rowdyb Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 (edited) So this will be a review in stages as I go along in the process. I have been shooting a ton of Production over the years and was feeling burnt out. I'd dabbled in CO and Lim here and there but not much. One day I just firmly decided I needed a change in divisions and chose Limited. I had a Tac Sport but didn't particularly love the grip, even with a reduction. So I sold it and a motorcycle to fund a whole new Limited set up. I looked at things from mild to wild, getting it now to getting it in over a year. Using my own value system I chose the "ready to buy" version of the Atlas Gun Works Titan in 40sw. From this link: http://atlasgunworks.com/product/in-stock-atlas-gunworks-titan-uspsa-limited-pistol/ Full disclosure I did not pay that price. I was a referral from Tim Herron and received a discount from that association. I also agreed to show off a part they are making and received some more help on price, to show their work versus a bolt on piece from a outside source. In this case their stainless magwell. I chose a short, curved trigger gray in color and a stainless Atlas magwell. Adam called me on the phone to discuss my expectations of the trigger, mags and ammo, my previous 2011 experience and just generally have a pleasant gun conversation. I didn't feel rushed or that I was annoying him. The gun shipped exactly when he said it would, and arrived in a very nice soft case with external mag pouches. While I was waiting I went on a crazy spending spree and amognst other things I bought some mags ahead of time. The MBX 140mm mags and the TTI complete SV mags. Both mags lock in positively to the grip and drop freely. Both mags hold 20 rounds easily. Both MBX mags fit my EGW gauge, neither of the TTI mags did. (I have contacted TTI about this and am waiting on a reply) Both mags also cycle rounds through by hand with no issues. Both mags also had feed lips within acceptable numbers right out of the package. Tomorrow I am shooting the gun and chrono-ing my ammo for it. Right now, initial impressions. Shooting impressions to follow. Finally I'm shooting the OK Section match for my very first big match in Limited so you'll also get a review of shooting the gun in competition. All good things to come! Initial Impressions The trigger was repeatably 1.75lbs in break over and over again with almost no variance. A little bit of pre travel or "roll" I think he called it and zero over travel. (I wasn't super clear with him on how I wanted my trigger as I'm a Prod guy mostly but I think I'd like just a tiny tiny bit of over travel. But I could be wrong) Empty the gun weighed 52.7 ounces. (ss grip, ss mag well) The Evo grip is awesome. Great profile for my hand size and very solid texture. Yes, no more skateboard tape on my gun! Every surface looks exactly flat and smooth and parallel where it should. Where other 19/2011 guns kill the webbing of my thumb and hand around the safety this is blended very smooth and comfortable for my hand. Safety is very positive in its off and on. I doubt I'll be bumping it on by accident with a casually bad grip. Getting an "off the rack" custom as it were, rather than waiting two months, my magwell is just "on" with no blending between it and the grip. Due to the profile used by both I don't see this as going to be an issue. And trust me, I've done a lot of reloads in the past 3 years. hahaha. What would I have done differently? Made more 40 ammo while I waited Asked for some overtravel in the trigger. Possibly asked for the Medium length over the Short. I feel this feeling is driven by being soooo used to the reach of a DA/SA gun. So time will tell. What is next? Test fire for function of mags and ammo. Chrono and zero. Drop off at holster maker. I'll be using a kydex holster on a BOSS hanger, very similar to my Production set up. Wait. Once it is done at the holster maker then I'll start live and dry firing it and report back on that. Answer any questions for you I can..... Probably via pic posting. Edited September 11, 2017 by rowdyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbagger123 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 if you have the short curved try a short flat or med curved. turn the overtravel screw out for more overtravel. no overtravel can be a dangerous thing in a 1911 trigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 6 minutes ago, Sandbagger123 said: if you have the short curved try a short flat or med curved. turn the overtravel screw out for more overtravel. no overtravel can be a dangerous thing in a 1911 trigger Yep I was going to do that. And it might be hyperbole on my part to say "none", my finger is still tuned to a Production trigger, hahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbagger123 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 (edited) 29 minutes ago, rowdyb said: Yep I was going to do that. And it might be hyperbole on my part to say "none", my finger is still tuned to a Production trigger, hahaha. a short flat and med curved are the same length in the middle. i have seen people that set their guns with no to min overtravel do multi round bursts Did you get a sV trigger or the vario trigger in it? Edited September 11, 2017 by Sandbagger123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Tipping the scales at almost 53 oz is a little on the chubby side for a Limited blaster. It will probably shoot really soft at that weight but it will also be a significant brick to wield aggressively in transitions, especially once you put a 20 round magazine in it. The cool thing about the 2011's is that they have seemingly endless aftermarket options. When Playing with weight options, get an aluminum magwell, an aluminum guide rod and plastic mainspring housing for weight difference testing. Switching from steel to aluminum or plastic can easily generate a 5 - 10oz weight savings. changing the weight a few ounces may not seem like a lot when the gun is tipping the scales at 50+ oz, but that little bit of weight difference did make a significant felt recoil and felt transition weight difference in my testing. I also want to make it clear that there is not an optimal overall gun weight that is universally better than another. Some people like really light guns, medium weight or heavy guns. It really does come down to personal preference and your overall strength/skill. Personally I settled on 49oz limited guns with bushing barrels. That is the optimal setup for me after wasting a lot of time & $$$ trying a bunch of different configurations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 (edited) rowdy, why not just buy a race holster and be done with it. The DAA Alpha-X is terrific and a HUGE improvement over kydex. You may end up not sorry you didn't load more 40. When I went from a TS 40 to a 2011 40 the loads were a little different, as was the COL. So I was happy I didn't have 5000 rounds already loaded up. Good luck with your new gun. Oh, forgot to say. The Limited load I used in my TS worked well in my 2011 40 right up until the temps got cold. A little more powder, a change in bullet profile and a longer COL cured all that. Edited September 11, 2017 by zzt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
858 Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Pics or it didn't happen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 Oh wow. I just wanted to say I was happy with build quality and customer service hahaha. I didn't know I'd be defending my choice in a Limited gun. (I say that latter part tongue in cheek) Yes, looking at the numbers that is a heavy gun. But it feels very balanced in hand. As far as driving it, my gun for Prod, shooting minor, is 47 oz empty. So I'm used to guns at the heavier end of the spectrum and chose to start at the heaver end here as well. Charlie, you saw me at A4 this weekend. I'm not a big guy but I don't think I'll have trouble transitioning it. And also I figured I'd just start heavy and do the things to make it lighter if I wanted rather than trying to make it heavier. Feeling it'd be easier to take it off versus put it on. As far as race holster, I don't see a reason to depart from what I use currently. Especially during a transitional period. Going this route allows me to not have to develop too different of a neural pathway for my draw than what I already have. No race holster yet. Not a cost issue, but a feel and familiarity issue. Will that change in the future? I don't know. I'm not ruling out that but I know where I want to start from and then see what happens. I'm already fast and know people faster than me out of kydex in Limited. Loads, my TS took a 1.135 oal and 4.6 Titegroup for a 180gr, plated, round nose flat point. I did the exact same load and bullet but changed the oal to 1.185" per the builder's recommendation. Just with hand cycling it feels like I could go a little longer even. That was a load that was like 168pf in my TS, so I'm curious what I'll need to do to get a more consistent 170ish pf in this gun. But all of the above are mostly "Rowdy" things, not gun things. Let's talk more about guns and less about me. hahahaha. I can say I really like how the slide release is recessed into the frame and they are exactly the same "flushness". I feel nothing but smooth flat metal when I rest my support hand thumb there against both the frame and lever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbagger123 Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 looks like a vario trigger. you should be able to take the grip off and pull it out and rotate the trigger and make it longer. http://atlasgunworks.com/product/x-line-vario-triggers-curved-short/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 8 minutes ago, Sandbagger123 said: looks like a vario trigger. you should be able to take the grip off and pull it out and rotate the trigger and make it longer. http://atlasgunworks.com/product/x-line-vario-triggers-curved-short/ Buy turning it on the threads it is on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbagger123 Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 43 minutes ago, rowdyb said: Buy turning it on the threads it is on? only thing holding the trigger and bow is the center shaft. it is designed to be able to vary the length of the trigger by rotating it on the shaft in or out. kinda like this . this is the maker of your trigger . you can only go so much though before you need to go to another size. or if adam is willing to put in a SV trigger for you you can just change inserts to your liking http://shop.xline-geppert.de/en/drop-in/23-x-line-vario-trigger-straight.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 From today and it's very first rounds down range! -4.60 titegroup at 1.185" averaged 173pf for 20 shots over my chrono. will try 4.5 and maybe 1.190 length. -doesnt feel too heavy to me but I can tell it is heavier than what I was shooting before. -I shot 5 rounds each at 5,10,15...40 yards freestyle on a metric target. of those 40 rounds i had 4 charlie and 36 alpha for my first time shooting the gun other than the first twenty over the chrono. i made two clicks of sight adjustment and did it again. all alpha. so my load, these mags and this gun get along just fine! -I need to get a new sense of timing. to recoil and trigger travel/operation. first big match will be OK section the end of Oct. So, no real drills, no real torture test. Just basic tests and everything is working perfect! Not an ounce of buyers remorse getting what to me is an expensive gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkadi Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 The race holster is about looks and no finish wear on the gun! Just two spots on trigger guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxj66 Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Don't worry about a race holster, I went to a boss set up from a race holster, outside of open a race holster isn't needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 How flat the sides of the frame and slide are the gun will be very quick out of a kydex holster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3WWN Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 8 hours ago, Foxj66 said: Don't worry about a race holster, I went to a boss set up from a race holster, outside of open a race holster isn't needed. Unless you want to install a thumb rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxj66 Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 1 hour ago, N3WWN said: Unless you want to install a thumb rest I wouldnt consider that that a smart install on a limited gun.... I am yet to see a master or GM running one in limited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 Now if I could just figure out how to shorten two mags I have to fit the gauge as they work great in the gun............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Usually on STI tubes the feed lips are bent downward to make them a little shorter. This will obviously change the height of the top round as its registered at the top of the feed lips. I would suggest NOT having a mixture of magazine brands to use. Pick 1 brand of magazine so they are all the same. I switched from "Tuned" STI magazines over to MBX mags and have had ZERO feeding issues. That and all of the MBX mags fit the mag gauge without any tuning needed and simply work right out of the bag. There are enough variables to deal with already when shooting a 2011. Eliminate extra variables by only using 1 brand of magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximis228 Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 1 hour ago, Foxj66 said: I wouldnt consider that that a smart install on a limited gun.... I am yet to see a master or GM running one in limited I see a ton of them with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacB Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 On 9/11/2017 at 3:40 PM, rowdyb said: Both MBX mags fit my EGW gauge, neither of the TTI mags did. (I have contacted TTI about this and am waiting on a reply) Both mags also cycle rounds through by hand with no issues. Both mags also had feed lips within acceptable numbers right out of the package. I ordered two SVI "tuned" mags from them last month. Neither were even close to fitting the gauge. Back of the feed lips were .402, fronts were around .395. They said that the lips were in spec for them and that I just needed squeeze the mag tighter to the gauge... I've determined that they don't actually do any tuning (or mine completely slipped by).To be fair they offered to exchange the mags. Additionally, by buying the mags preassembled, it was cheaper than buying the components separately. I just didn't know that I was going to need to tune them on my own. Please let us know how they handle your situation. Congrats on the Atlas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacB Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 9 minutes ago, Maximis228 said: I see a ton of them with it. Same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 My feed lips were jacked in my opinion. 94 in the rear and 85 in the front, like they did it right but backwards. I'm done with their CS department, that's why I've turned here to make them work. I do like the look and feel of the basepad and I might, might, try them on regular sti tubes building my own mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 (edited) 33 minutes ago, CHA-LEE said: Usually on STI tubes the feed lips are bent downward to make them a little shorter. This will obviously change the height of the top round as its registered at the top of the feed lips. I would suggest NOT having a mixture of magazine brands to use. Pick 1 brand of magazine so they are all the same. I switched from "Tuned" STI magazines over to MBX mags and have had ZERO feeding issues. That and all of the MBX mags fit the mag gauge without any tuning needed and simply work right out of the bag. There are enough variables to deal with already when shooting a 2011. Eliminate extra variables by only using 1 brand of magazine. I am totally a variable reducer. Sadly as I'm new to the platform I'm trying the different variables to see what I like. So I've been buying two of certain magazines and trying them to see what I then want to convert to as the one and only. Figuring I'd sell what I don't like or keep some as dry fire only mags. So far I'm in two "tuned" SV mags from Taran (which we know from another post how they've been), two MBX mags (followed their conditioning loading advice and they've worked fine) and two stock new style STI with new Grams s/f to go in them that are yet to be delivered. At the moment I'd prefer to buy more MBX as my first choice. Away from just mags and back to my gun, every one of these mags though has seated and dropped perfectly in the gun and Evo grip! That's nice! Edited September 13, 2017 by rowdyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now