EAA’s New Plastic 1911!–SHOT Show 2014

in Authors, Paul Helinski, Pistols, SHOT Show 2014, Uncategorized

Updated: January 21, 2014 BY GunsAmerica Actual

EAA Corporation
https://www.eaacorp.com/

Generally speaking, a company introducing a new 1911 wouldn’t make much of a stir. That’s not the case with the EAA 1911. This is the first polymer frame single stack 1911 made by any company, and that’s got a lot of people talking. If you’re thinking, Whoa! Wait a minute. A plastic 1911? Isn’t that an oxymoron? From what we saw, no. Polymer actually works quite well with this platform. First of all, only the frame is polymer. The slide rides on a pair of steel rail systems. Second, all the accessories for the 1911 fit this gun as well. Plus, it has an under barrel rail and is lighter than a comparable all metal 1911. You might think, well, I can print one of those bad boys up on my 3D printer, but I guarantee it won’t have the quality and dependability of EAA’s newest gun.

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Robert April 14, 2014, 4:05 pm

And everyone thought Glock would be the first to make a polymer 1911…

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Shadow February 11, 2014, 2:58 am

One would think the reason why you would buy a 1911 is because you would want the all steel construction and weight of the weapon. When it comes to 1911’s Colt, Springfield, and a few others do it the best. If you want polymer, I suggest you buy a Glock.. Just saying.

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Brian February 3, 2014, 3:46 am

I see the 1911 primarily as a steel gun. I do not even like alloy frames on 1911s, so this one is a novelty in my view.

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Shawn Williams January 25, 2014, 10:06 pm

Hell I’d give it a shot. Fit right in with my Ithica 1911.

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Don January 24, 2014, 11:28 am

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=559

You are not first

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OFBG January 23, 2014, 8:07 pm

Should we call it a “Clock”?

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Dennis January 22, 2014, 10:05 pm

Boy that looks like junk.

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June January 22, 2014, 8:11 pm

I hope the EAA Representative was kidding regarding the price! There is no way that I would pay five hundred dollars for a product that has not been given the green light by the public. No thanks, not interested in being a guinea pig; money too hard to come by. For goodness sakes, I could go out and purchase an RIA for the amount they will be asking for. Save a few hundred dollars more, and you can buy a Kimber. I must say that I purchased a EAA 10mm many years ago. It has ran flawlessly! When it comes to new market firearms, I will wait until the reviews(Public) come out, before I even think of purchasing!

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Timothy Kern January 22, 2014, 7:28 pm

Rock river arms has offered a poly frame 1911 for several years..aa is not the first as stated in your article

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cruze January 22, 2014, 7:20 pm

Rock Island has had one out for over a year.

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T January 22, 2014, 5:30 pm

double stack option would be nice maybe even one that uses EAA witness mags.

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Barry January 22, 2014, 4:47 pm

I like the idea of a polymer frame 1911. It reduces the weight considerably. But I’d rather have one with checkered interchangable grips, 3.5″ barrel, & adjustable night sights. Get rid of the rail.

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govretired2000 January 22, 2014, 4:09 pm

Not real big on Glocks. The only reliable .45 I have ever owned was a Peacemaker in .45 (long) Colt & Colt auto. I have tried many different ones in 40 years but always return to the two above. Carry the Peacemaker everyday for last 30 years. Don’t get me wrong, my philosophy has always been that a weapon is much like a car, you buy what you can afford and what feels right.

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Ray January 22, 2014, 12:53 pm

My CCW is a EAA Witness in 45 cal. Looks almost like the 1911 just a little more compact. Holds 10 rounds with the large mag. It’s is a VERY reliable weapon. When I got it, it was very hard to find a holster or magazines for it. Now dealers are starting to carry EAA more. With the way my Witness shoots I will be looking for the EAA 1911. I would like to get my hands on it and see how it shoots. I think EAA makes some great weapons.

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- IPleadtheSecond January 22, 2014, 10:17 pm
  
  I too own Tanfoglio pistols…three of them. They are all superb firearms and deadly accurate. One of them is a polymer full size Witness in .45 ACP. The texturing is outstanding and it will probably become my favorite. Its good to be in the Witness Protection Program. I believe the 1911 in the pics is a prototype. It has a rail and an ambi-safety so I’m interested. I’m sure EAA will do right by the gun if my Witness pistols are a clue. It won’t go on the market for another 90 days anyway so It will probably look very different in production trim. Purists of JMB’s original design won’t be impressed but I’m not one of them.
  
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Rev Billy G January 22, 2014, 12:10 pm

Why the heck would you mention printing guns in this article? We are our own worst enemies. Unreal.

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Gary January 22, 2014, 12:01 pm

I own a Kimber .45 with a plastic frame. It is a double stack mag but retains normal size.

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ham January 22, 2014, 11:55 am

**** I guarantee it won’t have the quality and dependability of EAA’s newest gun. ******
it’s a new product. have you done more than look at this gun at a convention? if not, how can you possibly vouch for its quality and dependability?

this blog is nothing but an industry shill. no credibility.

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Dave January 22, 2014, 11:25 am

In case no one else mentioned it, calling this the first 1911 made “by any company” with a polymer frame is incorrect.

Wilson Combat produced a polymer framed 1911 and did so for several years as both a full size and a compact. The full size was designed around a proprietary 10-rd magazine, the compact an 8-rd magazine.

Polymer is clearly a viable choice for components and has proven both its cost effectiveness and utility. I might add that it has a far less controverisal record in this application than MIM parts.

The 1911 is an elegant design, to be sure – but it DOES need to be modernized. There is no reason I can think of of that efforts should not be made to produce the 1911 cost effectively and with updated features. Those shooters that want the classic designed, worked over by a smith, will always be able to get it.

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Douglas M. Casamer January 22, 2014, 11:12 am

Considering everything about the sidearm yells too heavy! Even though she’s still a power house .45 to silent what goes bump in the night, a poly type material can enhance its mobile ability, so it’s a must see, must try firearm. Now then, what’s the cost?
Colonel Doug

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Ron W. January 22, 2014, 11:11 am

If it had a MSRP of $400 or less, sure – makes a whole lot of sense. However, MSRP of almost $600 for a ugly looking plastic frame 1911 with integrated grip panels???! The thing looks almost as bad as a Hi Point! WHY would anyone want one aside from novelty’s sake? Why not just get a RIA or one of those 1911 clones from Turkey? Why not a Taurus PT1911?

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Anthony January 22, 2014, 10:48 am

look at the pictures, the Polymer is faded and scratched from the handling. My Glock 17 still looks brand new and it is not only handled a lot, but is often in and out of a leather holster. Makes me think their Polymer is of poor quality. I wouldn’t trust it to hold up under normal daily usage.

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Anthony January 22, 2014, 10:47 am

look at the pictures, the Polymer is faded and scratched from the handling. My Glock 17 still looks brand new and it is not only handled a lot, but is often in and out of a leather holster. Makes me think their Polymer is of poor quality. I wouldn’t trust it to hold up under normal daily usage.

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Mark January 22, 2014, 10:37 am

Doesn’t rock river arms produce a polymer 1911. I also hate the use of the word plastic just call it polymer.

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Mike S January 22, 2014, 10:33 am

Huh, never thought I’d see a handgun with no checkering whatsoever.

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Fletch January 22, 2014, 10:16 am

Who is doing the writing on this and other articles i ve read this week? Points above were already made. But yesterdays article on the Red Label proclaiming it “shoots accurately” is funny. A shotgun that shoots accurately? I guess i need to STOP instructing newby trap shooters to stop “pointing the gun”, and start “aiming it” like a rifle. C’mon GA pick it up.

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bph9 January 22, 2014, 10:11 am

There were other plasticky 1911 guns, Kimber and STI to name a few. I think this gun will go over like a lead balloon, as there are just not enough stupid people out there that would waste their money on it.

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GKPrice January 22, 2014, 10:08 am

Kimber did make a polymer frame double stack 1911, I own 4 and they are dependable and awesome shooters albeit “fat” gripped – Don’t know why Kimber quit them, probably not enough profit – I think this new EAA would be a good utility carry gun but don’t plan on a high round shooter, I’ll definitely own one though !

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John January 22, 2014, 9:59 am

The writer states that you can use your own grips, but the EAA Spokesman seems to indicate that the top “grip” screw serves another purpose. In addition, enlarge some of the pictures and explain where the bottom grip screw went?

This articles credibility is questionable.

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Paul Echols January 22, 2014, 9:37 am

We have had light weight frames for years and they have a tendency to crack .. So what is the point of a plastic 1911.. If I wanted another plastic gun I would buy another Glock.. Give me my 1911,s and give them to me in real steel..

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Stacy January 22, 2014, 9:27 am

I thought Rock River Arms built polymer 1911’s

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Nick January 22, 2014, 9:21 am

Yeah the Wilson KZ45 came to mind when I read first polymer 1911. I’ve got one in the safe so I know it came out before this did…lol

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Allen Frame January 22, 2014, 8:36 am

Well, technically it is not the first polymer framed 1911 produced. Kimber made polymer double stack 1911 for many years. I have 5 of them. They hold 14+1 rounds and are dependable and accurate. So, this E.A.A. is the first single stack polymer 1911. A.F.

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Chris January 22, 2014, 8:23 am

KZ-45? Spec-Ops9? Those are just two pistols that popped into my head the second I read “first polymer frame 1911”. I believe in addition to Wilson, Kimber also made one as well.

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np January 22, 2014, 8:14 am

First 1911 polymer frame for any company? How about a discontinued Ten II 1911 by Kimber? Currently producing M-5 1911 by Bul Firearms of Israel? Who writes this chit?

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rappini January 22, 2014, 7:39 am

Finally a polymer 1911, can’t wait.

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Charles January 22, 2014, 6:43 am

In my opinion it is not a good idea to introduce the EAA1911 or anything like it. A plastic weapon is just one more reason for the anti-gun people to push for gun bans. With guns becoming harder to detect through conventional methods it will drive more of the population who are “on the fence” to jump to the gun-ban side.Technology may be to the point where this is possible but…why??? Is the hidden agenda to get guns banned??

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- FALPhil January 22, 2014, 11:21 am
  
  Hey Charles,
  
  Don’t look up. The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
  
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- WB January 22, 2014, 1:00 pm
  
  Are you a troll or are you just ignorant? polymer guns have been on the market for DECADES and it’s nothing new, the slide is still steel and so is the barrel, The magazine is likely stamped metal and so will be the rounds.
  
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- Nick099 August 3, 2014, 11:03 am
  
  Charles, it would appear you know little if anything about firearms and their construction….especially the techniques and materials in the last 30-40 years. Ploymers for handgun frame construction have been in widespread use for several decades now. They incorporate weight-saving ploymers that are reinforced with steel at critical areas. They are not all ploymer. Secondly, all of the slides that I am aware of are made of steel or aluminum alloy as well as the barrels, springs, etc, etc.
  
  No polymer pistol on the civilian market can pass through any metal detector…that was BS propogated by Schmucky Shumer and Joe-The Blitering Idiot-Biden back in the 80’s.
  
  Not to mention many PD’s are carying some form of a polymer-based pistol.
  
  Please keep the Media Matters propaganda lines to yourself and in the future stop reading their bathroom walls.
  
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BG January 22, 2014, 6:29 am

I was under the impression that Kimber made a polymer framed 1911 a few years back.

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- DE January 22, 2014, 2:21 pm
  
  Kimber did make a polymer 1911, but “they” didn’t make the frame originally. Their frame was made by Bul originally in Turkey. It was the same gun as the Bul M5. The second frame version they had came out in 2002 made by them. They didn’t sell well and were dropped in 2009. The difference here though is that the Kimbers were double stacks. I owned a Bul M5. Nothing wrong with the gun. It was accurate and reliable. I just never got used to the fat grip and the fact it wasn’t undercut, I didn’t enjoy shooting it.
  
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Cj's January 22, 2014, 6:28 am

What a pos. So they make a plastic 1911, questionable idea to begin with, and don’t utalize the only good part about plastic fantastic s&w by making it plain jane. Where’s the checkering? Where’s the removable grip panels that are standard size? Where’s the undercut triggerguard? How about the checkering on the trigger guard? Or a mag well? Then they did a 1911 frame not a 1911A1… Why? To make the most user friendly gun in the world less user friendly? Then instead of decent sights they give us something that’s been outdated for 20 yrs. oh but the give us an accessory rail…. Oh joy.

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Roger January 22, 2014, 6:10 am

BUL of Israel has been making poly a poly frames for decades. Rock Ricer Arms came out with a single stack 1911 a few years back. Nothing new…

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- Matt January 23, 2014, 4:35 pm
  
  I agree Roger. A couple years ago I looked at the poly frame Rock River Arms 45. at a local gun shop, pretty nice for a poly gun. Its pretty shady of EAA claiming that this one is the first one ever made.
  
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  - Administrator January 23, 2014, 5:16 pm
    
    That poly from Rock River didn’t go into widespread production. I didn’t even know any made it into gunshops, because we were told that there were issues with them. I’m sure EAA didn’t either, which would make this pretty much the only one you will see in the market.
    
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Larrry E. January 22, 2014, 3:34 am

A Plastic 1911? A cute idea lacking use or justification. And all that from a company with an at best spotty reputation for customer service. Ask them about parts availability for the Sarsilmaz line that they used to carry.

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- mike j January 22, 2014, 10:31 am
  
  I have a 22 SA bought from sports authority in the “80” , after firing it 102 rounds the ejector rod
  lever broke. EAA were in Hialeah Florida at the time, and the owner or customer service rep. was
  not to nice, and would not help me, or even warranty the part or even send me a new one. Even
  when I was willing to pay. After that no way would I purchase anything that had to do with EAA.
  Take a lesson from Ruger or S and W on how to treat customers. But I liked the little revolver so
  kept it. Have not fired it but I did find a new ejector rod in Miami so the gun is complete. kept the
  old rod and lever. someday I will have it welded as a spare.
  
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- DownrangeFuture March 7, 2014, 10:46 am
  
  Ploymers being lighter than steel isn’t a justification? I like any carry gun I have to be light. All the critical parts are steel. So it’s not as if reliability is compromised.
  
  And don’t talk bad about companies customer service. They might sue you. Besides, complaining about parts availability for a discontinued product seems… silly. I mean, ask apple about parts availability on the Apple II they used to carry. Or ask HP about why you can’t find ink for your old dot matrix printer. Or memorex why they stopped making blank 5.5″ floppies for your old 386…
  
  Is not carrying parts for a discontinued product your only complaint?
  
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  - Spacedoggy September 2, 2015, 6:19 pm
    
    Don’t talk about customer service they may sue you????? That makes no sense at all. Tell me of just one company that has file a law suit if someone complain about service. That’s any companies not just gun companies. Hello anyone home.
    
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David H January 22, 2014, 3:16 am

I am way old school. Love my old weapons. Love the history. Love everything old.

Having said that, I would totally dig to have one of these new 1911’s. They look very, very cool. Well done EAA. These is something very good about bring old and new together. I find this approach VERY attractive.

Well done.

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