David the Gnome said:
...especially when the economical 1911 market is basically owned by RIA.
Exactly why we made the decision. We are not in business to compete with our manufacturer. When Armscor decided to sell their own products through RIA, it was only a matter of time before we had to part ways. The situation deteriorated further when Armscor added Hi-Standard and then STI to the list of guns they produce, we said goodbye.
Bul in Israel has been making our polymer framed hi-cap 1911 and they have been anxious to start producing a steel framed gun. We decided to go with them even though we knew competing at the higher price point would be difficult. However, the quality of the production is absolutely incredible. We showed 4 pre-production samples at a recent trade show and we almost had to use a crowbar to get whoever was holding the gun to let go.
We will be formally launching the product line to the full industry at the SHOT Show in 10 days in Orlando. We have named them the "G4" for 4th generation of 1911's from Charles Daly. Here is a pic:
For more information about the guns, as well as a full discussion on how we arrived at the specifications and cosmetics, visit our forum and read this thread:
The New G4
Like our entry into the AR market, we have stepped up the quality of what we are selling. It will take some time to prove it to the world, but I think we will be able to do it. The guns are beautiful. Frankly, I'm sorry we didn't do this several years ago when Bul first wanted to. Selling higher quality is always more difficult than selling on price only. We took the easy way for 10 years, but now we are taking the better way.
