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Cheap Limited Gun? - Metro Arms Co MAC 3011 SSD


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Has anyone ever heard of Metro Arms? I was just looking at all the stuff that Eagle importers imports and this was one of the brands. They make what looks to be a pretty sweet, Caspian or Para reminiscent limited gun that sells for less than $1000. Does anyone know what platform these really are, what mags they take? Are they any good? Build quality? Accuracy? Standard 1911/2011 part availability?

https://macpistols.eagleimportsinc.com/macpistols/firearms/mac-3011-ssd-series

http://grabagun.com/metro-arms-co-arms-co4250.html

m30sd40b_mac3011ssd-40sw-blue_15_right_2

Edited by EngineerEli
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Looks nice but I would be cautious I haven't seen a 1911 or 2011 that didn't need something done to it. Maybe it was just a personal touch done or maybe a complete overhaul. What you save in initial cost may catch up to you in work down the line.

Edited by lppd4
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Was looking into eagle imports the past few days... The +/-$1500 sps pantera gets good reviews... Although there aren't many out there in the wild.

I didn't think they had another gun in their distribution for <1000

That's interesting....

In to hear more about them.

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Edited by bigbob21
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solid steel, hand fit barrel, para mags. These feel heavy compared to the pantera, but the weight is further back.

Typical trigger out of the box is 3 - 3.5 on these.

Very tight lock up, all have ever picked up remind me of a marine corps type fit with a solid thud at the end.

My pantera needed 500 rounds break in to get it really running.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have one of these, but I do not have a large number of rounds through it. The barrel fit and the slide to frame fit are equal to or better than most of the Factory STI guns I have shot. The frame on these is not identical to a para, the dust cover is substantially heavier and the grip is cut short to accommodate the mag well. Internally, these appear to be Para style guns.

Mine runs fine on STI 140mm magazines, as well as the magazine it shipped with, which is made by ACT magazine. Megcar P16 magazines are shorter with very different feed lips, and, due to the magwell, require different basepads to seat at all. I chopped up my feed lips and basepads to make them work, but in the future I am just going to order the ACT mags or STIs.

For a holster, I am running a Safariland 5197 for a Short, Wide Dust Cover STI 2011, which I had to stretch slightly to get a smooth release.

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Interesting so it is effectively a short wide frame (frame flush with slide) and not a 'classic' style frame which is the same length but narrower, like a normal 1911.

That is correct. I'll get some photos of my gun and the magazines later this evening.

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Better late than never.

The shape of the dust cover from the front. Heavy and square-ish.

42de70b83f7a990732188ea5c4d8d71c.jpg

The frame cut for the magwell.

7af34e369a6f17765f31487ecf6fac72.jpg

The different magazines I have. Factory ACT Mag on top (16 round), chopped on Mecgars in the middle, one with an unidentified old Para extension (16 and 17 reapectively), STI 140mm on bottom (18 in stock form)

7c2c544b0a8b3f563e205a78df1bf324.jpg

Close-up of the feed lips after cutting them back. I took almost 3/16 inch off at the tops and adjusted the angle to match.

7a48ac043d43529380eb2ae1d5dee852.jpg

The hacked up basepad. Factory metal with adhesive foam.

80240b26d4e0e5a20a191901c70224ac.jpg

7b9617c1344a398acca583b9aa36b343.jpg

When extensions I have are installed, the ACT tubes get one more round than the Mecgar.

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  • 3 months later...

I've had a 3011 for about a year.

On the plus side:

+ Quality ... Nice piece! As previously mentioned the gun is well fitted and locks up very tightly!

+ Trigger ... I'm a trigger snob, it has to be light and crisp or its not worth shooting. All of my 1911's that I use for compeetition have been modified with Cylinder and Slide trigger/hammer kits. This trigger was so good out of the box that I've done nothing to it except adjust the over-travel.

+ Weight ... yep it's "heavy" but the weight helps soak up the recoil of the 45ACP. The bull barrel and squarish dust cover help keep muzzle flip to a minimum.

+ Accuracy ... these old eyes aren't good enough to allow me to shoot 25 yard groups anymore. None the less, my imperssion is that the 3011 is the most accurate "1911 style" gun in my collection by a wide margin!

+ Reliability ... the gun has been virtually 100% reliable since the 1st round. No breakin was required. Estimating 1000 rounds through the gun at this point.

+ 14 round OEM style magazines are available through Greg Cote for less than $25 a piece

+ I had Robert at Red Hill Tactical make me a holster just for the 3011.

Negatives (and I'm really getting picky here):

- I wish that MAC offered a 9mm or 40 cal version ... I'd buy another 3011 tomorrow if a 9mm was avaialble

- I'm looking for replacement grip panels (anyone know of a non-metallic replacement that fits).

- Higher capacity mags are available bit are very EXPENSIVE

- I prefer a narrower front sight and smaller fiber optic ... I will replace eventually with a 0.100" from Dawson Precision

- I prefer a flat faced trigger blade ... someday I'll get around to replacing the factory trigger blade

Bottom line; Lots of people look down their noses at the MAC pistols ... they're missing out on a great value! Buy one, you won't be sorry.

Jack

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It looks a lot like my RIA, down to the the grip cut for the magwell. I'm a total newbie to 2011 platform but these "budget" guns seem to have a good bit of the little things done guys normally change.

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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...

So I bought my wife a metro arms 1911 to shoot single stack. I'm honestly jealous of it(my SS gun is a much more expensive, much more parts upgrades 1911) 

the metro Arms is very tight, very crisp trigger, very accurate. I almost need a bushing wrench to take apart. For some reason...and I hope I'm wrong, I shoot faster plate racks with hers. I don't want to time it. 

I heard Metro Arms, Citadel, RIA, are all ArmsCore guns that get imported under different names. 

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So I bought my wife a metro arms 1911 to shoot single stack. I'm honestly jealous of it(my SS gun is a much more expensive, much more parts upgrades 1911) 

the metro Arms is very tight, very crisp trigger, very accurate. I almost need a bushing wrench to take apart. For some reason...and I hope I'm wrong, I shoot faster plate racks with hers. I don't want to time it. 

I heard Metro Arms, Citadel, RIA, are all ArmsCore guns that get imported under different names. 



Metro, Citadel, and RIA are not all Armscor guns. They are three different companies which directly compete for the Philippines as a market. Metro Arms Corp is imported by Eagle imports, while RIA is the importer of Armscor guns. I can not recall what the deal with Citadel is.

For the previous poster who said they wished the 3011 was available as a 40, it is. I currently shoot one. Parts compatibility with Para parts is limited, but I currently have a Guncraft Para trigger in mine. I have been told that the Posilock mag release from Dawson fits fine, but I am using the factory release with STI 140mm mags. These guns seem to fit STI short/wide dustcover kydex holsters, and appear to fit Para pattern race holsters, although I haven't checked.

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  • 6 months later...

I bought a new hard chrome MAC 3011 in .40. I put maybe a thousand rounds through it before the plunger tube broke off of the frame. I took it to a gunsmith he said that someone had drilled the inside of the frame and that the frame didn't have enough meat for the plunger tube to be staked. I sent it off to an Eagle Imports warranty gunsmith and he said the same. I'm now waiting for them to send me a replacement. I've been waiting about two months with no estimate of a delivered replacement. I bought a RIA Pro Match .40 while I wait. The thing runs like a champ.

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  • 7 months later...

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