I was at my local range this evening (Elite Shooting Sports, Manassas VA) and when booking my lane I noticed two 1911's on display. They looked rather nice and where from a company called Jacob Grey Custom. They were available for rent so after I was done with my tupperware training I decided to rent one and take some pics for my fellow 1911 junkies. I was told by the fella behind the counter they retail for between $1800-$9000 depending on model.
In full disclosure, these are rental guns and have an unknown amount of rounds through them. However, the clerk did say it was a low round count and I didn't notice any signs of wear so I'm inclined to believe him.
The model I shot was the "Liberty" and it starts at $2878. The only options available are cerakote or blued finish and tritium or fiber optic sights. It can be found here https://www.jacobgrey1911.com/models/view/liberty/. The Jacob Grey literature at the range and website say all parts are CNC'd and hand assembled.
The first thing I noticed was the packaging and how nicely executed it was. From the quote on the back to the high quality foam cutout, I was impressed. I started fondling the gun and noticed how the slide was very smooth and I was surprised at how tight it was, especially for a rental gun. However, I was equally surprised with how much vertical play was in the barrel during lockup. As a I was pushing down on the hood you could actually hear the movement.
The other thing that stood out were the front strap serrations. $2875 and your front default treatment is serrations? Furthermore, the checkering on the beavertail didn't match the mainspring housing. Granted that is subjective, but it just looked sloppy/mismatched to me.
Speaking of beavertail, here is a shot that shows its fitment...
It did shoot smoothly however I wasn't a fan of the trigger. It had too much pre-travel/takeup and the break, while clean, was a little heavy for my liking. Here is how it did at 10 yards off-hand.
When I switched targets and shot at 20 yards, that group moved to the top left corner of the target and opened up a little bit (forgot to take picture).
I then brought it in to 7 yards for some rapid fire. The trigger reset was not very pronounced and twice during my release I thought I felt it click/reset but it didn't fire. I had to exacerbate the release to guarantee a proper reset. Then this happened...
The casing was wedged between the magazine feed lip and the slide on the last round. I finished up my box of 50 rounds (Federal American Eagle 230gr) and returned it.
My thoughts:
Very overpriced for what you actually get. The lack of options at that price point alone would have been enough to scare me away. The evident lack of hand fitting and reliance soley on machining parts does not work if the parts are not machined well, and it certainly doesn't justify their pricing. If there is some form of hand fitment, they need to work on it (I doubt it as their website touts their precision machining). The action while not bad per say, was heavy and awkward and could use some refinement. For their price tag they are NO WHERE near the level of their competitors (i.e. Wilson, Brown, Nighthawk, etc.). For me to consider one of these they need to knock about $1,000 off their MSRP which would put them in Dan Wesson territory. BUT, if I'm being honest I would probably choose a Dan Wesson over Jacob Grey Custom due to better fitment, better trigger, better finish, and apparently better performance.
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Originally Posted by Spin Drift
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