Atlas gun works first choice

[Nitro1]

Hello all,

I am looking into my first atlas gun. I have been shooting for around 15 years and last 5 was more competitive. I have a 1911 race gun now and a new cwa 22 race gun. I love the 2011/ds 1911 feel. So I am looking at atlas. I like infinity also. But frankly all the content online and the knowledge I have gained from them just on their YouTube content. I like their style.

So I reached out to them some questions. Originally I was looking at the Athena and Artemis. But they also mentioned the Titan RDS as the perfect middle ground between both.

I’m looking for a gun that I can use in competition but also a nice home gun and range toy. I don’t need it all decked out like an open gun now. I can add stuff if needed. That is part of the question though. Do I get a gun that can allow for different barrels to add a comp or no? If they shoot so flat as they say do I need a comp? Does anyone have any experience with these three. Or info on another I should be considering? 

Thanks for any help or feedback.

[Nathanb]

If your goal is an open gun start with the chaos the others will need extensive work to build it out.  If not then take their suggestions. 

[Nitro1]

7 minutes ago, Nathanb said:

If your goal is an open gun start with the chaos the others will need extensive work to build it out.  If not then take their suggestions. 

Not going for open. Sorry I should I have said. Looking at limited optics. And whatever else I might be able to run along those lines. 
 

the chaos is nice. Just not my goal right now. 

[Bigzona]

I agree with the advice AGW gave you, but it also comes down to your preference. The traditional 5" design cycles marginally slower versus the newer 4.6" double stack 1911 models (AGW Athena, Staccato P.....etc).  I own a Titan and have had 4.6" barrel variants of 2011s....I prefer the 5".  Doesn't hurt that the Titan is cheaper than the Athena.

[Nitro1]

32 minutes ago, Bigzona said:

I agree with the advice AGW gave you, but it also comes down to your preference. The traditional 5" design cycles marginally slower versus the newer 4.6" double stack 1911 models (AGW Athena, Staccato P.....etc).  I own a Titan and have had 4.6" barrel variants of 2011s....I prefer the 5".  Doesn't hurt that the Titan is cheaper than the Athena.

Very true. The price with build out is about $800 bucks.  That’s a lot of mags I can buy. Lol 

[MikeBurgess]

Just to be clear on the 5" cycles slower aspect, yes it feels different but its still done way way before you are ready to shoot again.

for example I can run .12 splits on hoser targets with a full profile un-lightened 9mm 2011 with a slide mounted dot.

 

You may prefer how one feels or looks and that is totally valid, but neither will hold you back. 

[Zachjet]

My buddy has an atlas RDS  great shooter in 9mm

[Aiden]

Just chiming in on the flat shooting aspect. If you shoot 9mm minor out of a 2011, you don't need a comp. I don't think you need to plan for the possibility of putting a comp on it if you never plan to shoot 9mm major, in which case you're going full Open.

[HOGRIDER]

Sorry:

 

Didn't mean to hijack this thread!

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by HOGRIDER
update

[m700]

The Athena is a goddess. My buddy has one and it is a dream to shoot. I ended up with an Erebus. the workmanship in the AGW guns is amazing.

[NoSteel]

You indicate Limited optics is your preference so follow AGW suggestions and purchase what is best for that division (RDS ready).  Of coarse the assumption is the “ Home Gun / Range Toy” aspect you speak of is secondary.  In most cases it’s difficult to be satisfied with your purchase if you try to make it capable of filling multiple roles,  i.e.  A good Carry Optics competition gun will probably not be practical for personal carry use also…

[Nitro1]

22 minutes ago, NoSteel said:

You indicate Limited optics is your preference so follow AGW suggestions and purchase what is best for that division (RDS ready).  Of coarse the assumption is the “ Home Gun / Range Toy” aspect you speak of is secondary.  In most cases it’s difficult to be satisfied with your purchase if you try to make it capable of filling multiple roles,  i.e.  A good Carry Optics competition gun will probably not be practical for personal carry use also…

Thanks. 
 

yes I understand the multiple role. When I mean home gun I mean beside table not carry. I carry a p365 SPECTRE comp for that. The atlas would be far to large for my comfort. 
 

Thanks for the reply. 

[uhmeebuh]

I’ve had most of the Atlas line at this point and the Artemis is my LO gun of choice (you know, until something cooler that won’t help my scores comes around).  
 

I prefer the Artemis feel and speed compared to the Titan but it’s really splitting hairs.  On the clock no difference so if money is tight, the Titan is a great choice (even with the recent price increase).   I’ve had two Athena’s and it never quite connected with me.  I think I prefer my steel frame staccato P to it at this point.  
 

I’m not a big believer in the “perfect zero” Atlas claim part as it’s relative to your grip strength and ammo used IMO.   But I have found the Artemis is more forgiving with an imperfect or inconsistent grip as you run a stage.  
 

Now for home defense and range toy use, I’d get two guns: get a Titan for LO and a Staccato C2 or P for general use.  

[RogerS]

I was really surprised with the hyperion RDS and the artemis RDS ...the shorter overall length of the hyperion did make it feel good in the hand, but I like the way my artemis shoots a bit better (tracking the dot) and for balls out fun, I really enjoy my erebus...I don't think there is a wrong answer, but once you get one, be prepared to have the itch for another...best of luck!

[Boomstick303]

19 minutes ago, RogerS said:

be prepared to have the itch for another

 

Yup!!  At least there is a specific division for most of their guns now.  Next one will be an Erebus for certain!

 

 

[OptimiStick]

On 4/20/2023 at 2:47 PM, uhmeebuh said:

 

I prefer the Artemis feel and speed compared to the Titan but it’s really splitting hairs.  On the clock no difference so if money is tight, the Titan is a great choice (even with the recent price increase).   I’ve had two Athena’s and it never quite connected with me.  I think I prefer my steel frame staccato P to it at this point.  

Titan RDS is still at the 'intro price' I think until May-1 . 

[Boomstick303]

The Titan does come in at a great price point, but the Athena, and Artemis were built to be 9mm where the Titan was built as a 40 gun and converted to 9mm (as I understand it).  I think there is something to the performance of a 4.6"-4.7" 9mm guns.  I built up a Sig P320 Pro (4.7" barrel) for CO and it clearly outshines any of my 5" P320 variants.  Its just different in a better way.  

 

To me when it came down to discussions from Atlas, buy the Athena if you have decent grip strength, or buy the Artemis, if you grip strength is not optimal.  I went with the Athena, and I am a believer in the return to zero hype of the gun.  Of course this will very as mentioned above due to an individuals grip strength and ammo load.  I think anyone can get any gun to return to zero or close to zero, but there is a ton of work to get the gun there.  They way I explain it is Atlas has done most of the guess work taking the guess work out of the equation and allows one to tweak ammo to get your gun exactly to where you want it.  I didn't have to do anything but tweak my ammo a bit and the gun returns amazing.  I do want to shoot an Artemis one day to see the difference, but I am more than happy with my Athena.  Best gun related purchase to date, and its not even close with any other gun.

 

 

[Nitro1]

55 minutes ago, Boomstick303 said:

The Titan does come in at a great price point, but the Athena, and Artemis were built to be 9mm where the Titan was built as a 40 gun and converted to 9mm (as I understand it).  I think there is something to the performance of a 4.6"-4.7" 9mm guns.  I built up a Sig P320 Pro (4.7" barrel) for CO and it clearly outshines any of my 5" P320 variants.  Its just different in a better way.  

 

To me when it came down to discussions from Atlas, buy the Athena if you have decent grip strength, or buy the Artemis, if you grip strength is not optimal.  I went with the Athena, and I am a believer in the return to zero hype of the gun.  Of course this will very as mentioned above due to an individuals grip strength and ammo load.  I think anyone can get any gun to return to zero or close to zero, but there is a ton of work to get the gun there.  They way I explain it is Atlas has done most of the guess work taking the guess work out of the equation and allows one to tweak ammo to get your gun exactly to where you want it.  I didn't have to do anything but tweak my ammo a bit and the gun returns amazing.  I do want to shoot an Artemis one day to see the difference, but I am more than happy with my Athena.  Best gun related purchase to date, and its not even close with any other gun.

 

 

So after chatting with atlas they strongly recommended the Titan RDS. I have good strength and year of experience. They said the Titan fills the role between the Athena and Artemis. They said either would be great. But for price and overral they said Titan. 
 

like others said. I’m sure a Erebus is in my near future. But I want the Titan now for LO and CO 

[OptimiStick]

1 hour ago, Boomstick303 said:

The Titan does come in at a great price point, but the Athena, and Artemis were built to be 9mm where the Titan was built as a 40 gun and converted to 9mm (as I understand it).  I think there is something to the performance of a 4.6"-4.7" 9mm guns.  I built up a Sig P320 Pro (4.7" barrel) for CO and it clearly outshines any of my 5" P320 variants.  Its just different in a better way.  

 

To me when it came down to discussions from Atlas, buy the Athena if you have decent grip strength, or buy the Artemis, if you grip strength is not optimal.  I went with the Athena, and I am a believer in the return to zero hype of the gun.  Of course this will very as mentioned above due to an individuals grip strength and ammo load.  I think anyone can get any gun to return to zero or close to zero, but there is a ton of work to get the gun there.  They way I explain it is Atlas has done most of the guess work taking the guess work out of the equation and allows one to tweak ammo to get your gun exactly to where you want it.  I didn't have to do anything but tweak my ammo a bit and the gun returns amazing.  I do want to shoot an Artemis one day to see the difference, but I am more than happy with my Athena.  Best gun related purchase to date, and its not even close with any other gun.

 

 

 

 

I've got the Artemis and an Gen-1 9mm Atlas (Evo grip/frame) . You really just get used to which ever you shoot by some subtle grip change. When I was dealing with some shooters elbow and just couldn't grip well for a while - I noticed some difference. Once I got past the elbow issue , honestly, now my grip just adjusts to which one I'm running.

[stxbordergun]

I own a Nemesis GT5 which is a 4.6+sightblock gun just like the Artemis. Very similar performance. 

 

At Dragons Cup the Atlas booth had all 3 LO models available for test fire. The Artemis, Athena, and Titan all equipped with SRO.

 

The rep suggested I try all 3 with the CCI 115gr factory ammo. He had me shoot doubles as fast as I could pull the trigger and see where the 2nd round would land. Essentially a test to see which gun returned closer to zero with my grip pressure and that particular ammo. 

 

The pairs were all very close with all 3 pistols and unfortunately the target had been shot out so it was the rep and another observer helping to call the hits. 

 

The Artemis to me felt familiar due to my GT5. The Athena was impressive and felt sporty and fast. The Titan was landing my pairs very very close but it did have a noticeably different feel vs. the Athena. 

 

I think all 3 pistols are amazing and will serve the end user well. That being said I left the booth really really liking the Athena. 

 

Another interesting thing I learned is that with my firm grip and a sightblock, I need to run faster ammo for the return to zero characteristics of the gun to work. I run factory ammo and have already tested some faster 115s out of my GT5 with good results. So it's definitely a system between gun, ammo, and grip. I do believe there are characteristics to the gun though as far as the return to zero. 

[Nitro1]

46 minutes ago, stxbordergun said:

I own a Nemesis GT5 which is a 4.6+sightblock gun just like the Artemis. Very similar performance. 

 

At Dragons Cup the Atlas booth had all 3 LO models available for test fire. The Artemis, Athena, and Titan all equipped with SRO.

 

The rep suggested I try all 3 with the CCI 115gr factory ammo. He had me shoot doubles as fast as I could pull the trigger and see where the 2nd round would land. Essentially a test to see which gun returned closer to zero with my grip pressure and that particular ammo. 

 

The pairs were all very close with all 3 pistols and unfortunately the target had been shot out so it was the rep and another observer helping to call the hits. 

 

The Artemis to me felt familiar due to my GT5. The Athena was impressive and felt sporty and fast. The Titan was landing my pairs very very close but it did have a noticeably different feel vs. the Athena. 

 

I think all 3 pistols are amazing and will serve the end user well. That being said I left the booth really really liking the Athena. 

 

Another interesting thing I learned is that with my firm grip and a sightblock, I need to run faster ammo for the return to zero characteristics of the gun to work. I run factory ammo and have already tested some faster 115s out of my GT5 with good results. So it's definitely a system between gun, ammo, and grip. I do believe there are characteristics to the gun though as far as the return to zero. 

What did you like on the Athena over the Titan with tighter groups?  I ordered a Titan and if it is good as everyone says I’m guessing I’ll be ordering an Erebus. Lol 

[stxbordergun]

5 minutes ago, Nitro1 said:

What did you like on the Athena over the Titan with tighter groups?  I ordered a Titan and if it is good as everyone says I’m guessing I’ll be ordering an Erebus. Lol 

Honestly it's kinda hard to put in to words. I probably just liked the fast slide. But the results with all 3 were excellent. It starts to become splitting hairs. I'd also like to get an Erebus next. I have a staccato P that can be a backup for Limited Optics so for a 2nd Atlas I'm digging the Erebus. 

[Boomstick303]

On 4/23/2023 at 7:55 PM, OptimiStick said:

I noticed some difference. Once I got past the elbow issue , honestly, now my grip just adjusts to which one I'm running.

 

Just trying to maintain 1 style of grip pressure is hard enough, without reverting to a sub optimal grip i.e. bad habits.  I cannot imagine trying to adjust grips strength between platforms.  Hence the reason I bought the second gun exactly the same as the first.

 

 

[jose121962]

Just ordered a Artemis rds 

[Nitro1]

Nice