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GSG 1911 - Christopher from ATI on 1911 Forum

409K views 1K replies 298 participants last post by  C Squared 
#1 ·
Hello,

I'm Christopher from American Tactical Imports. I am the import manager for ATI here in Rochester, NY. For a while now I have been active on AR15.com but now that ATI handles both the GSG .22LR 1911 & The .45cal FX 1911 series out of the Philippines, I figured I'd go to where the experts are for the particular design and I see stuff about our guns all over the place.

So you have it, here's some general info from ATI

If you need to contact us for warranty service or repair/replacement parts for any ATI imported firearms, please email techservice@americantactical.us or call us at 1-800-290-0065.

ATI is by no means a large company. We have 3 gunsmiths who fix guns and two people (myself included) who field service emails and calls, so sometimes it gets pretty hectic here. If you have trouble getting through or have an email that doesn't get replied to in a few days, please keep trying because we will get to you if we miss you somehow initially.

The GSG 1911 and FX 1911 series are the first 1911 style guns we've dealt with, so we're definately interested in all of your feedback.

I look forward to participating on here, hope you all don't beat me up too much and we'll take 'em as they come.

Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
Hey, great to have you aboard! I already have a question for you, the trigger that comes on the Thunderbolt here; is this available to purchase separately and is it a mil-spec or wide fit like the Colt Gold Cup? Thanks in advance for your time and thanks for stopping in.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Welcome Christopher! I got a question that i've been trying to compile info on between all the message boards.

On the GSG 1911 what parts are interchangeable w/ an actual 1911 .45?

Also are you going to be sending out the updated parts to registered owners?

What serial #'s are effected w/ the non-steel barrel bushing?
 
#6 ·
Hello,

Here's some answers to your questions:

I already have a question for you, the trigger that comes on the Thunderbolt here; is this available to purchase separately and is it a mil-spec or wide fit like the Colt Gold Cup?


The trigger is mil-spec and will be available for purchase through our parts and service center once we receive the service parts from the manufacturer. We should hopefully have them by the end of September

On the GSG 1911 what parts are interchangeable w/ an actual 1911 .45?

Barrel Bushing
Front & Rear Site
Hammer
Trigger
Grip Safety
the Whole Main Spring Housing
Thumb Safety
Sear
Disconnector
Sear Spring
Grip Panels (but not the screws because they're in metric)
Mag Release
Sear Pin
Hammer Pin
Plunger Tube
Plunger Spring

So, will you be talking GSG into shipping more spare magazines? They're harder to find than bigfoot

This still confuses us, we have shipped more than 7000 extra magazines to our wholesalers so far. Then again, we had this issue with the original GSG magazines too. Keep in mind we import 4x as many mags vs guns, and have been receiving them every shipment except the very first shipment. They just have to build up on the market, the gun is new and hot. Our distributors are reordering mags weekly.

Also are you going to be sending out the updated parts to registered owners?

A lot of the updated parts we are still waiting to receive as they are in production. We do prefer to replace them fix as fail so that we aren't over run here at ATI. All in all, there are a grand total of 10 people in this company, so we're all constantly bombarded with everything lol.

What serial #'s are effected w/ the non-steel barrel bushing?

I'm sorry but that information I do not have to supply at this time.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for keeping communication going, Chris.

Got my GSG-1911 last week and I love the product. Puts bullets on target, cycles cheap ammo, feels and looks awesome. Great price tag. What else to wish for in .22?

Keep up good customer service and this little gun will win hearts of many shooters.
 
#9 ·
ATI Christopher, I'm glad you are on board also, and welcome. I picked up my GSG 1911 22cal, and shot it. All I can say is like WOW! You guys did a great job, not only in detail, but the overall mechanics of this gun too. I just picked up my FX45 Thunderbolt, and have a question. How did they put such great workmanship into a 1911 for that price. I am so impressed with the following:

Bomar sights
front checkering (WOW)
the slides smooth action
S&A type magwell/main spring housing
and PRICE

Great gun so far, I cant wait to put 3 or 4 boxes through it:rock:
 
#10 ·
Christopher;

On 09/01/2010 I purchased an FX-45 GI Model commander size with beavertail grip safety and two extra magazines through Swanks Gun Shop in York, NY.

SERIAL #1001XX

I've been told that the gun wont be ready to ship to Swanks until sometime during the week of 9/13 due to the need to be fired for the empty case for NYS registration.


Please see what you can do to keep the process moving along at your end as I'm very anxious to pick this gun up and start shooting ASAP.

Thanks - John S.
 
#12 ·
Several things to consider. 1) the .22lr is a rimmed cartridge. Put too many into a magazine and they can start causing issues. Most .22 pistols use a 10 round mag. That seems to be a compromise between capacity and functionality. Second, a higher capacity mag has legal issues in certain states. CA, MA, NY, HI have 10 round limits. NJ has 15, MD 20. Right now, any gun can go anywhere, but if some guns had bigger mags, then the few folks at the ATI offices would have to make sure gun X only went to state 1 or 2.
 
#13 ·
Christopher;

On 09/01/2010 I purchased an FX-45 GI Model commander size with beavertail grip safety and two extra magazines through Swanks Gun Shop in York, NY.

SERIAL #1001XX

I've been told that the gun wont be ready to ship to Swanks until sometime during the week of 9/13 due to the need to be fired for the empty case for NYS registration.


Please see what you can do to keep the process moving along at your end as I'm very anxious to pick this gun up and start shooting ASAP.

Thanks - John S.


Hi John,

Actually, fired casings for either NY or MD are not handled by ATI at all, they are handled by the distributors we sell our imports to. Basically, the chain of distribution for all our goods is as follows:

ATI imports the products and sells them to our national distributors.

Our distributors then sell them to FFL stores and retailers in all 50 states.

Retail stores then sell them to consumers.

We sell the products to our distributors facory sealed from overseas. Then, based on where the distributors sell the goods, they do the appropriate footwork themselves, like fired casings. This way, they don't just have like 50 fired casing guns sitting on the shelf. So, ultimately I have no control over the times for fired casing guns. All I can recommend is that you hang in there while the process runs its course. Don't worry, it'll be there before you know it.

Is GSG planning on making higher capacity mags? There is ALOT of room for 22lr in that 45 magwell..... I do not want jams though. my gsg has had 0!

Actually, GSG has been in R&D for a 110 round drum mag all year and we're really really close. This drum, once full production is underway will have adapters that make it compatable with GSG-5/522, GSG 1911, GSG AK-47, AR-15 .22 guns and the ruger 10/22. The final prototypes (we hope) are in test and eval right now, and we have a few on the way to us for our own test and eval. Once everyone is happy with the functionality of the mags they will go into full production. Soonest we may see them as of right now would be November of this year. These magazines will have a suggested retail price of $99.95 once imported to the states.

Several things to consider. 1) the .22lr is a rimmed cartridge. Put too many into a magazine and they can start causing issues. Most .22 pistols use a 10 round mag. That seems to be a compromise between capacity and functionality. Second, a higher capacity mag has legal issues in certain states. CA, MA, NY, HI have 10 round limits. NJ has 15, MD 20. Right now, any gun can go anywhere, but if some guns had bigger mags, then the few folks at the ATI offices would have to make sure gun X only went to state 1 or 2.

well....see above. Regarding state restrictions on capacity, actually, ATI doesn't worry about that either to be honest as far as distribution goes. National Distributor FFLs allow them to have whatever capacity on their premesis. So we're in NY, but ourImporter FFL allows us to have Hi Cap mags in our warehouse as long as we don't sell them to unlicensed distributors in restricted states. Our Distributor AmChar is also in NY, and we can sell them everything, as long as they don't sell the hi cap stuff to NY dealers etc, they're good, because they distribute to all 50 states, they can have everything they like, its just on them to follow the rules.

Sadly though, 3/4 of the stuff I import I cannot personally walk out of the building with.



Here's a youtube link for you guys to check out with German chicks shooting GSG guns, you'll see the drum in action in there. Cheers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_7ywoDaOFk
 
#15 ·
[Here's a youtube link for you guys to check out with German chicks shooting GSG guns, you'll see the drum in action in there. Cheers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_7ywoDaOFk[/QUOTE]

Wow,

Very impressive video...quite informative!
 
#16 · (Edited)
That's a great video, Christopher!

I have a couple of comments:
1. In the first ten seconds of the video, the young lady swept me with the muzzle of her gun! That's not nice!
2. None of the ladies are using eye protection; don't they know that the .22 round is very prone to bouncing back from hard surfaces?

There's a GSG in my future; can't find one in El Paso yet. I'll want the drum mag, too.

Best of luck to you!
 
#17 · (Edited)
Christopher, in regards to MD and fired casings only an ATF licensed 07 can do the fired casing. Sounds bad doesn't it, but we are talking about Maryland. The law says "a manufacturer", not "the manufacturer", so any business with a 07 can do the fired casing, even an ammo maker, located anywhere in the US. So, S&W or Black Hill Ammunition or a small custom gun builder or ammo maker with their 07 can test fire the gun. However, a 01 can't.

There are several 07's in MD offering the fired casing service.

I don't know the wording of NY's law, since I left NY before they passed their law.

As for having guns with fired casings sitting on the shelves. I doubt you would. A shop in KY or TX wouldn't turn away the guns if they had the casings in the box. The buyers would probably toss the brass into their recycle pail.

After watching that video, I want several of your carbines.
 
#18 ·
But no mag's

Hi Christopher,
Just brought a GSG-1911 to take the place of my practice Chiappa 22.
Took it apart and Boy, just like any other 1911, not like the Chiappa.
All clean and ready for the range , but NO MAG"S. Gun came with 1 mag and the FFL said that he has mag's on order.
When I shoot,I like to have at least 5 mag's so that I can run through my range exercise Draw & Reload) without having to stop at the end of each mag to reload.
Please advise where I might be able to get additional mag's from.
I am surprised that the gun did not come with at least 2 mag's.

Range report to follow.
 
#19 · (Edited)
All that i ask is make the magazines a little more affordable. more in the $25 range or so without sacrificing quality. if not, get more of them out so they are more readily available.

the gun is amazing, a couple FTF and jams but that was because i didnt clean the gun before hand and was using cheap remington bulk from wally world. the gun was alot of fun.

Also, do standard bump pads work on the gsg mags?
 
#20 ·
Hey Christopher;
My GSG-1911 should be here in a couple of days (along with 2 spare mags). I am sooo looking forward to fun at the range. I already know that I am going to be changing out the rear sight for a fully adjustable one (for tweaking the point of aim/point of impact). From some other posts it appears that the rear dovetail is Novak; however my research has found sights that are supposed to fit Novaks but have different widths from .430 to .475. Could you let us know what width dovetail the GSG-1911 has? I want to do a minimum of shaving of the sight dovetail.
Thanks for all your help.
Aleksei
 
#21 ·
I hate illinois

I ordered my gsg1911 a while back and it just came in Thursday... so after waiting my Illinois required 72 hours for hand guns ... pishhh.... i had to wait another 3 days due to work schedule and the gun shop being closed on Monday and Sunday. I went to pick up my gun tonight and BEHOLD the gun shop said that they are no longer allowed to sell the guns because of melting temp. issues with the guns. * something about if the gun melts below 800 degrees it is illegal in IL*

so now i am super pissed i have no .22 lr to shoot tonight and i hate my state.

I LOVE my gsg 522 *mp5 22lr clone* no issues over 1.4k rounds through it with the crappy bulk ammo and no issues with the guns just around 20 or so duds with the ammo... good strikes on the rim just no bang


so if you live in IL may want to make double sure about the laws before you get your hopes up about this seemingly wonderful gun
 
#60 ·
I ordered my gsg1911 a while back and it just came in Thursday... so after waiting my Illinois required 72 hours for hand guns ... pishhh.... i had to wait another 3 days due to work schedule and the gun shop being closed on Monday and Sunday. I went to pick up my gun tonight and BEHOLD the gun shop said that they are no longer allowed to sell the guns because of melting temp. issues with the guns. * something about if the gun melts below 800 degrees it is illegal in IL*

so now i am super pissed i have no .22 lr to shoot tonight and i hate my state.

I LOVE my gsg 522 *mp5 22lr clone* no issues over 1.4k rounds through it with the crappy bulk ammo and no issues with the guns just around 20 or so duds with the ammo... good strikes on the rim just no bang


so if you live in IL may want to make double sure about the laws before you get your hopes up about this seemingly wonderful gun
OMG,thats rediculous. Everyone knows smart criminals will just an oxyfuel rig anyway. :biglaugh: Seriously though,that's about the dumbest law Ive ever heard.
 
#22 ·
so if you live in IL may want to make double sure about the laws before you get your hopes up about this seemingly wonderful gun

If you have this dealer call me I will provide for him the document from the manufacturer in Germany stating that the GSG 1911 pistol has a melting point temperature of greater than 800 degrees F. Of course we did this research and provided the info to our distributors, but some people still make up their own rules.

There are 5 states with melting point laws, MN, MA, HI, SC & IL. The GSG 1911 has a melting point above 800 but below 900, so it is legal for sale in IL, SC & HI, as their melting points are 800 degrees F and below. MA is 900 degrees F and MN is 1000 degrees F.
 
#25 ·
CA law makes it almost impossible for a smaller maker/importer to sell in that state. New handguns in CA need a loaded chamber indicator and a magazine disconnect. Let's not forget the gun must pass a drop test and the cost involved.

In the near future there will be very few CA approved handguns because of the state government. Hopefully the gun makers will stop selling firearms to the police departments in that state.
 
#26 ·
Originally Posted by pointcrossed
What About California?

No threaded Barrel and it should be good to go right?

Any way to get a Non threaded Barrel or pin the thread cap?

CA law makes it almost impossible for a smaller maker/importer to sell in that state. New handguns in CA need a loaded chamber indicator and a magazine disconnect. Let's not forget the gun must pass a drop test and the cost involved.

In the near future there will be very few CA approved handguns because of the state government. Hopefully the gun makers will stop selling firearms to the police departments in that state.


Actually, CA law only requires a loaded chamber indicator on centerfire pistols. As the importer for ATI, I also get the joyful task of researching laws not only for importation but state restrictions as well. Me and the the CA Attorney General's information site are like this (crosses fingers). There have been days here where all I do is read CA firearm law (typically followed by asprin and drinking lol).

Anyway, as GSG makes all of their firearms with a mag disconnect safety feature all we had to change on the pistol was the barrel threading.

Currently, there are only three testing centers in the US for CA DOJ approval. One is in Kansas, one is in Illinois and oddly enough, the third is about 2 hours away from us here in NY. The tech who does the testing at the Cortland, NY facility and I have been in direct communication for well over a year now, as we tried to get some of our Turkish pistols approved a while ago. Anyway, thanks to his help, we were able to make sure that the majority of the CA requirements were in the standard model. Then we whipped up some with non-threaded barrels and off they went. I submitted the required pistols about a month ago, so considering that a portion of the process is that the pistol, once approved by the NY center, goes and sits on a shelf in CA till someone gets to it, we don't expect to have any answers until sometime next year. None the less, the ball is rolling and it has always been in the plan to try and get the GSG 1911 on the CA roster.

The FX 1911 .45 series unfortunately does not meet the requirements so we will not be submitting it as the manufacturer cannot handle the design requirements at this time. Perhaps as the line grows but who can say right now.

So we'll let you know CA.
 
#27 ·
Just curious if you guys are having troubles keeping up w/ customer service issues. I sent an email 2wks ago, and left a voice message 1 wk ago. I just re-sent the email in case it was lost. I really like my GSG was just hoping that I could get the issue w/ the slide lock moving and not engaging like it is supposed to. Any answer would be appreciated.
 
#29 ·
I recommend calling them, I sent them two e-mails explaining my problem but got no reply to either one. I called them up this afternoon.

After telling the gunsmith about my 1911 slide stop problem, he explained what was happening and that there was a revised slide stop and magazine follower that would correct the problem. He quickly connected me to customer service who took my shipping information and told me that they will send out 3 mag followers (have 3 magazines) right away along with a new steel barrel bushing (preventative action). They were currently out of stock on the new slide stop but would send that to me when they get more in.

I was very pleased with how they responded (very courteous), and the fact that they took the time to explain what was causing my 1911 problem.
 
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