I checked their website out over the last couple days as they are a site advertiser here. There is very little info about them or their products on their site. They appear to use Jem frames, Kart barrels and C&S parts so they probably make a fantastic product. They just don't tell you much on the website. I had to go to gunbroker to find out how much they cost.

If anyone from CAG monitors this forum, please introduce yourself. It's nice to have another higher end option in the 1911 world and I know I would like to hear your story.

 

I have seen these 1911s at my local range in Greenville, SC, (Sharpshooters). They do look like nice guns, but, if I am paying Wilson money, I don't think I could take that same amount of money and buy an unknown brand. They would have to become established as one of the elites first before I would pay an elite price for one. I secretly have my eye on a beautiful Wilson lightweight professional that I think is the prettiest gun I have ever seen, but don't have $4300. Life is a bummer.....

 

The front strap and MSH APPEAR to have the same treatment as an STI RANGER III front strap. I don't care for it and my options to change it are limited....just my opinion.

 

I met the owner at SHOT and had the pleasure of seeing several of their finished products first hand... They were very nice, fit and finish was certainly on par with Wilson, NH or Ed Brown. The trigger was sublime...

Of course I wasn't able to shoot them at SHOT, and those pistols could have been display "ringers," so when I handled another in March, I was pleased to see that it also exhibited the same high level of finish, a quality trigger, and this time, I was able to gauge accuracy... Not everyone will jump on the new manufacturer bandwagon, but I think these guys are probably here to stay... I would easily put them on par with any other 3 to 3.5k gun that I own.

 

There is one at Calibers Indoor Range in Greensboro,NC. I shot the commander size with no magwell and fiber optic front sight. I was able to hold a fist size group at about 15 yards. Since it was a commander and lightweight it was a bit snappy. Overall fit and finish wasn't bad, maybe not as refined as some I've handled. I'm comparing this to Nighthawk (I have 2) and an SACS worked over 9mm I have, as well as some Wilson guns I have shot. For the price point, I'm not sure if I'd own one when I can get a Wilson or NHC for close to the same price. YMMV

 

Well I don't have the scratch to afford any of the truly high end 1911s.
The most expensive I've owned is the Black OPS Recon (love it BTW) but if you do any reading on their website you'll see that they didn't spend much on proofreading the site.
Which makes me wonder how much they put in to their guns.

 

I don't know many machinists who can write well, but they sure can build great guns, with experience and a passion to do it. Don't judge a book by its cover.

 

Matt Rikier is a sales rep. He used to work for Wilson. He says they are on par with Wilsons for quality. I have not had a chance to see or handle one. Looking forward to doing that. I dealt with him the whole time he worked for Wilson. Everything he told me was spot on, so I do believe him on the quality of these guns.

 

I looked at their website just the other day and the first thing I thought was that maybe these might be folks who used to be with Para and didn't want to move to Alabama. Had to be some of them that didn't want to leave home...

Another thing that made me think it might be old Para folks is the engraving on the left side of the slide - some sort of laser etching I suspect, and it unfortunately had the same uneven, not-well-executed feel to it as the "Para" text on my Black Ops. I can't find a real good shot of the Carolina site except on the home page, almost hidden under the "Trenton" banner. Just doesn't look/feel like a super quality job to me. From a fit/finish perspective, that's my least favorite part of my Black Ops - it's just not nice and even like you'd expect, especially at that price point:
Para_1911-BO-10 by clair_davis, on Flickr

 

Saw these at sharp shooters in Greenville as well, more pricey than WC and Nighthawk, nice young lady let me hold one and dry fire couple times. Very nice 1911's for sure, that little display case on top of the big counter with the Carolinas, Wilsons and Nighthawks dang near make u weak in the knees lookin at all those beauties. A well made 1911 feels like nothin else in the handgun world IMHO

 

First thing i thought of 1911's , made in NC. , Para O. connections ?

 

Hello fellow 1911 Diehard’s! My name is Matt Riker, and I am a fellow appreciator of Hand Fitted 1911’s, and I have been in the Custom 1911 business in some form for the last 15 years. I have worked in Sales, Customer Service, Technical support, and Sales Management for some of the most prestigious Custom 1911 manufacturers in the business. My experiences have led me to my current Heirloom Quality Custom 1911 Manufacturer… Carolina Arms Group. Mark McCoy is the owner of Carolina Arms Group, and I can tell you first hand …Mark is the real deal folks! Mark is a 20 year Navy Veteran, and his vision for his company is clear. He will not sacrifice quality for cost, and that is very rare in today’s 1911 market. Carolina Arms Group is a Veteran owned and operated company, and all the parts on our 1911’s are American Made period.
Carolina Arms Group 1911’s are hand lapped slide to frame, oversized small parts that are hand fit to the slide and frame, they are hand fitted with a handful of elite American made parts that are handpicked by Mark himself from his extensive list of connections in the Custom 1911 world. We use a Billet Slide made by Carolina Arms Group, and we also use frames from American Forgings crafted from American steel. He utilizes his keen eye and experience to choose a quality American part that is worthy of his own Custom 1911’s, if he doesn’t manufacture that part himself. He will not sacrifice cost for quality in any facet of his vision for a truly All American made Custom 1911 company.
My involvement was rationalized by Mark and myself over a lengthy period that we both felt was a necessary process to make sure we were the correct combination of Owner and Sales Manager. We both have the same vision for this company, so obviously I signed on with Mark for a truly special opportunity to work with a truly Superior Product, and a company with my business philosophy. He has been selling his pistol’s for over a year now with a great success rate, and I believe he has put together the elite team to move his company and vision to the elite status I believe Carolina Arms Group has earned and deserves. I will be very honest here and let you know that I have had plenty of options to get back into the Custom Gun Business, and in fact I am part owner in a Custom Knife/Damascus business among a slew of small businesses my fiancé Shondale and I currently own and operate. The few of you whom know me or have done business with me in my past know that I am honest about the products I represent, and will always stand behind my products and my word. My philosophy hasn’t changed one bit, and I will never sway from that promise to all my past, present, and future customers.
We have signed up our Team Shooter Carmen Lout, and she is an extremely talented shooter and gun expert to say the least. Mark and I are excited to add her personality and talent to our team. We couldn’t ask for a more formidable duo to represent Carolina Arms Group on the Range than Carmen and her amazingly personable Belgian Malinois Draeger. You will see more of Carmen in the near future beginning with the NRA show in Louisville Kentucky on May 19-22 with the Carolina Arms Group Team. I am also going to ask Carmen to co moderate this forum with me to add some intelligent guidance and real world range expertise for our forum members.
We are humbled by all the amazing press and kind words from our Dealers, customers, and gun writers. You can expect a lot of new options and models coming in the near future from our team at Carolina Arms Group. Stay tuned here, our social media pages, or on our website. www.carolinaarmsgroup.com.I invite you to reach out to me with any questions, and welcome to the Carolina Arms Group 1911forum! My email is mattriker@carolinaarmsgroup.com .
Matt Riker National Sales Manager Carolina Arms Group