Does It Work?
Yes, indeed. Being familiar with the standard guns of Guncrafter, I ran the HOSS (and the accompanying American model in our photos), firing several hundred rounds, mostly through the HOSS. There were no surprises. I’ll admit, yet again, the sheer pleasure of shooting well-built firearms. Experiencing their accuracy, reliability and good looks more than makes up for the temporary pain of their original cost — long forgotten as time passes and your enjoyment continues.
The American (a railed 1911 with “conventional” parts) performed reliably and effortlessly and was a pleasure to shoot, as are all of Guncrafter’s models. As a custom pistol of around the $3,000 mark (but being custom that number can vary), it easily delivers accurate, smooth performance and would be excellent for home defense, duty use, competition and just plain personal enjoyment. Accuracy was in the 1″ to 1.5″ at 25 yards window, with the excellent trigger a compelling reason for its ability to deliver consistently.
The HOSS, while meeting the same performance envelope regarding accuracy, was clearly a beast. While essentially the same as any 1911 in basic design and function, the beefier components belie their presence with a “chunkier” feel. It’s subtle, and someone not extremely well versed in how a 1911 runs would likely not even notice. But there is a certain solidarity, a slight muzzle-heavy feel — it seems — and a “heavy steel doors closing” sense as the slide runs home, the gun fires, cycles and closes home again.
It’s a 454 cubic-inch V-8 compared to a 350. Both have adequate power, both are reliable, both have proven history — but the 454 has more presence, a lower rumble, a heavier footprint at some level. It loafs along while the other seems to work a bit harder to keep up. It’s subtle, but it is — nonetheless.
To continue the analogy, when asked what engine is in your collector muscle car, if you say, “A big block, 454 …” people usually nod, as if that’s the final answer — often muttering a soft “wow” under their breath.
That’s what you have with the HOSS.
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