Kinda disappointed Girsan dropped the ball on this, since their BHP clone knocked it out of the ball park, with both the standard size and Commander size. Whoever R&D this needs to be taken to the woodshed🤷♂️
1911's are the m14's of the pistol world. Outdated. Overrated. Yet inexplicably worshiped and hailed as the greatest thing ever when it's objectively not true.
What is innovative about a 1911? Everything you are seeing has been done to death. There really are few real innovative ideas out there... it's all been done to death.
Good, honest, informative review. Ok, I had NEVER even heard of the EAA/Girsan 2311 until a few days ago whilst browsing in a LGD. I saw what looked like a 2011 in their display and asked to look it over. Another individual had ordered it, then decided to go a different route, so I wound up getting mine for a very good price. The one I picked up is in 10mm, and I'll be honest, after watching a few reviews (after I already had the piece), I was thinking I got a "pig in a poke". Disassembled, inspected, and cleaned everything, where I noticed the extractor tension waa VERY loose, along with no radius on the bottom of the channel just aft of the extractor hook. Got that all straightened out, lubed and reassembled the piece, then proceeded to see what failures would appear. I must have gotten a good one, because there have been no malfunctions...YET. Granted, I only have a few boxes through it so far, but I am pleased that mine doesn't seem to be a rough one. And, yeah, gonna have to do some work on the trigger, but that is sometimes part of the game, right? Again, thanks so much for the review and, hopefully, Girsan is paying attention and sorts out any problems.
I have to be honest...the cost of 2011's really pushes me away from them, not worth it (to me). For the price of this, I would save a bit more for the higher guns. Girson is usually pretty legit, surprising poor performance. I have a Tisas 45 carry (commander) and it is amazing, be interested to see their 2011.
Yea I'm in the same boat. Been wanting to get the prodigy but for what you get I can carry a multitude of my own pistols and still get the job done. The tisas may change that and I'll wait for his video.
I had an M45SS "Duty" 1911 from them, that thing was insane. I shot 400 rounds through it literally 20 minutes after buying it new and it never gave me a problem then or through any of the hundreds of rounds I shot afterward.
I have a Girsan MC-P35 OPS that was hot garbage out of the box. Jam after every trigger pull (fte, ftf), front sight fell out before 50rds, it was awful. I sent back to EAA and got it back in a couple weeks and it has run flawlessly. Their customer service seems to be pretty good at least.
@@lz_377yeah so probably like a quality control issue or something. Glad you got it taken care of. I’ve seen people just get frustrated and put it the box and stash it away. Sucks when people just go trade it in too because then they lose money and someone else gets the garbage. Good on you for sending it back.
Since caniks are trash, that's not a good gauge for price 🤣 2011s, even cheaper ones, are more complex guns with more metal in them and aren't just ppq clones, they will cost more no matter what.
@@maximusjoseppi5904Caniks aren’t trash, they are a perfectly serviceable, reliable, adequately accurate self defense tool. As for the rest of your comment, I completely agree. Most of the people who try to compare something like a Glock, Canik, etc. to a quality 2011 (or even a basic Shadow 2), clearly have no experience or the skills to enjoy the finer things in life.
Man, I hate you've had this experience. Humble Marksman had similar results. I have one and have been pleased with it, although I don't like the grip texturing. I haven't had FTFs or FTEs. I guess they're having 'Prodigy-Like' rollout issues. You are spot on regarding the trigger though. That is the part that disappointed me. However, I just sent it to Cosaint Arms for a trigger job. They are doing mods for this model and if memory serves, it's their frame on the firearm while the slide is imported from Turkey. Love your content though and have bought several firearms after watching your reviews.
@Honest.OutIawReviews. Gun reviews are always such an engaging subject, but truthfully, if you could do maybe a 5-10 video on your journey to becoming Honest Outlaw I think that would be great. For instance, when did you develop your passion for firearms? How was it cultivated? What were your biggest challenges and wins on the way to where you are now? How did your wife begin her journey? Advice you would give to those that will follow in your footsteps?
I have the Girsan Witness. It started with a 7-8lb trigger! With a little love, tuning of springs, and slide work, my Girsan now has a 1.5lb trigger, great slide. Mine is accurate out to 130yds on steel. (When I shoot well) Yes Chris, the sight is terrible!
@frisc0strangler207 I love the super light triggers! This is mostly a range gun. Now for insanity...I have a Springfield Prodigy with a TP just under 1lb. I have carried this one. It has been vetted with over 5k rounds. As well as the discipline of fast mag changes and target acquisition and control! You are absolutely correct...these are very light triggers for carry!
@@josh2711it would be absolutely terrible with a 1lb trigger. And trying to say 0 malfunctions in 5K rounds is equally unbelievable. If you ever drew a pistol in a real life self defense scenario with a 1lb pull, you’d bust the first round off without having a clue it was gonna happen. Fine motor skills go to sht in high stress and 1 lb is just so absurdly light you wouldn’t even register that your finger landed on the trigger before a round was sent down range.
@ElsinoreRacer I don't blame you I was considering it as an option for an upgradable 2011 but that price just doesn't make sense as a starting point. Especially knowing the grip module has to get swapped. I'd say it was probably causing most of the malfunction issues on the gun
2 years ago I bought the MasterPiece Arms DS9 2011. First use had some F2F as did the 2nd. 3rd attempt was the same. I wrote them on Saturday and they responded quickly and said they would replace the barrel, hammer, sear, grips and some other internals free. I was impressed. I look forward to getting it back. It was very accurate albeit one round per malfunction and it looks amazing
@@TheAmerican1963 I traded my EAA Girsan 1911C for the 4.25" Tisas .45 carry with the rail. All I've done so far is use Wilson Combat 10 rounders and I'm loving it. 350 rounds so far and no malfunctions except for one when I tried to fire one handed first time with my non dominant hand and that was just a simple failure to get back into battery
My bet is on the Tisas B9R DS models to wipe the floor with all other budget 2011s. They just have an awesome track record with their 1911s, and the rep even said they were making sure they got it right before releasing. I'll be getting a 4.25 model to check out. They also have the Mac DS for those who want a bull barrel. Will be interesting to see what the outlaw thinks of them.
I just ordered a MAC 1911 DS9 to compare it to a Stacatto C2. It has a bull barrel, full length guide rod, RMR cut, and no MIM parts. If it is anything like other Tisas 1911s it should be fantastic.
Huge fan of the MC 1911 C single stack version of this. I’ve held off on getting this model due to all the reviews. Looks like I’ll just save my money and get us staccato.
My MC1911C had a 7.6lb trigger, and I was disappointed with a 13% failure rate right out of the box (after cleaning and lubing it). I had to do a complete overhaul job on the trigger, sear, main spring, and connector, along with polishing out the feed ramps to get it to run reliably and accurately. Took another 200 buckaroos on top to get it working right. I am a bit disappointed, but "you get what you paid for" rings to mind. I may just save up for a Staccato or Platypus instead.
Thanks for your honest reviews because I was really thinking about wasting money on that thing eventually.. but I learned from your review it would have been a waste of my money considering the malfunctions and heavy trigger which is the point in getting a 2011
I bought a Staccato P last week. Never touched a 1911/2011 before then, closest thing was an M9 when I was active duty. I'm already budgeting/picking up shifts for my next 2011... coming from the M9 (which I loved) and striker fired pistols (which I also like quite a bit), this platform is incredible.
It’s probably where corners are cut to save on price. The original 1911 trigger was pretty heavy compared to modern ones but it was meant as a service pistol. A mil spec sear is really cheap but if you want a sear with a really crisp 3.5 lb trigger pull like a glass rod it requires a much more complicated and precise trigger job
Mine had exact same issues. Weak extraction and random ejection patterns, and empty shells bouncing back and creating jams. Turns out the ejector was extremely loose and needed to be replaced. Since then a little better. Jams get worse if you get a lighter recoil spring
I bought this gun about a month ago. You are correct the red dot is junk. And accuracy is non existent. But with approx 400 rounds I haven’t had any failures.
Oh, sad on the quality of this. I'm still going to get one of the good ones they make, but I will pass on this one for now. Thanks again for your honesty. It really helps us.
Thanks for this video. That whittles it down for me to an RIA or a Para (yes, you can still get them). Not a lot out there for a double stack 1911 in 45apc
I keep thinking the same thing, like seriously how many 9mm guns do you need? They should keep pushing out 10mm double stack 1911s, the only thing close to "budget" in that segment is the Rock Island
@@X420BlazeNoScope negative. Para Ordnance and later Para USA were a Canadian company that moved to the US. They were bought out by Remington and the Para name was no longer used. RIA has nothing to do with Para and import their firearms from the Philippines.
Your reviews are so highly respected that I changed my opinion on buying this gun. I feel many other viewers will say the same. 8lbs trigger??? Come on! Not even my P226 Legion DA has a 8lbs trigger (of course with some tweaks) 😅. Mag release problem and ejection problems... so... not worth to spend money
It's good that they're trying to get a cheap 2011 out on the market that the average person can afford. It sounds like there are just some teething problems in the manufacturing process - low quality parts, tooling not being set up quite right, etc. Before I spent more money on ammo shooting through this gun to review it, personally I'd call Girsan and ask about the issues you documented in the review. I 100% think these issues need documented, but at this price point I somewhat expect there to be some hiccups that may require being sent back to the manufacturer to be resolved, due to both a lack of QC and to newness of the platform to them. At the very least I'd ask them to look into the magazines falling out while firing. That just will not do, lol. The real test would be whether or not Girsan does anything to correct the issues shown. Great video either way. I'm glad to see you getting back out to shoot unsuppressed handguns again, and I hope that's a sign your eardrums are healing up. :)
I purchased a girsan reguard because of the good review and it perfoms excellent,thanks. I just purchased a tisas nightstalker from psa and it is even more impressive than the girsan. If you can get your hands on the 2011 version it would be a great thing. I believe you will not be disappointed. Also any comments on the psa poll about up and coming developing firearms
Girsan makes some great guns. I have several of them. I think the 2311 was just a bit too new for them and figured they would have some teething issues with production of them. Which is the only reason I haven't picked one up. Your review here helped me out a bit.
Please update your playlists! I love rewatching your videos as background noise when I'm working or even just chilling playing games. You guys have great voices, but I want categories of videos to listen to! Please and thank you!
It’s nice to see the price of 2011s trying to go down, though it’s a bummer to see the issues on this particular one. It would be interesting to see if the issues work themselves out with use, or if maybe a minor (hopefully) level of gunsmith work can help.
I remember the double stack 1911s from Para-Ordnance back in the day. Thanks for the review and saving me money. I’ll continue to enjoy my 1911s from Tisas (Army, Duty, Raider) and Springfield Operator.
Wonder who owns the Para brand now that Remington is dead. Would like to see that brought back as an old school alternative to the double stacks. Hell, Rock Island Armory double stacks are popular for being good value for their price, and they use Para style frames, so there are even still parts available. Also would love to see the Remington magazines come back. I was lucky to get a bunch for my custom build and 15+1 rounds of .45ACP is nothing to sneeze at.
8lbs though Jesus. I was interested in these until I saw humble marksmans video. Now I'm between the lfa and the tisas nightstalker. I have a tisas single stack that was surprisingly nice for the $$.
Thanks Chris for doing the work for us on these new pistols. I didn't start on the 1911, but ended up getting one that soon became my favorite. I have a soft spot for the action and function. This Witness is a solid nope. The failure rate, the other issues you brought up tells me to wait for at least two more generations, which kinda means never. There will be others to consider soon enough. I don't have the patience to be a company's R&D guy on my dime. You are a valuable resource.
I have the all white girsan regard MC in white and black and I absolutely love it! I went to the gun store to buy a new Glock since I haven’t had one since 2010 but still have tons of magazines for them. Saw a nice Glock 17 I was thinking about for 499 then noticed what I thought was a beretta 92 but the guy told me it was a clone but was only 350 so I bought it not knowing anything about it. While waiting on my background check I hop online and look up beretta clones and found out tons of good things about girsan and im very happy with it.
I did the same thing my trigger pull was over 10 pounds according to my timney trigger pull gauge. Tried bending the original spring got it down to 7 pounds and finally went with a Ed Brown sear spring from Amazon and it is now 4 pounds. No problems so far at 400 rounds other than it doesn't like Prodigy mags it locks open with a round still in the mag. The checkmate mags run no problem. The cheap Perry red dot it came with is working fine so far.
1911 pattern guns are always interesting, I used to compete with them, but never edc. Too many parts in there to go wrong, I always had to have a gunsmith on retainer too. Don't get a hacksmith either, had one turn my super expensive STI full auto in error as part of his "trigger job", something about chopping the mainspring.
Thanks a ton for this Chris, was looking at this one to use as a trainer on the battery of arms for new shooters, but looks like it’d be better as a malfunction trainer….
Thanks for the honest review. This one was high on my curiosity list. If you want the real thing you just can’t go generic. What budget friendly or mid tier 2011 would you recommend sub $2500-3000 range? Somewhere in the $1500 +/- $300 range.
Bul Armory and Stealth Arms Platypus would be two great places to start looking into. I'd love to have a Platypus and I already have a staccato and an Atlas. Plus you wouldn't have to deal with 2011/1911 magazine BS.
Hey Chris, that 8lb trigger is rough, and I can say that my Girsan M1911C had the same problems as your experience. I had a lot of FTF and FTE (13%) at the beginning, and had to polish the feed ramp to smooth mine out. I would guess that some of the problem stems from a lack of fitment from the factory, and I'm curious how these will be when their gen 2 comes out. Thanks for your honest review!
I’ve had three different Girsan pistols and all of them had problems, Don’t think I will buy another, my Tisas pistols however have ran great, I have their new B9R double stack, and two other 1911’s and I’ve never had any trouble with them, they are great budget pistols.😊
I have a Girsan 1911 and love the gun, but out of the box it had a compensator and had failures to eject just like the ones your wife experienced. I tried all sorts of adjustments to fix the issue but when i removed the factory compensator all my issues went away. I haven't replaced the slide spring yet but that is next. I mention this because you have the red dot on it and I wondered if this wasn't a similar issue to what I experienced.
I have no interest in this style pistol but always appreciate the info. Best "guntuber" by far. Have sold guns based of these videos. It's the trash talking that works. Old school GaA mag fans know what I mean
Chris: 1. Most importantly, can the gun to be effectively and cost effectively upgraded to address issues? Saw a YT on Cosaint Arms upgrade 2. Please review the new Tisas 2011’s and the 2011 collaboration with MAC, also targeted at the same market space Thanks, you are a national treasure 🙏💪👍🤠😉
Thanks for making this video. I was pretty set on buying one of these. Between concerns over the trigger and the reliability issues I’ve seen in several reviews plus the poor customer service I received with my Girsan hi power, I am no long considering the Girsan. I’m going to wait till there are more reviews in the new Tisas 2011 guns and see how that works.
In my opinion I think the failures are mag related. As far as trigger pull being around 8 lbs I would do a trigger job if I were to purchase a gun like this. Considering that I respect your opinion so much I wouldn’t even think about getting this gun because of the Taurus-like (1911) trigger weight. I’ll keep my Bul Armory thank you.
Love your videos brother man so much inspiration and motivation! Thank you for the honesty as well, I’m planning to get a 2011 style pistol this year and you’ve just helped me mark this one off my list haha nothing against girsan but not their 2011 anymore just the mc9 now 😅
Chris, I'd like you to review the psa jakl. It's a great gun that came out during covid so a lot of people don't know about it. I do feel it is gaining popularity and people who do own them, love them.
It's kinda common to see lower budget 1911/2011's ejecting that way and that's because they didn't take the time to properly tension the extractor from the factory. Bet ya that the gun with the mag removed won't hold a round on the breech face only held by extractor tension. Pop that bad boy out and when there's only about an inch still left in the slide bend it towards yourself if holding the weapon in your right hand. Hope it helps!!! The random ejecting is a tell sign of this.
I bought one a couple months ago and had the same sight issues. The rear irons on the dot are too high, and the whole site came off while shooting. I remedied both issues with 8 507k. No plate needed. Some good locktite . My trigger came between 6.5 and 7 lbs and has worked itself I pretty well to about 6 lbs. I haven't been able to find a company to comp the slide yet and would like to find a bull barrel setup as well, but that's the goal. I have a 3.9 staccato c2, a 5 inch prodigy and this one. Nice vid Chris!!
Im having a problem securing a holster for mine. I just purchased mine 2311 this morning. I need a conceal carry holster. Any websites will fit this you think?
@@pipefitterwithguns8688 I had the same problem. I found an owl leather holster with an optic fit that fits really well. 1831/71? Brand? I don't carry it, but have to have a case or holster at the range so found this one for transport. The leather holster is good for owb hip carry or you can check with your local shops to find a company that can make one local using your gun for a perfect fit.
I'll bet the magazine issue is because they decided to stick that fancy magwell on their without making sure the mags still seat completely. I had the same problem with my Rock Island double-stack 10mm and finally figured out it was the lip on the base plate hitting the magwell and preventing the catch from fully engaging. I ground some material off the base plate and now they work well enough. Still gotta give the mag a decent smack to seat it but I can go through a mag without issue.. I was getting failures to feed early on too and that seems better since grinding the mags. I bet that tiny extra bit of insertion made all the difference (that's what she said 😂). This could be something else but it looks exactly like the issues I was having with my RIA.
Seems like a hit or miss with this one. I have one. Doesnt display any issues, yet. Lol. Usually means the QC isn't that great. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for the video. Bummer the Girsan isn't too great maybe it will settle in. Just got my pre-ordered Apollo 11. It has the updated optic pattern and appears to be machined well. Only just over 50 rounds and without an optic but it did fine. Glad these lower cost options are out, but may be some teething issues.
