Century Arms Centurion 11: Affordable 1911 Action

Back in the heady days of the Roman Empire, a centurion commanded 100 soldiers. Today, for only four hundred bucks, you, too, can become a commander of sorts with the Century Arms Centurion 11, a 1911-style pistol chambered in the classic .45 ACP.

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You don’t have 100 rounds at your disposal in the Centurion 11, but you do have more firepower than the first-generation GI-issue Colt. Century Arms specs an 8-round mag for the Centurion 11, giving you 8+1 rounds once you’ve got one chambered in the pipe.

With a low MSRP, you wouldn’t expect a made-in-the-U.S.A. pistol here, and you’d be right. The Centurion 11 is made in Turkey. What does that mean for quality? Century Arms says it’s “meticulously crafted to honor its historical roots without compromising affordability.”

It’s supposed to look and feel just like a classic mil-issue 1911, says Century Arms: “Standing at 8.6 inches long, 1.37 inches wide, and 5.31 inches tall, it features a 5.01-inch barrel and weighs 35.5 ounces when unloaded. This firearm is equipped with fixed iron sights, a spur hammer, and a GI style grip safety, delivering a crisp single action trigger experience. Each Centurion 11 is delivered in a durable hard case, complete with essential accessories including one magazine, bore brush, cleaning rod, and bore mop.”

Those specs sound pretty close to the original Uncle Sam-issued 1911. No word on whether standard 1911 mags will fit the Century Arms pistol, but it seems unlikely that they wouldn’t. However, their website’s write-up doesn’t say either way. But as the pistol only comes with one magazine, you’ll likely want to figure that out, if you’re interested in buying one. With an MSRP of $399.99, you can likely find the money for some spare mags in the savings left over…