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Live Free Armory's Apollo 11 is one of the most hyped double stack 1911 pistols available in today's market. In today's blog, we're running the pistol through its paces to determine whether this sub-$1,000 2011-style handgun is worth purchasing in 2024.
Touted by some as the best double stack 1911 pistol under $1,000 in 2024, Live Free Armory's Apollo 11 features a 3D-printed grip module with aggressive grip texturing and an optics-ready slide sporting weight relief cuts. Out of the box, the Apollo 11 looks and feels great, with responsive controls and a crisp trigger pull that is a step above other budget-oriented offerings in today's market.
While the build quality appears solid, we were eager to see how the Apollo 11 performs at the range. We purchased our own pistol for a long-term review, a 5" variant in LFA's gray Cerakote finish. For our assessment, the team loaded a mix of full metal jacket and jacketed hollow point ammunition in the factory Checkmate 17-round magazine as well as three Staccato 17-round mags.
We shot at a Target 88 competition target and a 6-Up competition target from various distances, both standing and seated from a rest. Here's our complete range report on the Apollo 11 pistol after putting 550+ rounds through the gun.
To begin, we fired 200 rounds of CCI Blazer Brass 115-grain FMJ. The first magazine ran near flawlessly, but we experienced one failure to go into battery that was ultimately determined to be the fault of a slightly out of spec brass casing. The pistol was itself was not to blame; in fact, we were thrilled with the Apollo 11's flat recoil and phenomenal trigger.
The first 50 were fired at a standard defensive shooting distance of seven yards. We found that the Apollo 11 was very accurate at this distance, with an instinctive point of aim / point of impact. Most shots landed in the center of the 9 ring, with a few fliers in the 8 ring being attributed to shooter error.
We fired 50 more rounds at seven yards from a seated rest. After adjusting our support, we were able to land hits consistently within the 10 ring, clearly demonstrating how accurate the Apollo 11 can be.
The rest of the initial 200 rounds of Blazer Brass were fired at 14 yards and the Apollo 11 performed flawlessly. We didn't experience any more failures to feed or eject, and overall we were pleased with how the Apollo 11 performed during our initial testing.
Unfortunately, this changed while concluding our first outing with 40 rounds of mixed Federal and Sig Sauer 115-grain jacketed hollow point ammo. We had one failure to feed within the first five rounds followed by persistent FTFs for the remainder of the shoot. The pistol was still incredibly accurate when it functioned, but the repeated jams called the Apollo 11's reliability into question.
Before continuing with more FMJ, we loaded 10 rounds of Hornady Critical Duty 115 grain ammo to determine whether the issue was ammo-related or perhaps due to the magazine we were using. The initial 40 rounds of mixed JHP had been loaded in the factory Checkmate magazine, so for this test, we used Staccato mags instead. Interestingly, the Hornady fed flawlessly.
Next, we loaded up a full 17-round Staccato mag with Hornady, Federal, and Sig hollow points. We experienced one failure to feed and upon inspection it was a Sig V-Crown round. Although our impromptu range experiment is far from definitive, it seems the Apollo 11 may not like Sig ammo.
In total, we put 571 rounds of mixed ammunition through the gun and only had malfunctions when shooting jacketed hollow point ammo. This was somewhat unsurprising as many 9mm 1911-style handguns do not feed hollow points reliably. It often takes a degree of trial and error to find the right defensive round for a 1911 or 2011 that is designated for everyday carry.
The Apollo 11 ran like a champ when cleaned, lubed, and loaded with quality FMJ ammunition, so if you're looking for a relatively budget-friendly competition piece, this gun will not disappoint. However, if you're planning to concealed carry your Apollo 11, we strongly recommend testing your carry ammo and magazine extensively to ensure reliable feeding.
This minor issue notwithstanding, our time with the Apollo 11 was incredibly positive. The pistol is well built and handles like a much more expensive gun. Although our initial testing was completed with the factory night sights, the option to add an RMSc-pattern optic is much appreciated as it would have undoubtedly helped us be even more accurate.
And most importantly, the 3D-printed grip (which some early reviewers worried might not be durable enough) withstood our rapid-fire assessment and did not show even the slightest wear after running the gun hard. The Apollo 11 in its stock configuration is tough, accurate, and mostly reliable. So, should you buy one to throw in your safe?
The truth is: it depends. If you've entered the collecting stage of your life and you simply want a 2011-style handgun to take to the range or shoot competitions, the Apollo 11 is a fine choice and will serve you well. If you're looking for a concealed carry firearm though, there might be better options available to you (including several double stack 1911s, depending on your budget).
Now, this is not to say that you can't make the compact or even the full size variant work for concealed carry, even if there are more suitable candidates in today's market. The right combination of gun, carry ammo, and magazine is key to an effective EDC loadout. And whether you plan to carry the Apollo 11 or use it for competition, be sure you get out and train with your chosen defensive loadout.
Single stack or double stack, a quality 1911 is a must-have for any serious firearms enthusiast. Want to learn more about the differences between the classic 1911 and more modern 2011 pistols? Be sure to check out our video with Matt and Jason below!
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