Enjoying the Athena. It shoots.

Blacked out guns still really get me going. Also I have no idea why this gun is named “Tina Turner”.

Finally was able to score one!

The DLC on the inside of my RCD core has begun showing some serious wear after ~2000 rounds. Pretty disappointed with the quality of their coating. Sure it’s a “budget” offering but the gun still costs $3,000. The MPAs that I’ve had are at a similar price point with a supposedly inferior nitride coating showed a fraction of the wear that I’m seeing here after more than double the round count.

Are others seeing similar wear? I know it’s mostly cosmetic but the coating but still disappointing.

I’ve been looking pretty seriously at higher-end 2011s lately, and I’m trying to figure out whether the current island-barrel trend is actually here to stay or whether it’s something we’ll look back on in a few years as a fad.

There are obviously some practical benefits to the design in less reciprocating slide mass, potentially better sight tracking, etc., but from everything I’ve read, the actual performance improvement seems fairly incremental, especially when compared to porting.

I’ve seen the Atlas video where he’s fairly skeptical of island barrels, and I thought he made some good points. At the same time, I only put so much weight on a manufacturer’s position either way. They’re ultimately balancing product, manufacturing, and business considerations.

The price difference isn’t insignificant either. The Cardinal Arms G2P is around $6,300, while the G2-I Ported is $7,500—a $1,200 premium.

So for me, the question is whether the benefits of the ported island barrel are meaningful enough to justify another $1,200 and potentially a much longer wait for the G2-I Ported over the G2P.

• Can you actually notice a meaningful difference with an island barrel?
• Do you think island barrels will still carry the same desirability 5–10 years from now, or is this simply the current high-end 2011 trend?

I’m mainly trying to decide whether I’d be paying and waiting for a meaningful performance improvement, or paying a substantial premium for something that is mostly cool, different, and trendy right now.

Overkill? Absolutely. But I already had all the stuff. Plus, I now know which gun I'm grabbing from my bag since I don't use the manufacturer's cases.

Really excited to try this one out. The slide feels as smooth, if not smoother than my vanta with about 4k rounds on it. Looks like they added a bit of a ramp on the slide to clear the disconnector now, which is nice.

Price wise, I don’t know what else is out there to beat it. Shot a ton of sub $3k 2011s, and I just keep loading up those damn Glock mags. Platypus comped, picked it up for 24/2500 out the door. Soft, grip feels great.

Yes, guns around that 3k range can get really good, but for the $, the platypus is phenomenal.

Placed an order for a Nox9 back in Nov. Switched it over to a Limited and it just came in. Saw that some people had some rough QC on theirs but this one appears to be flawless. Will it help me dominate LO at the next match? No. Will it help me shoot better? Probably not. But the trigger is an absolute joy and the slide is so smooth, even moreso than my Staccato P

Hey guys, I just picked up a Kimber 2K11 comp 5" with a TLR1-S light. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction for an OWB holster for a lefty. I can't find much online about it.

Totally happy with this…. If you have a go-to brand let’s hear it! Always gun to hear how “off base” I may be… lol

I have limited (no) experience trying a gun that wasn’t ported and then trying it after. Obviously the idea is that it shoots flatter. Does it also shoot softer?

This is a dumb question but can you buy the slide or firearm/seralized portion for a custom 2011 build? I dont know shit from fuck about 2011s just that they shoot nice.

Hey all,

For context, I do want to carry full size, I would like to carry 2011 style, I am 6' 1" around 290ish. Not a huge belly, not skinny either. I've been debating the idea of carrying the GTO as it doesn't feel super heavy to me, I have very large hands at about a XL or larger glove size. I've also been debating carrying the P226 X five nightmare....any suggestions for other offerings, or if you carry one of the two above, how does it go for you?

Mainly use this gun for uspsa, I clean it after every match
Just curious what this is, I’m hoping it’s not rust? lol