Alpha Foxtrot AF1911-Romulus 4.25" Handgun

I picked up a new non-ported/comped Alpha Foxtrot AF1911-Romulus 4.25" to add to my collection. I have been adding more non-ported/comped 2011 style guns to my collection because I prefer to train with them rather than my ported/comped guns which get dirty faster and tend to make me get a little lazy with my grip since the ports/comps are doing a lot of recoil mitigation. Prior to these recent additions, my only non-ported/comped steel frame 4.25" 2011 style guns were my Prodigy 1911DS and my Staccato Heritage P. Everything else I have is either ported, comped, or has an aluminum frame.  I recently added a Kimber 2K11 Pro and a Watchtower Apache Commander to my collection, and now this Romulus. I wanted another budget 2011 style gun besides the Prodigy, and I really like the Romulus 3.5" Comp that I picked up several months ago. The fit, finish, and performance of the Alpha Foxtrot pistols are actually pretty good for their price, and I like that they are American made even though some of the parts are sourced from a Korean manufacturer (as are the Watchtower pistols).

As with the Romulus 3.5" Comp, I outfitted the pistol with the same Osight/Olight budget accessories and utilized all the factory parts to tune and customize it. The biggest difference with this 4.25" over the 3.5" Comp is that I did a step-cut grip chop to accept 16-round Staccato C2 magazines.

The Romulus full-size grip module is about 2mm shorter than a typical full-size 2011 style grip module, so the grip chop is very minimal by comparison. I also did my typical RFV Tactical texture work in a 360-degree wrap around configuration, as I would do with a Prodigy 1911DS grip module.

I tuned the trigger to my usual preference of just below 3 pounds, and as I do with most of my personal 2011 style guns, I thinned down the safeties and slide stop lever and refinished them in my custom DLC Mimic color mix of Cerakote to match the gun. The flat DLC finish on this 4.25" is a nice contrast to the polished DLC on my 3.5" Comp. The front serrations on this gun have sharper edges and are more functional than the 3.5" Comp as the polishing process eliminates all of its sharp edges. 

I am really happy with how this gun turned out, and I am again really impressed with the fit and finish of the Alpha Foxtrot pistols for their price. If it wasn't for the looser barrel fitment, I would concede that these would be the best budget 2011 style guns. It's still hard for me to believe that these guns come with such a nice DLC finish at such a low price point.