Alpha Foxtrot AF 1911 DLC Finish Sootch00 Review

Alpha Foxtrot is based out of Duluth, Georgia, and they’re making a really nice line of 1911s. But one of the things about this particular 1911 is the DLC coating—or diamond-like carbon finishing. It gives it a really smooth finish, it gives it a lot of lubricity, and yet it gives it a lot of hardness to the metal. There are a lot of other features to this that really kind of separate it from a lot of the other 1911s. I mean there are so many different choices out there and it’s nice to see something that’s a little bit different. This is in 9mm, it’s a five inch barrel, full-size government frame, and it’s an all steel pistol. Man, is it a smooth shooting firearm. We really appreciate Alpha Foxtrot for sending the AF 1911 DLC model for this review. I’m going to have to add this one to my collection

Taking the AF 1911 down to the range, I knew what to expect with a 1911, but I really wanted to see how it would perform with that DLC coating. It is already super smooth—I mean it just comes back and it glides on those rails with just a very smooth finish. And then of course with the full length guide rod that also helps because you just have that longer rod that is just going to contain that spring even more so than your standard government model 1911s. It was super smooth. Something about that lubricity, it’s definitely what they claim it is and very pointable with that five inch barrel as well and then a 9mm which is always a pleasure to shoot. But now we did have one of their 45 versions as well and we shot it side-by-side and honestly, it was a very smooth shooting gun as well.

Something about that diamond light coating really adds to the smoothness of this pistol. I really liked that extended frame safety because it allows you to put your thumb up there and it just helps mitigate the recoil. With 9mm it’s less recoil than your 45, but it still helps to keep it on target. The green sights really showed up well at the range. We just had a great range day with this pistol, and we didn’t have any kind of malfunctions. The great thing is we’re using Wilson Combat mags, and Wilson Combat makes some of the best 1911 mags out on the market plus it adds to the reliability of the firearm. The trigger breaking at 3.5 pounds was really nice, really crisp, and it was very consistent. I really liked that very little take up has a nice crisp break, no over-travel and it just made getting on that steel really easy and making those shots count.

A few of the pros for this pistol is definitely the diamond light coating which definitely protects the firearm, it makes it super slick. Again, this is one of the smoothest action 1911s I’ve ever handled. It’s been hand lapped so that the slide-to-frame fit is really nice, accuracy is nice, and there’s just so much more. The biggest problem you’re going to have is keeping fingerprints off of this beautiful finish. And honestly, that’s about the only con I can come up with. Truly, this is a beautiful and smooth shooting pistol. There’s a ton of different choices for 1911s out there and you can get those really hand fit custom 1911s that will run you around $5,000-6,000 or you can go with a more budget cast 1911 that’ll run around $500-600. But, for the features you’re getting on the the AF 1911, it is going to be really hard to beat, especially with that DLC coating because it makes it super smooth. Again, we really appreciate Alpha Foxtrot for sending the AF 1911 DLC in 9mm.