When we talk about guns, the conversation can go anywhere, depending on who is involved and what kind of gun is the focus. When you talk about art-quality 1911s, however, one name always comes up: Cabot Firearms. One of my favorites is the Cabot Apocalypse 1911- A piece of ballistic art.

Cabot has made a name for itself by creating 1911s that are as at home on the range as they are in a high-end art gallery. The Apocalypse certainly follows that line.

Hot Ticket: The Cabot Apocalypse 1911

The Apocalypse is a beautiful gun. In fact, the original order for the Apocalypse sold out within 48 hours of its initial release. It is built around a deeply etched stainless steel Damascus slide that is as durable as it is striking. The Cabot Apocalypse 1911- A piece of ballistic art.

Cabot’s proprietary Heritage Finish reveals the intricacies of the aggressively patterned steel while shielding the parts with a rock-hard exterior. Front and rear angled cocking serrations further highlight the dazzling surfaces.

Like a fingerprint, each slide’s pattern is unique. Like many other Cabot guns, you have a menu of options with the Apocalypse. First off, you can choose between 9mm and .45 ACP.  The slide length can be either full-length at 5 inches long or Commander-style at 4.25 inches long. Stainless steel match barrels are offered either flush-cut and crowned or extended and threaded for use with a suppressor. Even if you do not want to put a suppressor on the gun, the extended barrel does look nice.

See the Sights

The gun also has several sight options. Front sights are standard tritium night sights, with optional white dots, gold bead, and suppressor-height sights. The standard rear sights are fixed combat style, with optional tritium rears, low-mount adjustable rears, and adjustable tritium rear sights. Also available for the Apocalypse is a red dot mount with ledge-style sights that will lower-third co-witness with Trijicon optics and a standard front sight.

The gun I received for testing came in the red-dot configuration; in short, it was sexy. The trigger on every Cabot pistol I have run has been fantastic, and the Apocalypse is no different. They offer three different trigger options on this gun. The standard trigger is medium-length with a flat, serrated face. Other available triggers are the Cabot Tristar or Icon triggers. There is even an option for an accessory rail. This allows you to mount the light of your choice on this high-end tactical fighter.

The Apocalypse has a match-grade, crown-cut stainless steel barrel, and a Cabot Guns billet barrel bushing. The housing and the extended magazine well are machined from a single piece of steel.

Time for a Test Drive

As I mentioned, this gun could easily be set under glass and admired for the work that went into it. However, Rob Bianchin, the President of Cabot, made sure that I understood something significant. These guns are meant to be shot. While this may seem like an obvious point, I had an unconscious hesitation to take this pistol to my dusty range in Southern Arizona.

The curious cat in me, however, reveled in the opportunity to run this high-end pistol regardless of the range conditions. The model I had in hand included a threaded barrel and a Trijicon SRO optic. It was an epic-looking gun, to say the least.

Ammo-wise, I ran a variety of .45 ACP, including American Eagle 230 grain Syntech, Hornady 185 gr XTP, and Federal 205 gr SJHP. I was curious about how the gun, with its exacting tolerances, would handle a spectrum of ammo. My curiosity was answered when the Apocalypse ate everything I fed it.

On a bench, the Hornady 185 gr gave me the best group of 1.25 inches at 25 yards. The optic seemed to be a natural on the gun, and it was obviously not an afterthought.

High-End Performance

A couple of things stood out in this section of testing. The first was that the trigger was spectacular. I am a 1911 trigger junkie, but this was tuned and fit exceptionally well. Second, the balance of texture on the gun gave me a good grip without leaving skin on the gun. The Apocalypse is everything I have come to expect from Cabot.

At pace, the gun ran well. I experienced no malfunctions or issues of any kind. This just further deepened my belief in the 1911 as a fighting gun. The internet is awash with 1911 jokes, but they are mostly written by people who have never experienced a fine 1911 like a Cabot. Guns like this are hand-fit and tuned. They can not be mass-produced without sacrificing quality and, ultimately, reliability. Every Cabot gun I have ever tested has been like this, and they are a testament to what 1911 was capable of.

A Forever Gun

The range session went smoothly, and the gun performed magnificently. The Apocalypse is a legacy-level firearm that will be handed down through the generations. If you are looking for something as rare as it is beautiful, take a long, hard look at the Cabot Guns Apocalypse.

For more information, please visit CabotGuns.com.

Cabot Apocalypse 1911 Specs