Buy a Cabot 1911 on GunsAemrica.com: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=cabot
Read more about Cabot: https://cabotgun.com/
Cabot. There’s not another booth at SHOT Show that has modern pistols that are this much fun to look at. The guns that Cabot brings are eye-candy, for sure. They’re exquisite. The materials and craftsmanship are just about the pinnacle of 1911 design. I’m sure there are some out there who would want to argue with this. The argument I hear most often is that the Cabot guns are just safe queens, and that their performance is not as important as the unicorn horn grip panels, or meteorite slides. I’ve yet to see any evidence of this. The Cabots I’ve shot have all been rock-stars.
And they’re good to look at, too. So I’ve left all of the images big in this piece.
What’s new?
The video above will take you through the highlights. The meteorite gun is on the top of everyone’s list, but it isn’t a gun yet. They’re planning on rolling that out at NRA. The part of the frame that they brought was displayed in an infinity box–a mirrored contraption that made the image go on forever into the distance. The mirrors also monkeyed with the depth of field and the reflection of light, which made my attempts at still photography all but useless.
But I could see what they’re up to. The slide and frame will be made out of a meteorite. The unique crystalline structure of the metal ( a widmanstatten pattern)is unlike anything I’d seen before. The grips will be made of the outer scale of the meteorite. The trick is going to be attaching pieces of fully functional earthly steel to the meteorite frame (which is undoubtedly high in iron). Steel is incredibly flexible, at least when compared to iron–and is also easy to weld. Iron is not as easy to weld. That alone makes this build a serious challenge.
The price? Mainstream media sources are saying it should sell for over a million American dollars. You know how many beautiful Cabots (not made of space junk) you could buy for that price? But they wouldn’t be one of a kind and out of this world.
Full Cycle Technology
The real news for gun geeks is what Cabot is calling Full Cycle Technology in their 4.25″ Commander-length guns. The breach has been moved back further in the slide. These shortened guns have the same timing and ejection as a 5″. I can’t wait to shoot one to see if there’s a noticeable difference in the recoil impulse.
[full_width]
The big news coming out of Cabot, for most of us, is the Commander sized guns.
[/full_width]
Cabot’s first rail gun is on display, too. This is the epitome of bedside opulence. The slide is made from powder layered stainless Damascus. The rest of the gun is decked out in the typical trappings of a tactical gun. Good looks, lights, and a gun meant for service? Where can I find the $6K I need?
[full_width]
Cabots are almost always fun to look at.
[/full_width]
Cabot’s still making their S class guns and their C class guns. More of the S class guns are finding their way into distribution. If you live somewhere that can support a high-end gun store, you may actually see some of them on the shelves. GunsAmerica is definitely a good place to start the search if you can’t get to a local dealer. For the higher end C class guns, you’ll still need to work directly with Cabot.
[full_width]
These are guns meant to shoot, too. There’s not one on the floor that wouldn’t function flawlessly.
[/full_width]
[full_width]
Some aesthetic choices mean functional sacrifices, like these slick grips.
[/full_width]
Cabot is still making left handed guns, and mirrored pairs. What keeps a good pistol smith from making a 1911 left-handed? Nothing. In theory. In practice, though, everything is backwards. Because we’re human, doing something repetitively means you can really get good at it. But that doesn’t mean you can do the same thing as well in a mirror image version. Just try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, and you’ll see what I mean. But computers don’t suffer from our neural inadequacies. And Cabot is leading the way with CNC precision. There are still craftsmen involved, but it isn’t the one-man-with-a-file model of production you find at some of the other high-end 1911 makers.
[full_width]
True ambidexterity goes to the core–even the twists are backwards.
[/full_width]
[full_width]
The entry level guns come with more options than most.
[/full_width]
[full_width]
Some of the Cabots are leaning more toward the classic pugilistic style you’d find in some of the high-end competition.
[/full_width]
[full_width]
The attention to detail is evident over the whole gun.
[/full_width][full_width]
The American Joe Junior–same patriotic look, but a Commander length.
[/full_width]
I just bought a Cabot Jones 1911last week,and I simply love it. The slide acts as if it were on ball bearings. I also have two Wilson’s and one Nighthawk Bob marvel. Honesty, the Cabot shoots and out performs them….a lot of money however is the only downfall
Really? Where did they pull that price from out of there A**That\’s ridiculous unless it was made out of solid gold ? I\’m tired of seeing everyone\’s 1911 copy it\’s 2016 isn\’t there anything new coming out.
It never ceases to amaze me how so many people can be so into the cutting edge of weapons design and know absolutely nothing about metallurgy or the history of weaponry. Meteoric Iron has been used for centuries in weapons design, most notably in the Kris swords of the Pacific islands such as Java and the Philliphines. It is a very high quality source of iron. However, just because something starts it’s life out as iron, does not mean it stays as simple iron, and I don’t know what line of bull that the author has been fed, or whether some stupid assumptions have been made, but those guns WILL BE STEEL when they are built. ALL steel begins it’s life as un-amalgamated iron. Your Kimbers, Wilson Tacticals, Colts, right down to your Rock Rivers and lower end 1911s. ALL OF THEM START AS CHUNKS OF IRON. The iron is alloyed through the bessemer process at the foundry(or in the case of a meteoric iron gun, through hand smelting processes I guess) and the pistols are created from billets of steel. Even Pattern welded pieces like the fancy examples above are still Steel, they just have different types of steel and sometimes bands of nickel or other metals to highlight the pattern after acid etching and polishing, and no matter how pretty they may be, and I am an absolute sucker for pattern welded pieces, they are and WILL ALWAYS BE an inferior, outdated attempt at achieving a homogeneous material, something that is succesfully created at the foundry in billet form as your plain jane monosteel. There is nothing in the either the materiels, the processes used, or the inherent value therein that justifies the prices of these guns. They will be, by their very nature, inferior and weaker than cheaper monosteel designs.
Cabot builds functional art. The workmanship is superb. They function flawlessly. The slide function is incredible. They will become family heirlooms. Of course they’re not for everyone. They aren’t inexpensive. Neither are Porches or Ferraris. Based on their production waiting times generating customers is no problem. I’m waiting for my second Cabot 1911 right now. Money well spent in my opinion.
Just because you cannot afford one of these guns does not mean that they should not be built. I love my Cabot S100. It shoots like a dream. Is it good enough for every day use? You bet. The attention to the function is as good as the attention to the form. It shoots as good if not better than my Les Baer’s & Nighthawk’s, but looks like no other gun I own. I do not use it for CCW, as I feel that my Nighthawk Falcon & Kimber Super Carry Pro HD are much better suited to that task. As the old saying goes, to each their own.
That the 1911 is still being built by numerous companies large and small more than a century after it was conceived is a tribute to the genius of JMB. Put all the bells, whistles and lipstick you want on your 1911, but to me, the closer the 1911 remains to its original design, the more I appreciate its classic form and function. Easter eggs are colorful, but the cosmetics don’t improve upon the original design of the egg. The 1911 was never intended to be a 25-yard tack-driver or a long-range performer. It was built to deliver good accuracy at handgun ranges and give dependable service under all battlefield conditions. It is the original single-tap that has become even more effective with modern ammunition. My Kahr/Auto- Ordnance 1911A1 leaves me wanting for nothing, at a price that betrays its high quality. For casual target shooting and home defense, the A-O is a constant reminder that I could spend a lot more for a lot less. But God bless America for the enviable selection of 1911s JMB’s original design has inspired. It remains the Yankee Fist of the 20th and 21st centuries because it still delivers a knock-out punch whether plainly or elegantly dressed. We are blessed indeed to have such a gun, and a Second Amendment that guarantees our unalienable right to own and shoot it.
They look like a Hollywood hooker! For that price they better act like a good old Clinch Mountain boy, and shoot like a Marine Sniper! Whew! Be nice to have-but way out of this boys pocketbook.
I wish when GunsAmerica does there remote that they would pay more attention to there sound quality, With the poor sound and or background noise I could not hear or understand a thing that was said. This was not the only trmote that has been that way. For me please try to do better.
Thanks for the constructive feedback. Next year, I think we’ll pin the mics to the shirt collar of the interviewee because even with the high-quality handheld mics that we used this year, the audio would sometimes go in and out or be marred by the ambient noise on the showroom floor.
I’m glad to see that homeless guy found a job at the SHOT Show…
That’s not a homeless guy. JESUS is looking at buying guns!!!!
I see or read NOTHING about this gun that makes it worth the kind of money they are asking for them. In “my humble opinion”, there is nothing about this gun that would make me think it would be any better or even as good as my Wilson Combat 1911 and my Wilson Combat is in “my opinion” the PERFECT 1911 and it was half the asking price for these Cabot 1911’s.
Thanks but no thanks. I’ll keep my Wilson Combat.
Really, you brought up a piece of shit copy of a colt kimber eclipse? You should be ashamed of yourself.
These cabots are not for everyone. They are a high end 1911. Very good looking pistols.
I’d rather have a rock island then a kimber.
They do make some gorgeous 1911’s.
Some of them are really pretty but is that the reason I would buy this gun ? I don’t think so. This gun is to “pretty” to carry and use. My question is, does it work as well as it looks ?
I agree, they are pretty, but not that pretty. Perhaps the reason to buy one is that they have Jesus as a spokesman?
$6000+? I could nearly buy three Kimber Eclipses for that amount, at least one in 10mm. And I really LOVE the Kimber Eclipse.
These are lookers, but I don’t see any thoughts or opinions on field performance. Most of these pistols are too ‘fancy’ to use in the field. I’d change the grips on the Eclipse and carry it anywhere. All that I could do with these is put ’em in my safe and take them out to show friends every once in awhile.
Too expensive, period. There is just so much a thing is worth. When you get past 2 thousand dollars for a 1911, it better do everything better than every other gun out there.
I fully Agree with you. When they are asking for that much money – I would, at the very least, expect a Reach-Around!
They certainly look nice, But after spending all that money on one, would your average citizen actually carry one of these where it could be damaged by holster wear, danger of being dropped, or otherwise being damaged? I take pretty good care of my “carry” pieces, but they still suffer the occasional nick, scratch or blemish. But then again, their long term purpose is not to look “Pretty” but to work when they are needed.
“Try brushing your teeth with your non dominant hand”. Great suggestion. Seems like good place to train a little. I found this morning that it was unpleasant, but I presume if I persist I will eventually feel almost as comfortable doing that as I am with my dominant hand.
I have no doubt that these beauties function flawlessly. But I understand that where they fall down is under real world conditions.
Precision manufacture versus sloppy tolerances. If it is hot, cold, raining, dusty, or you are not disciplined in keeping your firearm in top condition, will it still function as well as one costing one tenth as much? Isn’t that the source of the knock about them being safe queens?
I’m waiting for curb feelers and fuzzy dice.