The 1911 pistol survived and thrived through two world wars, a wax and wane in the competition circuit, and is seeing a revival with the rise of double-stack 1911s. For a design initially conceived over 100 years ago, the 1911 platform has had quite a run, and you have plenty of options to pick from.
Originally, Colt made the 1911, but the list of manufacturers has steadily grown over the last 30 years. This includes anything from custom-built options to price-point imports meant to scratch the itch without breaking the bank.
This review covers one of the more compelling options in the later category: the Century Arms Centurion 11.
The Centurion 11: A GI Pistol Made in Turkey
Century Arms is a long-time manufacturer and importer of fine sporting arms. Under their own brand, they have produced a wide range of AK platform rifles. Now they have the Centurion line of handguns, imported from Alpha Arms in Turkey.
The Turks have been making 1911-style pistols in modern NATO-spec factories for a few decades at a modest price point. This represents a steal for the shooter who is growing accustomed to entry-level handguns that cost as much as a rent payment.
The Centurion 11 is an all-steel single-stack pistol chambered in .45 ACP. The pistol is finished in a dark gray cerakote and fitted with checkered black plastic grips. These features, combined with an arched mainspring housing and wide spur hammer, give it away as a take on a wartime M1911A1 service pistol.
Like Browning’s original design, the Centurion 11 uses a toggle-link locking barrel, short trigger, an all-steel GI guide rod, and full barrel bushing assembly. Other features include a standard slide release and non-reversible magazine release button, as well as a standard grip safety. The sights are small and low profile, with a fixed narrow front blade and a dovetailed square notch rear.
Although Century Arms has made sure the Centurion 11 is a faithful reproduction, there are a few creative liberties, including a full gas-pedal manual thumb safety and a 5-inch all-stainless steel barrel. The pistol also feeds from an included eight-round magazine with a polymer baseplate.
The Centurion ships in a hard plastic case and a small cleaning kit. Although prices change with time and relative to other options, the Centurion 11 has an MSRP of only $399.00.
Fit and Finish: How Good Can a $400 1911 Be?
There are plenty of explanations as to why economy guns come cheaper. All of them are appetizers, but none of them really satisfy. Is it sheer economy of scale that modern CNC manufacturing allows? Is it low labor costs? Is it the exchange rate on that particular day? The answer is probably all three, but the price does invite the question: are there any shortcuts to get that price low?
In the case of the Centurion 1911, there are a few shortcuts. Plastic grips and coated finishes are two. That is why we made 1911s in this finish due to war rationing. Like all GI 1911s made today, the Centurion has a polymer mainspring housing. The inside of the slide has some light mill marks around the sear channel and barrel bushing.
There are also a few MIM parts, like the recoil spring plug and magazine release. But on the whole, the Centurion does not feel like a cheap handgun. As a basis of comparison, my Colt Government model has fewer machine marks, wood grips, a matte blue finish, and a Colt logo for almost three times the price.
Out of box and in hand, the Centurion 11 is notable because it has a fully polished barrel, feed ramp, and feed way from magazine well to chamber. The pistol is also tightly fitted from the factory. In fact, the slide release required a smack from a soft hammer during reassembly for the first half-dozen times.
Centurion 11 Quick Specs
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Capacity: 8+1
- Barrel Length: 5.0 inches
- Overall Length: 8.75 inches
- Height: 5.5 inches
- Width: 0.9 inch
- Weight: 2 lb. 12 oz. (loaded)
Shooting Impressions
I have thousands of rounds through 1911 pistols. Every time I pick up a new one for range work, I show up with a question mark hanging over the session.
There is so much lore about the 1911 and how to make them reliable, and how much you have to spend to get one that is reliable outside the box. But the more 1911s I take out, the more I realize you can get very far with standard equipment and a modicum of maintenance.
Still, I wondered if the price point of the Centurion 11 was too low and if Turkish 1911s on the whole were too good to be true.
Accuracy
I began my evaluation of the Centurion with an offhand and benchrest accuracy test using four different types of ammunition. These included:
- Winchester 230 grain FMJ
- Winchester 230 grain JHP
- Hornady American Gunner 185 grain HP
- Sig V-Crown 200 grain HP
At a distance of 10 yards offhand, I put six rounds of the Sig 200 grain defensive load into one inch. The Hornady load spread out to 2 inches. Both Winchester loads fell into a 1.2-1.3 inch pattern.
I took the Sig load out to 25 yards and put the Centurion on the bench rest. The pistol grouped a respectable 2.3 inches at that distance. But overall, the low-profile sights printed two inches high at both 10 yards and 25 yards.
As a basis of comparison, I shot the Centurion against my Colt Government Model. That pistol did best with the Winchester 230 grain FMJ target load, but overall accuracy with that round ranged to 1.3 inches at 10 yards offhand and three inches at 25 yards.
Range Burndown
After acquitting itself well for groups, I took the Centurion and the remaining allotment of my 300 rounds of test ammunition and proceeded to do a mix of Bill Drills at seven yards and engaging a 50-yard 1/2 sized steel silhouette. This is done to increase the round count, check for overall reliability, and learn more about the peculiarities and execution of the controls of the pistol.
In the end, the pistol got through all 300 rounds without a failure. Magazines, often seen as the Achilles’ heel of the 1911 design, were a non-issue here. The included 8-round magazine was left loaded before its first use, but was otherwise reliable. Using Colt, Springfield, and Rock Island magazines did not change the calculus.
Ergonomics
The Centurion certainly performs, although it is sometimes in spite of its ergonomics. On a positive note, the pistol is infinitively well balanced and pointable thanks to its A1 grip frame and all-steel construction. If you are used to a flat mainspring housing, the Centurion will have a Glock-like grip angle but without the baggage of double-stack thickness.
The pistol is slim and trim for its caliber, which is why the 1911 continues to endear itself to so many for carry. But the pistol was designed for an era of smaller warriors, and the A1 grip and short trigger may not work with larger hands.
In my initial accuracy test, I tended to get that high grip and end up with the first joint of my index finger on the trigger, rather than the pad. That put my first rounds to the right.
The sights are low profile and all black. The rear sight is a narrow square notch, while the front sight is a thin, immovable post. These are not worth much in low light, and I had to use the Centurion’s natural balance to help me point shoot. But on a half-decent day with some good sunlight, that thin front sight takes up no space on the target, and it is easy to pick a spot and make the hits.
The trigger helped to offset the sights, as it had no business being this good at this price point. The Centurion has Series 70 lock work and a crisp 4 lb. trigger with a respectable 2mm of play and reset before breaking. The trigger return is not particularly strong, but it is not anemic, and the reset is both audible and feelable.
Accuracy was further helped because of the Centurion’s manual safety and, surprisingly, the hammer. Most GI 1911s have an abbreviated manual safety that could be missed by the sweep of the thumb. The Centurion has a full pedal that is easy to thumb off, and simply rest the thumb on the safety for a consistent hold.
The Centurion has a wide target hammer and a standard grip safety with a shorter beavertail. This combination was a no-no on the original M1911 because it caused hammer bite, but with the Centurion, my hand was well protected. I tended to tire from shooting my Colt after a box of ammunition because it would reopen the scars on the web of my hand. Under recoil, the Centurion’s beavertail bucks into my hand but doesn’t come close to slicing me open.
Where the grip safety did work against me was how it continued to move even with a full and tight firing grip. It felt as though it was not fully engaged, even though it was.
I tended to compensate by pressing harder on the trigger to get more of a squeeze on the safety. It was not unusual for me to throw my first shot or two while running the Bill Drill until I got comfortable with the fact that the safety only needs partial depressing to set off the pistol. It managed to shoot, even when intentionally limp-wristed. On the whole, it is a small rub on an unexpectedly trouble-free shooting experience.
The Bottom Line
Turkish 1911 clones are imported under several different brands. Although their particulars differ, the consensus among those who own them is that they are a solid buy.
The quality and reliably tends to exceed the price tag. That is weighted even further with the fact that American-made 1911s are not necessarily cheap. Throw in the use of cast frames, MIM parts, and status chasing through brand names, and simply getting the 1911 experience can be intimidating. The clones give the curious an effective way into the world of single action pistols and a platform that is infinitely customizable and dressed to suit any era.
Among the options available, the Century Arms Centurion 11 should be on the short list for consideration.
