dot sight. Pricing hasn’t been announced, or a release date, but CWA has a sign-up form on their website to keep customers in the loop.

It was bound to eventually happen, but I did not think it would be so soon. The company Solid Concepts has printed an entire 1911 pistol with a 3D laser metal sintering printer. What is more, the company has an FFL Manufacturing license and can print guns on behalf of customers with a five day turnaround. You provide them with a suitable CAD model and they will print it for you. This video shows their all-printed 1911 being fired …

What is even more amazing is that they printed the barrel, including the rifling grooves. There was no machining whatsoever involved in the manufacturing of this gun.

SolidWorks writes …

Laser sintering is one of the most accurate manufacturing processes available, and more than accurate enough to build the 3D Metal Printed interchangeable and interfacing parts within our 1911 series gun. The gun proves laser sintering can meet tight tolerances. 3D Metal Printing has less porosity issues than an investment cast part and better complexities than a machined part. The barrel sees chamber pressure above 20,000 psi every time the gun is fired.  “We’re proving this is possible, the technology is at a place now where we can manufacture a gun with 3D Printing,” says Firestone. “As far as we know, we’re the only 3D Printing Service Provider with a Federal Firearms License (FFL). Now, if a qualifying customer needs a unique gun part in five days, we can deliver.”

I mentioned earlier this isn’t about desktop printers, and it’s not. The industrial printer we used costs more than my college tuition (and I went to a private university) and the engineers who run our machines are top of the line; they are experts who know what they’re doing and understand 3D Printing better than anyone in this business. Thanks to them, Solid Concepts is debunking the idea that 3D Printing isn’t a viable solution or isn’t ready for mainstream manufacturing. We have the right materials, and the right engineers who know how to best program and maintain these machines, to make 3D Printing accurate, powerful and here to stay.

So you won’t be able to print a gun from a small desktop printer, but technology is only going to get smaller and cheaper. One day a machine gun will be just a click away …

Thanks to Whaleoil and Matteo for the tip.

American Tactical recently introduced the new GSG Target 1911 chambered in .22LR. American Tactical is the exclusive importer of the new GSG Target which features a new target-style wood grip, adjustable rear sight and magazine extension. As with other models of the GSG 1911, it comes with a threaded 5″ barrel, beaver tail and grip safety, adjustable skeletonized triger and picatinny rail. The parts on the GSG Target is also compatible with other 1911s as well. The new GSG Target will retail at $429.95.

From the press release

“The GSG Target 1911 is the perfect addition to our 1911 line,” says Joe Calabro, Marketing Director for American Tactical. “The accuracy and performance of this pistol is top-notch and it will make the perfect addition
to any collector, firearms trainer, competition shooter or typical gun lover.”

The GSG Target 1911 has 5” Barrel and an MSRP of only $429.95.

American Tactical is one of the nation’s top importers of firearms and firearm related products. Having created a unique channel of distribution, American Tactical has quickly become a single-source distribution provider for many manufacturers across the world. From its signature German Sports Guns (GSG) family of products, accessory lines like Drago Gear® and manufacturing its own line of ATI AR-15 complete rifles and components, ATI continues to be a leader in the industry.

For the purists among you who rightly believe that a 1911 should have wood grips, Crimson Trace have added Cocobolo to their line up of wood-based grips, which also includes Rosewood and Walnut. Their new LG-917 laser grip has cocobolo side panels with a rubber overmold only covering the laser itself and the button to activate it.

The grip will retail for $399.

From the press release …

Crimson Trace, the leading brand of laser sights and tactical lighting products for firearms, continues to expand its popular line of Master Series™ Lasergrips®. The latest addition is the LG-917, a wood-based laser grip that’s designed for the popular full-size Model 1911 pistol. As part of the company’s premium line, these laminate grips have a rich and stunning cocobolo finish. The new laser sights feature Crimson Trace’s innovative Instinctive Activation™ pad that allows the user to activate the laser by simply taking a natural firing grip—with no additional switches to search for, find or press.

“This laser grip is a continuation of the popular Master Series, a product line that offers customers a wide variety of colors and materials,” stated Fred Karl, Crimson Trace Product Manager. “Crimson Trace strives to always meet—or exceed—the expectations for laser sighting capabilities.” There are more than a dozen products in the Master Series line and represent a wide range of materials, colors and textures, including rosewood, walnut and G10 in gray, green and black.

Sighted in at the factory at 50 feet, Master Series Lasergrips are user-adjustable for windage and elevation. These innovative grips feature the most powerful laser available by law. The new LG-917 laser sight permits windage and elevation adjustments (tools are provided), features a precise red laser diode optic, and is precision machined to exactly fit the firearm’s frame. This cocobolo laser sight is crafted from all natural laminated wood materials. Batteries are included—and this product qualifies for Crimson Trace’s free batteries for life program.

Over at AllOutdoor Oleg blogs about his experience teaching a new shooter using a Kimber Eclipse II pistol chambered in 10mm ….

Recently, my friends and I taught a new shooter aged 17. In three hours, this slightly built girl went from shooting subsonic .22 from a suppressed pistol to ringing steel and knocking down small tree stumps at twenty paces with a Kimber in 10mm Auto. Watching her shoot this powerful gun with easy competency was fun. Shooting high-power loads from a subcompact Glock 29 I used to own gave me the memory of great torque and recoil, yet a teenage girl shot the same caliber with no great effort. How could that be?  Curious about the increase of power from .22 subsonics to 10mm, I looked up the ballistics by brand and found something curious: the mighty 10 isn’t always as mighty as I remembered it.

The Philippine 1911 maker Rock Island Armory has finally listened to their customer’s complaints, they’re finally getting rid of the large roll mark on the slides of their 1911 pistols. Instead of covering most of the left side of the slide they’ve reduced the size of their logo and moved it to the back of the slide right above the safety. I think it looks quite a bit better. They announced their sleek new look in a recently released press release below.

Rock Island Armory Intros Sleek New Look for Legendary 1911 Pistols

Pahrump, NV – Rock Island Armory, the world’s largest seller of 1911 pistols, has introduced a new look for their entire line of popular handguns. Guided by customer feedback and a shift to provide a more streamlined look, Rock Island Armory has moved their logo from the side of the slide to the back of the slide displaying the distinctive Rock Island Armory logo. The company is now shipping all 1911 pistols with the new look.

“Two of the things that are important to us are staying true to the legendary standard platform of the 1911 and the second is listening to our customers,” said Martin Tuason, President of Rock Island Armory. “We were ready to refresh the look of our pistols and we heard a lot of feedback that the subtle change to a smaller logo at the back of the slide would give our 1911’s a more distinctive and streamlined look.”

The new visual change to the company’s 1911 pistols follows on the heels of the addition of rubber grips to the 1911 Tactical Series. Rock Island Armory’s global lineup of 1911 pistols includes the GI, Tactical, 2011 Tactical, Match, MAP/MAPP and the company’s revolutionary TCM series.