John Moses Browning was, arguably (but not REALLY arguably), the greatest firearms designer who ever lived. His brilliant mind conceived of more innovative firearms than any other: his designs for sporting arms are suitable for taking any game from squirrel to fowl to elephant, while his designs for military weapons range from sidearms to rifles to crew-served weapons to anti-aircraft machine guns. But not even Browning’s fertile imagination could fathom the stranglehold his ideas would have on firearms design more than a century hence. Today, Browning’s guns are still being used by Military and Civilian shooters the world over, and are more useful, and more popular, than ever.
Author shooting the Girsan Untouchable MC1911S
Perhaps John Browning’s greatest design, and certainly his most well-known, is the 1911 pistol. Adopted by the U.S. Military in 1911, and re-adopted as the 1911A1 in 1926 after a series of design changes, Browning’s 1911 pistol design remains relevant to this day. While the 1911A1 was replaced by the Beretta M9 pistol as the U.S. Military’s standard-issue sidearm in 1985, the 1911A1 remained in use by Elite U.S. forces until very recently, and the 1911 pistol continues to be immensely popular among civilian shooters. Today’s shooter admires the elegance, simplicity, reliability, beauty, and historical significance of the 1911 pistol, and Browning’s brainchild continues to see widespread use for everything from sporting applications, to competitive target shooting, to practical competitive shooting, to casual plinking, to serious defense of life and property. Because of the continued popularity of the 1911 pistol, there are many manufacturers – both domestic and international – who currently offer a wide variety of variations on the old War Horse; a 1911 variant can be had in almost any configuration imaginable, from WWI-style 1911 pistols, to WWII-style 1911A1s, to target-sighted match pistols, to lightweight aluminum-framed versions, to “modern” 1911 pistols that carry half a box of ammunition in their double-stack magazines, at prices ranging from several hundreds to many thousands of dollars.
EAA® Girsan Untouchable™ MC1911 45 Pistol.
A great example of a single-stack 1911 made to appeal to the modern shooter’s desires, as well as his pocket book, is the Girsan “Untouchable” MC1911; made in Turkey and imported by EAA Corp. in Cocoa, FL, the Untouchable MC1911 is a rock-solid pistol that offers many features that appeal to today’s 1911 aficionado, at a price that any shooter can afford. It is no secret that the Turks create fine firearms at affordable prices, and the EAA Girsan Untouchable MC1911 is a fine example of this wedding of features and price.
Since I’m into a discussion on affordability, let’s go ahead and get that out of the way: the EAA Girsan Untouchable MC1911’s current Suggested Retail Price ranges from only $479.00 to $529.00 at the time of this writing in January 2026, depending on model and finish chosen. The Girsan Untouchable MC1911 is available in Full “Government” Size (5-inch barrel, designated 1911 S), Compact “Commander” Size (4.4-inch barrel, designated 1911 C), and Sub-Compact “Officer’s” Size (3.4-inch barrel, designated 1911 SC), with a durable Cerakote® finish in Blue/Black, Two-Tone, Black Camo, or OD Green Camo, and chambered for either 45 ACP or 9mm Luger. My example is a Full-Size pistol, chambered in 45 ACP (as God and John Browning intended), finished in OD Green Camo Cerakote®, and at a retail price of $529.00, it is an impressive pistol indeed. For this low price, the shooter receives a very well-made 1911 pistol, with many features desired by today’s marksman.
The Untouchable’s frame is made from forged steel; no MIM or cast parts are used, as is often the case when manufacturers seek to shave a few bucks off production costs. While aluminum-framed 1911 pistols, as offered by many manufacturers, are lighter in weight than the all-steel models, and are therefore easier to carry, the Untouchable’s all-steel construction does offer two advantages. First, although aluminum-framed 1911s have been around for seventy-odd years and are therefore pretty well proven, the steel frame is arguably stronger and more durable. Second, the extra weight of the steel frame helps to mitigate the pistol’s recoil, which can be significant in the 45 ACP chambering. The steel frame adds approximately half a pound over the weight of the aluminum frame, which may not sound like much, but it does make a difference; the 41-ounce weight of the steel-framed Untouchable makes it a little heavier to carry, but to many shooters the trade-off of enhanced durability and recoil management is well worth the extra ounces.
Slide features fore and aft slide serrations.
The frame’s dust cover (the area ahead of the trigger guard underneath the slide) features a Picatinny-spec accessory rail, making it a snap to attach accessories such as lasers or lights, if the shooter desires. Another feature of the frame, and one that I was quite pleased and surprised to find on a pistol in this price range, is that the front of the grip is finely checkered; this checkering really enhances the feel and controllability of the pistol, especially under recoil, aiding the only type of “gun control” that should be open to discussion.
The full-length slide has angled serrations fore and aft, greatly enhancing the shooter’s ability to rack the slide (the forward serrations are found on the S and C versions of the Girsan Untouchable 1911, but not on the SC model). The slide’s ejection port is both lowered and flared from original 1911 specs, which greatly enhances the pistol’s reliability, and all but eliminates the familiar 1911 “stovepipe” jam, where an empty case fails to eject and winds up sticking out of the ejection port like a stove pipe. This lowering and flaring of the ejection port is an enhancement to the 1911 that gunsmiths discovered decades ago; when I was growing up, it was all too common to spend a fortune on a good 1911 pistol, then have to spend several hundred dollars more to make it run reliably. It is gratifying to see that the EAA Girsan 1911 pistol line already has this covered, along with enhancements to the barrel’s feed ramp and a properly-tuned extractor, and this pistol ran with 100% reliability, experiencing to failures of any kind using a variety of ammunition types. The fit of frame to slide was nice and tight, with no discernible slop or play, either vertically or horizontally, which significantly improves the pistol’s accuracy without sacrificing reliability.
Hexagonal textured grip panels offer practical handling and add a touch of distinction.
As mentioned, the Untouchable line is nicely finished in your choice of several durable and attractive Cerakote® colors. My Untouchable MC1911 S is finished in OD Green Camo, with small accent parts (hammer, magazine release, slide release, grip safety, mainspring housing, barrel bushing, and recoil spring plug) finished in Black Cerakote®; the ambidextrous thumb safety and trigger are finished in a Black Camo Cerakote®, yielding a very pleasing visual contrast to the OD Green Camo frame an slide. The Untouchable MC1911 S also features a black polymer magazine well, making it much easier to quickly insert a magazine.
Skeletonized hammer, extended thumb safety, and extended upswept beavertail grip safety with “memory bump”
As is my preference, the black Cerakote® finished mainspring housing is of the flat 1911 style, as opposed to the arched 1911A1 version; the flat housing fits my large hand better than the arched version, as it does many shooters. The mainspring housing is finely checkered, and the black synthetic grip panels are textured in a hexagonal pattern, which is both pleasing to the eye and very effective; this texturing, coupled with the checkering on the mainspring housing and the grip frame’s front strap, makes the Untouchable MC1911 S very easy to control under recoil. The grip panel is also dished on the port side to allow easier access to the black, checkered magazine release button.
The Untouchable MC19111 S’s grip safety is finished in black Cerakote®, and is of the upswept beavertail configuration; this upswept beavertail allows the pistol to ride as low in the hand as possible, lowering the bore axis and reducing muzzle flip under recoil. The upswept configuration also allows the black Cerakote® finished skeletonized hammer to nestle firmly into the grip safety’s beavertail, assuring that even the meatiest hand will not be pinched between the hammer and the grip safety. Finally, there is a grooved “memory bump” at the foot of the grip safety, which allows positive activation of the grip safety when the shooter “rides” the thumb safety during fire. The thumb safety is extended and ambidextrous, finished in a nicely-contrasting black camo Cerakote®. The lever is extended just the right amount – easy to operate, without being so extended as to get in the way or significantly gouge the shooter’s flesh when carried in a holster – and is grooved for positive operation.
Front of frame is textured for positive grip.
Like the thumb safety, the trigger is finished in black camo Cerakote® for a pleasing visual contrast to the OD camo frame & slide. The trigger is lightweight aluminum, of the “long” 1911A1 style, and is vertically grooved for ease of purchase. The trigger’s action is perfect for the pistol’s intended purpose: smooth in operation, with a crisp, clean pull measuring an average of 3 pounds, 3 ounces.
Extended aluminum trigger releases at a very nice three pounds, three ounces.
The Untouchable MC1911 S is equipped with an excellent set of open sights: the front sight is black-finished steel, mounted in a slide dovetail, with a white dot. The rear sight is similarly black steel, of the justly-famous Novak’s® style; the slanted front allows the sight to glide easily into and out of any holster, and is also mounted into a slide dovetail for windage adjustment, with a set screw installed to lock the sight into place once the desired windage adjustment is achieved. The two white dots on the rear sights complete the popular “three-dot” sight pattern; these dots can be easily blacked-in for those who favor plain black sights, or if desired, the sights can be easily exchanged for any sight that will fit into a standard Novak’s® dovetail – but I don’t expect many will opt to change out these excellent sights, which are sufficiently fast and rugged for Social Work, and sufficiently precise for target shooting.
The EAA Girsan Untouchable MC1911 S pistol proved to be both easy to shoot, and satisfyingly accurate. The pistol’s weight and ergonomics made perceived recoil a non-factor, while the excellent sights and trigger, coupled with the precise fit of the match-grade barrel, bushing, and slide, made accurate shooting a snap. Informal plinking yielded minute-of-pine-cone and minute-of-soda-can accuracy out to extended ranges, while formal group sizes of less than two inches, fired off-hand at five yards, were easy to achieve with a variety of ammunition types; even more satisfying was the fact that the Untouchable MC1911 S ran perfectly with all types of ammo, yielding no failures of any kind during my shooting sessions. I would not hesitate to carry the MC1911 S for personal protection, or to a competitive match.
With the EAA Girsan Untouchable MC1911 S, the bottom line is the bottom line: for a pistol likely selling at a street price significantly below $500.00, the 1911 aficionado can get everything he needs, along with many features not expected in a pistol of this price, in a very attractive package. The pistol comes with one good-quality eight-round blued-steel magazine, with a steel follower and polymer bumper plate, but of course any aftermarket 1911 magazine will work perfectly. Also included with EAA pistols is their Limited Lifetime Warranty, backed by a company that has been in business for over 35 years. I assure you, an investment in the Untouchable MC1911 S is money well spent.
Specifications: Girsan Untouchable™ MC1911 S
Type: Semi-Auto Pistol
Caliber: 45 ACP
Overall Length: 8.75 Inches
Weight: 2.55 Pounds
Frame / Slide Finish: OD Green Camo
Barrel: 5 Inches, Black Finish
Sights: Low Profile, 3-Dot, Windage Adjustable
Accessory Rail: Picatinny Compatible
Magazine Well: Black, Extended
Thumb Safety: Ambidextrous, Extended, Black Finish
Grip Safety: Extended Beavertail with Memory Bump, Black Finish
Hammer: Skeletonized, Black Finish
Trigger: Aluminum, Vertically Grooved, Camo Finish
Trigger Pull: 3 Pounds, 3 Ounces
Grips: Hexagonal Textured
Magazines Included: 1
Magazine Capacity: 8+1
Accessories Included: Padded Hard Plastic Case, Cleaning Brush, Cable Lock, Manual
SKU: 392074
UPC: 741566906886
MSRP as of January 2026: $529.00 US
For dealer purchase visit www.davidsonsinc.com
For consumer purchase visit www.galleryofguns.com
About the Author:
Boge Quinn is a life-long shooter, born and raised in the Great State of Tennessee. A co-founder of Gunblast.com (https://gunblast.com/)in the year 2000, along with his brother Jeff Quinn, Boge has continued on with Gunblast after Jeff’s passing in 2020. A Lifetime Endowment member of the NRA, Boge serves on the Board of Directors of The Shootists (https://shootists.org/), an organization started by John Taffin in 1985, as did his brother Jeff. Boge appreciates firearms of all types, but his soul is particularly stirred by the “older style” guns: lever-action and single-shot rifles, along with Single-Action and Double-Action revolvers and 1911-style pistols. As a former professional artist, Boge appreciates the aesthetics of a fine gun, as well as its mechanical precision and practical application. His particular affinity lies in the world of handguns, and he has hunted mostly with handguns of all types since the mid-1970s. A regionally well-known musician, Boge is also a Deacon in the same Baptist Church where his brother Jeff formerly served as Deacon, and where their Dad finished his 50-year career as Pastor.
