At the 2015 SHOT Show, American Tactical Imports (ATI) is now showing a prototype polymer 1911 pistol. This is the same gun that I first brought news of from the 2014 NASGW expo.
The new guns are still in a prototype form, but I have been able to get some of the information about what the new guns will be like when they ship later this year. Here’s what I know…
The new ATI pistols use polymer throughout to make the guns very light. Where many compact 1911 pistols weigh in the neighborhood of 26-28 ounces, this gun feels closer to 22-24 ounces. As you can see in the photos, there are many relief cuts in the slide that help lighten the weight also.
ATI claims the new guns will be able to swap calibers easily between 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. I was not shown the process, but was told the change was very quick once the gun was field stripped.
I was not provided a MSRP, but I suspect that the guns will be affordable. ATI sells a wide range of firearms, and the guns tend to be more affordable than what is offered by some of the competition.
Obviously, this gun would need to be rigorously tested for durability and reliability before I could recommend it as anything more than a novelty. However, I spoke with one of the ATI design engineers at NASGW who seemed to be intent on making sure this gun would exceed a shooter’s expectations.
When the gun is released, I will obtain one for review and let you know how it does.
I wouldn’t mind having the cool looking slide on a regular 1911.
Looks and sounds like a good deal.
Looks like theyre using glock sight cuts which will make night sights affordable. I would like to see that gap between the bottom of the trigger and the trigger well closed though.
The reason there is a gap there is because they are trying different triggers out on it to see which one they like the best for this pistol before production. It is more than likely not going to be that trigger in the pic. They used it for the photo purposes as to not having a trigger in for the photo. No worries!!😃
I wish it had a interchangeable front strap on the grip. I am a big guy with big hands. There is no way my finger would fit under the trigger guard.
I’ve been patiently waiting for ATI to offer this 1911. I seen the first rendering picture before it was even thought about prototyping it. I have a buddy that’s works for ATI and he has shared this with me long before it was announced. I’m glad they are getting close to release. I will give up a little inside info: These pistols are light, they have almost worked out what few little issues that have been discovered( none of which has anything to do with reliability or function), and the round count on the prototype is far more than what anybody could put through it in a years time within a few months with a failure rate of 1.7% out of over 8500 rounds. They have been waiting for it to malfunction and stop shooting but it wont.ðŸ‘, they stop when action start to slow down and hit with rem oil,slap the slide back on and continue. I personal cant wait to get my meat hooks on one of these. New EDC for me.
Does anyone know what holsters this will fit in?