The Trophy 1911 From Bul Armory [Review]

Recently we managed to get our hands on another gorgeous 1911 style pistol from Bul Armory. The Trophy 1911 is Bul Armory’s USPSA/IPSC Classic Division pistol, and it comes in at a price point you simply cannot argue with for a gun of its type. After shooting their TAC Commander SC, I was insanely excited to get another one of their firearms to review.

Thankfully, Jake from 1911 Syndicate came through with the save on this and helped me get my hands on it. If you’re looking specifically for a video review because words are hard, we’ve embedded his full review down in the “Meet Bul Armory’s Trophy 1911” section of this article.

What is a USPSA/IPSC Classic Division Pistol?

Trophy 1911 Thumbnail

So, not everyone is a competition shooter. Myself included. My first question when I heard that this gun was designed for the USPSA/IPSC Classic Divisions was, “Okay, but what the heck does that mean?” So I started doing a bit of research. That research lead me down a rabbit hole of special rules and considerations that shooters must meet in order to be within the guidelines and rule set of the specific shooting division that they are competing in.

For the full list of rules from IPSC, you can click on this link. Not going to lie though, it’s a bit rough to find the specific rules that you’re looking for and unless you’re an experienced competition shooter it’s not all going to make sense. That said, here’s the down and dirty that you need to know.

In order for a pistol to meet IPSC Classic Division standards, it cannot have an electronic sight, nor can it have any sort of muzzle device like a compensator or flash hider. Also, the pistol must be within a certain range of ammunition type from 9mm (minor) up to .45 ACP (major). So, if you’re looking for an IPSC/USPSA classic division competition ready pistol, the Trophy definitely fits the bill.

Meet Bul Armory’s Trophy 1911.

Now that we know what an IPSC and USPSA Classic Division Pistol is, you’re ready to meet the Trophy 1911 from Bul Armory. The Trophy comes in three different variants, which all offer different price points and features. For the purpose of this review, we’ll be looking at the base model which comes in at a reasonable $1,750. It’s worth noting however that there are other models that have more aggressive slide serrations (The SAW Model) and Robert Cernigoj’s custom version which is called the Cesar.

The standard variation of the Trophy comes with a ton of great features. Some of those are a magwell, G10 aggressive texture grips, ambidextrous safeties, CNC race hammer, full length stainless steel guide rod and a crisp match grade trigger which I personally thoroughly enjoyed. It’s also worth noting that it has a bushing barrel, which makes it fully legal in both USPSA and IPSC (European) competitions. If you’re looking for a better introduction though, I’ll let 1911 Syndicate do the talking in the video below.

Specifications.

  • Calibers: 9mm / .40S&W / .45 ACP / 9X21 (EU market only)
  • Barrel: 5.0” bushing barrel / bull barrel. (optional TiN coating)
  • Slide: Front and rear serrations.
  • Finish: Black oxide / stainless steel / two tone.
  • Magazines: 3
  • Grips: Aggressive texture G10 grips
  • Capacity: 9mm – 10 rounds / .45ACP – 8 rounds
  • Trigger: 2.5 -2.8 lbs.
  • Safety: Ambidextrous and extended levers.
  • Sights: Adjustable rear, fiber optic front.
  • Magazine release: enlarged and adjustable button.
  • Weight: 9mm bull barrel (unloaded): 1105 g / 2.43 lbs approx
  • Overall Range Performance of the Trophy 1911.

    Trophy 1911 Range

    For the Trophy, I was the only shooter on my trip out to the range. #SocialDistancing2020. It was kind of a bummer having to go shoot by myself, but the Trophy made an adequate partner for this trip. As many of you know, ammunition is a little bit hard to come by right now, so I used 150 rounds of really crummy steel cased ammunition from a company I won’t name, 100 rounds of Blazer, and then 20 rounds of Federal HST.

    Normally I would like to shoot more brass through a weapon like this, and I fully anticipated the Trophy to choke on the first magazine of steel case that I fed it. To my surprise, she ate all 150 rounds of that ammunition without a single malfunction before ripping through the 120 rounds of higher quality stuff that I fed it. Not a single malfunction to report after 270 rounds of ammunition. Saying I was impressed is an understatement.

    Since my last trip out with one of Bul Armory’s pistols, I’ve gotten in some solid trigger time behind the 1911 platform. If the street comp changed my mind on the 1911, the Trophy may have fully converted me. Don’t worry, I won’t start spouting off about “Two World Wars” just yet, but the Trophy truly is a magnificent handgun to shoot. The fact that it was 9mm also added a little something extra, as prior to this my only 9mm experience on a 1911-style platform was the Sig P938, which is an insanely snappy little handgun when it comes to felt recoil. As a result, my first shots with the Trophy were quite the nice surprise as my brain was expecting the recoil of a .45 ACP and was greeted by the significantly reduced recoil of 9mm.

    Tight Grip. Light Crisp Trigger.

    Bul Trophy Rear

    On to the nitty gritty. How does the Trophy feel? How does the Trophy shoot? To be honest, everything about this gun was a cut above the competition.

    Specifically, I’d like to talk about the trigger first. One of the first things you notice about a handgun when you shoot it is how the trigger feels. It’s kind of like a first impression for me. If a gun has a bad trigger, I generally won’t like the gun. With the Trophy, there’s an incredibly light trigger. 2.5 -2.8 lbs is what Bul says, but reading it and feeling it are two incredibly different things. It’s actually difficult to describe how light and amazing the trigger is on this pistol. It’s something you have to experience for yourself.

    Your true first impression of a firearm is how that weapon feels in your hands. The Bul Armory Trophy 1911 comes out of the case with an aggressively textured G10 grip. It also has front and rear checkering, which help compliment the firearm’s tight feel. For someone with large hands, like myself, the Trophy is a perfect fit. I do believe however, that even someone with smaller hands would find this gun to have a really great fit.

    Final Rounds with the Trophy 1911.

    Bul Armory Final

    All in all, I think the Trophy 1911 from Bul Armory is an absolute steal. You’re getting a competition ready pistol straight out of the box at under $1,800 MSRP. That’s not something most competition ready pistols can say to be honest. On top of this, the Trophy can literally eat whatever kind of ammunition you put through it. If my experience rings true for every version of this pistol that the consumer gets their hands on, then I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a better competitor anywhere on the market that is even remotely close to the Trophy line from Bul.

    All of that said, this is just the opinion of one shooter. I’d love to hear from some competition shooters down in the comments section. What has your experience with Bul Armory been in the past? What’s your absolute go-to competition gun for the classic division of USPSA/IPSC runs? Let us know down in the comments.

    Leave a Comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Scroll to Top