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Maximus Arms

14K views 26 replies 18 participants last post by  Oldplug1 
#1 ·
I received a sales flier advertising Maximus Arms 1911s. They are made in Tennesse. Does anyone have any experience with these 1911s?
 
#6 ·
Maximus Arms update

Maximus Arms is scheduled to start shipping guns by late June or early July of 2011.
The 17-4 ph steel has required Maximus to purchase harder carbon composite tools for the CNC machines.
The gun has a completely new designed receiver, one in which the Plunger tube and ejector are cast as part of the receiver. This eliminates the parts from ever working loose. The firing pin is non-tapered allowing for the weapon to be dry fired without enlarging the channel or effecting the taper. The recoil reduction system, gives these guns a recoil comparable to a .38, and allows the shooters second shot to be on target at a much faster pace.
Weapon testing is currently being conducted by several objective testing groups, Metal material experts, shooting industry experts, and the military.
Thousands of hours have been spent creating these weapons and Maximus is confidant these will be the finest production 1911's on the market today.
As the saying goes, "We will sell no wine before it's time".
 
#7 ·
I find their website quite interesting.

The gallery CLEARLY shows quite a few mismatches.

The two pictures I saw, the ejector was clearly a seperate item. (An integral ejector is not just bad, its ....very bad)
Also shown is a Damascus slide. Not do-able by casting.

The foundry also shows slides being cast. Proven to be a losing idea.

Mismatched parts abound in the Gallery. The photography is quite nice, but the workmanship displayed leaves a loooong ways to go if they are going to produce the "Finest production pistols available"

Is that their foundry?
Are those their frames?

I smell a bad stinker....

CW
 
#10 ·
Allow me to address some of CW's and Bob's concerns, statements and questions.

1) "Also shown is a Damascus slide. Not do-able by casting."
Naturally Damascus Steel is not cast. These slides are milled from bar stock,
and provided as an option.

2) "The foundry also shows slides being cast. Proven to be a losing idea."
The 17-4 ph steel make a world of difference for a cast slide. The slides are cast then milled to 1/1000th of an inch. With modern CNC machines, combined with investment casting, it’s possible to produce extremely uniform parts with little to no variation between the parts for a lower cost per unit then forging. 17-4 is strong, durable, and not brittle.

3) "(An integral ejector is not just bad, its ....very bad)"
Since the function of the ejector is to direct a spent brass casing away from the firearm, there is not much force delivered to the ejector. We feel it is not just a good idea...it's a very good idea. if you can break it during the normal operation of the gun, we will gladly replace it at no charge.

4) "Is that their foundry?"
Yes, one of our partners also owns the foundry. He is an expert Metallurgist, with years of experience working with 17-4 ph
His military contracts are not cast Ashtrays, and there has never been a complaint with his work. Examples would be such weapon systems as the Sidewinder missile, and 40mm cannon with a cycle rate of 3000rds per min.

5) "Are those their frames?"
the frames for the guns displayed on the web site are Caspian frames.
We used those frames as our design prototypes. When you are pre-marketing a product, you have to give a perspective buyer an idea of what the product will look like.

6) "Now there's a pretty strong claim."
Your right Bob that is a strong claim. We will be pleased to stack our fit and finish up against any production gun in the industry.

7) "Do I get a free toga with my Maximus if I pre-order?
Bob, when you pre-order, just let us know your size and what color Toga you would like. If you are willing to send a photo of yourself in the Toga, I'll make one just for you.:biglaugh:

As with any start up company, there will be set backs. We are addressing those, fixing any potential problems, and maintaining the highest quality control standards. These guns will be right before the first one is shipped.
We believe you will like our products, and won't have to worry about the smell.

Thanks,
Jim Fleming
Oldplug1
 
#17 ·
5) "Are those their frames?"
the frames for the guns displayed on the web site are Caspian frames.
We used those frames as our design prototypes. When you are pre-marketing a product, you have to give a perspective buyer an idea of what the product will look like.
As the saying goes, "We will sell no wine before it's time".
...but we'll show you what the finished product looks like even though it's really not the finished product.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Jim,

since I took the jab at you, I'll explain myself.

1) ....It doesnt say Damascus is an option. Unless I missed it.

2) 17-4 or unobtanium, It doesnt matter how close you machine them, Castings for slides just don't work. Para is an Example. Ruger has one of the finest casting facilities in the world. Their new 1911's have barstock slides. I trust they know something.

3)I understand the Ejector quite well, and whether you believe it or not, there is enough force to break them occasionally. How about when a customer slams a mag and hits it? Lots of variables that have already been covered. why not make it field serviceable and friendly? I cannot imagine a customer being happy about having to spend $100.00 or so to get one back to you for repair.

4) as for the foundry? well you may have one, but pictures of raw Caspian frames being represented as yours (by omission of fact?) starts down a slippery slope thats hard to get back up. Mismatched parts in your Gallery do NOT give the impression of quality tolerances you claim.

There are a Rash of new gun companies capitalising on the 100th Anniversary. I wish you well in your endeavor and hope you have an actual product to meet your expectations that we may see soon.

The Caspian stuff is great, but I personally would rather have seen what your actually selling.

CW

....I am not trying to slam you, but pre-sales of a product without the actual product are not a formula for success. .....especially in this arena.

and I can't even fathom the firing pin re-design. Please share that with us
 
#12 ·
They made the pages of American riflemen this month. Anyone seen one yet? Hard to shell out that kind of cash on a wing and a prayer. But more power to them for creating jobs in America!
 
#13 ·
A sick joke. :barf:

The market is loaded with 1911's that are just as "well finished"with a proven track record.

This offering is nothing that hasn't already been done. (at a more reasonable price)and with a better design parameter.

No ghost ring sights and built in mag wells.

I mean,does a 1911 need a "recoil reducer" ? :confused:

Let's see how they do in the next couple of years.
If their still in business,THEN I will look at what ever their offerings are at that time.

For the kind of money their talking,I will just buy Les Baer products or used Ed Browns.
DAT85
 
#14 ·
well there's on thing good about it....they removed the Glock in the banner at the top of the page after i emailed them about it:biglaugh:

We don’t have a Glock any place on our website… please review the Maximus Website
I stand corrected…. You are absolutely correct… the picture of the smoking gun in our website banner “IS” a Glock… I can’t believe the oversight on our part. I guess I was too busy just trying to get our guns built and wasn’t paying enough attention to the folks building our website… Thanks to you and your attention to detail our site is being corrected.
Tony
Maximus Arms LLC
 
#20 ·
Can one get the Caeser without the dressing and does it come with croutons? Though we all know Mr. Rodgers here will be happy as he said to learn how to properly fit a beavertail:rolleyes: and he'll get his free toga to boot. Me? I'm just glad that I can get rid of all those other LESSER 1911s I own, you know the ones without fruity names or oddball frames, and arm myself with guns named Spartacus and Gladiator.
 
#22 ·
I am very familar with Maximus Arms, LLC and their line of 1911 .45 cal pistols. (maximusarms.com). They are made from 17-4 ph steel which is harder and more corresive resistant than 316 or 416 stainless steel. These hand gun prototypes were made from the Gunsmith's hand crafted .45 's. The gunsmith would use a file and a stone and 75 hours of labor. He has been able to mass manufacture these weapons to within 5,000th of an inch.
Each pistol has a match barrel, bushing, link and pin (Storm Lake), a recoil reduction system that takes the felt recoil of a .45 and convert it to the recouil of a .38. Oversized thumb safety, slide stop and mag release are standard, as well as a flared Mag well. The balance is incredibl.
 
#24 ·
I recently purchased one of the new Maximus arms gladiator 1911 pistols. So far I have put about 200 rounds through it. It runs wonderfully and it is a beautiful pistol. Even more striking in person. Say what you want, but it is a hell of a gun and everyone at my Gun club wanted to have a go with it.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Not to be a D*ck, and I understand that there are other aspects to a quality pistol BUT:

Maximus arms claims "Best fitted High-rise Beavertail in the industry..."

Looking at the picture you posted I would beg to differ. The gap between the frame tangs and the BT safety are gigantic. The pistol may shoot like a champ, and the price is a bit steep. For $1700 clams and that kind of printed claim I would at least expect a BT fit that was better.

Having said that...Buy it, shoot it and enjoy it, that is the real purpose of having so many choices in the 1911 world.
 
#27 ·
It's been a while, so first let me offer an apology and a thank you to CWarner and Bob Rodgers. You gentlemen hit the nail on the head when reviewing facts about Maximus Arms Quality fit and finish.
I was impressed with the build quality of the custom 1911's that Tony Bellione of Armidillo Arms (sister Co.) was producing. So when they pitched their idea of a production 1911, I became an early investor in Maximus Arms. I wanted to believe they could accomplish exactly what they were telling me and other investors.
Tony Stated that he had made over 80 improvements to the original design. He was striving to mass produce a pre melted 1911., with 100% drop in parts. (red flag should have gone up right there) Most of the improvements were cosmetic. I was encouraged by their goals.
One thing CWarner said kept ringing in my ears."A cast slide is a proven bad idea" Mr. Warner you are correct, and now I completely agree. I enjoy the shooting sports and am an avid shooter. I started noticing little things not functioning properly at around 500 round. By the 1000th round it felt like there was sand between the slide and frame. It had noticeably friction when racking a shell into the chamber. I could not get through one magizine without a stove pipe or misfeed. I brought the gun into Maximus after a frustrating weekend at the range to have it looked at and repaired. I told them that if I was going to a gun fight and this was my only gun I would bring a knife. I said take it out and give it a run through, you will feel the same. About a week later theysaid the gun was ready. When I was there to pick it up a Tn Highway Patrol Officer was there and asked if I would sell him my gun or trade for another one. My gun was nicknamed the Homoside gun as the serial No. is #000187. I should have sold it right then, because 500 rounds later the POS wouldn't shoot even 4 rounds consecutively. Good intentions dont alway turn into good results.
The Partner that owned the foundry, announced that he had changed his mind about being a partner and sent Maximus an Invoice for $150K in blueprinting cad work and castings. I think Ted the foundry owner had plans from the start to highjack the company. He knew that they had limited funds.
No one but Me knew about the problems with the gun, because no one else had put it through Its passes. Law suits followed, Attourny's fees followed, then problems started showing up from other customers. It turned into a downward spiral to bankruptcy. The last communication I had with them was June 2016. when I inquired about a fellow investors concerns. You see I talked a friend into investing.
Maximus was to present us with a prototype 1911 for being investors, My friend Mr. Butler bought one for a gift, figuring he had one coming and I bought one because I wanted to shoot it A LOT. I told Mr Butler the worst that could happen was that we would wind up with a $10000.00 prototype. Well, guess what, I never heard another word from Steve White, Tony Bellione. We also never got the promised Prototype.
I felt the need to live up to my word with Mr. Butler. After spending another $600.00 in gunsmithing charges. I gave him Serial#000187 as his $10000.00 prototype, because that was all he would be getting.
For those of you that bought a Gladiator with the Damascus slide should have an excellent gun, as they were machined from Billet steel, and fitted to the frame. Those will be great. For those of you that bought one with a cast slide, run dont walk, to your next gun show and get rid f that POS before you shoot it very much.
I regret that I have very little good to say about the gun. Mostly regret that I wasn't a better judge of a mans charicter, as Tony and Steve so far are not men of their word.
for these comments I will not hide behind a log in name.
Sincerely,
James C Fleming
 
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