”World’s First .50 Cal. 1911 Pistol” by Guncrafter Industries, LLC

by David Crane
david@defensereview.com

The following story has been modified/edited from its original state based on feedback from DefRev member "dewatters" and further scrutiny of the Guncrafter Industries website:

Well, it looks like there’s a new 1911 in town, and it ain’t your daddy’s. It’s called the "Model No.1", and it’s made by Guncrafter Industries, LLC out of Huntsville, Arkansas. Billed as the "world’s first .50 Cal. 1911 pistol" and "the ultimate 1911 for the serious professional", the "Model No. 1" 1911 pistol had better live up to the hype, or there are going to be a lot of disappointed "Shotgun News" readers out there.

When I first saw Guncrafter Industries’ ad for the "Model No.1" inside "Shotgun News", I would have fallen out of my chair if I had been sitting in one. In the bottom righthand corner of the ad was a…

comparison shot of Guncrafter Industries’ 50 GI (trademarked) round next to a .45 ACP round. The 50GI round might be only .05" lager in diameter, but the round looks much larger than the .45 ACP. Actually, it looks like a .45 that went to the gym and took some supplements.

Underneath that comparison shot was a caption that said "controllable big bore firepower", the key word, of course, being "controllable". .50 Cal. and controllable? O.k., they’ve got my attention.

According to Guncrafter Industries, felt-recoil impulse generated by the 50 GI round feels comparable to shooting a standard 230 grain .45 ACP hardball factory load. They also state that "factory loads for the 50GI typically drive a 300 grain bullet at 700 -725 fps, which translates into a 210 power factor. This is achieved without loss of controllability." They go on to say that "the 50 GI is a very versatile cartridge and can be loaded to higher or lower levels, as desired. Factory loaded ammunition, brass and reloading dies are available through Guncrafter Industries."

External dimensions of the "Model No.1" 1911 pistol itelf are the same as a standard 1911. More detailed information is available on the "Model No.1" page on Guncrafter Industries’ website.

Price on the "Model No.1" 1911 pistol is $2895. It is a custom pistol.

DefRev’s remaining questions are these:

1) How fast can the 50 GI round be made to go (fps) without blowing up the gun or wearing the gun out prematurely?

2) How reliable is is the weapon/ammo combo? (Have all the normal "new weapons system and ammo" bugs been worked out?)

3) How durable is the "Model No. 1" in terms of round count? In other words, how many rounds can the gun eat before destroying itself? For instance, how many rounds before the locking lugs go caflooey?

4) Can the "Model No.1" 1911 be had with the traditional 1911 barrel and barrel bushing set-up? From the picture, it looks like Guncrafter Industries has opted to go with a bull barrel config.

5) In what quantity is the 50GI ammo being produced? How many different bullet configurations are there?

6) Will there be alternate sources for this ammo in the future? In other words, is Guncrafter Industries currently working to arrange for a company like Black Hills or Cor-Bon to manufacture 50 GI rounds for them?

DefRev will gleen the answers to each of those questions at the earliest opportunity. However, prior to doing so, I must say I’m intrigued. If you’re as intrigued as I am about the Model No.1 1911 pistol, you can contact Guncrafter Industries, LLC by phone at 479-665-2466 or via email at info@guncrafterindustries.com. You should probably ask for Alex Zimmermann.

Or, you can just visit the Guncrafter Industries, LLC website to see the new "Model No. 1" 1911 pistol/50 GI ammo combo.

If you’re going to SHOT Show 2004 in Las Vegas in February, you can check out the new pistol and ammo combo, in person, at Guncrafter Industries, LLC’s booth (#3989).