ken_mays

I have never sent anything out for refinishing personally. Now that Robar is gone, a few other shops seem to be offering NP3, but use at your own risk and check reviews before doing business with anyone. If hard chrome plating is on the table, I've heard good things about APW / Cogan and Ford's Guns, as well as Mahovsky's Metalife, but again it's just hearsay.

How does that Ruger shoot? I admit I've been tempted...

Ah, but they ARE!

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.

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.

I would resell to collectors and buy more rounds of Wolf or Brown Bear or whatever modern steel case you can find the cheapest.

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.

A halfway decent comp will pull a lot of recoil energy out of the system and will make hot rounds almost mandatory.

I Cerakoted one of those LDAs not too long ago. It was interesting yet frustrating. "Frusteresting", I guess you'd say. I seem to recall the spring on the cam inside the hammer was a pain to get back in the right spot. I always thought they had pretty good DA triggers for what they were.

Milspec worked over by Elite Custom Guns.

The 10mm round will sit higher than a .45 because of the smaller case diameter. Depending on your particular feedlip design, it may or may not work well. When I shot .40 single stack in USPSA, I used .45 mags with a good rate of success.

I've had a similar issue with the RIA gun and some mags, like Wilsons, which sit fairly high. The mag lips drag on the bottom of the slide. First thing I'd suggest is to try different mags (which is probably what they will recommend). Also, 10mm will often feed fine out of generic .45 ACP magazines, so maybe that is something you can experiment with.

EAA announced an updated HP clone with a rail at Shot 2022.

Colt Combat Commander with some custom work by Mark Morris.

Interestingly enough, last purchase was a FN 509 Tactical. It was a used range gun from Shoot Point Blank and I'd hope the use had lightened the trigger pull a bit, but it still clocks in at 6.5#. I have a spare striker spring I'm planning on clipping a few coils off to see if that helps.

The VP9 has always had a good trigger as far as I'm aware.

Apex has a trigger enhancement kit for the 509 and FNS for only $150 that will reduce the trigger to 5.5 lbs. MCarbo sells a spring kit that is advertised to take the weight from the factory 7.25# down to 4.25# or so. That's only $20 and it's worth a shot IMO. https://www.mcarbo.com/fn-509-trigger-spring-kit.aspx My Hi Point collection is doing fine, thanks for asking!

The Edge I handled had a pull every bit of 5#. While not awful by 509 standards, I think it’s unacceptable for a so-called competition model, especially one that costs this much. I suppose it’s possible other examples might have a lighter trigger than the one I played with, but I’ve never had a FNS or a 509 with anything like a good trigger (VP9, Canik TP9 and PPQ).

I'm not set up to do barrel threading, unfortunately.

I was interested until I tried the trigger. Still "FN'" terrible. And on a $1300 pistol it's ridiculous.

PIMP SQUAD ASSEMBLE!

That’s how I feel about it. A few bucks a month isn’t too much to pay for the service IMO. If there were something better, that might be debatable.

It’s common to have excessive spring pressure from the sear spring right out of the box. The factory would rather do that, knowing it will at least work and be safer from a too-light trigger pull. The last Springfield 9mm 1911 that I bought had a disconnector with so much spring tension it would hold the slide back. Most factory 1911s can benefit from some sear spring finger adjustment. Google and read the Weigand 2.5 pound trigger article if this is something you are willing to attempt. Having the spring adjustment too light can create an unsafe pistol, so be sure of any adjustments you make, start with small adjustments, and leave a good safety margin.

I agree that the cost and stress of trying to source components is frustrating and has led me to drop my consumption. I have a lot of components but I hate to eat into my supply if I can’t replenish. I have a hard limit I’ve set where I will stop to guarantee a reserve. I’m not there yet but I’m slowing everything so I won’t approach it as quickly. As an alternative, I have shifted to bolt action center fire shooting. It allows me to shoot less while sharpening a different skill set. When that hits the limit, I’ll do black powder for awhile. Meanwhile I am doing more reloading to refill my ammo cans. Also, experimenting with powders I haven’t used before but that I have been able to source since this lunacy began.

USPSA Limited division 2011, 20+1 rds of .40. It was about $3800 in 2014, payable up front and an 18 month wait. I’m a big Infinity fan but my other ones were all purchased used except this one. Not sure I’d do it today, as much as prices have risen in the past few years. Every gun they build is a “custom”, spec’d by the customer through their Gunbuilder online tool. You can design one, pick all your options and submit it for a quote. Goes without saying anyone here is more than welcome to shoot it, should we ever have the opportunity