Review of the CWA Custom 1911-22

As a competition shooter, I’ve only dabbled in the world of rimfire.  Earlier this year I shot Rimfire Rifle Open (RFRO) for the first time in Steel Challenge at the 2019 World Speed Shooting Championship, and it was a ton of fun.  Outside of competition however, I’ve shot rimfire extensively for years as a practice and training supplement to my centerfire pistols and rifles.  So when I was introduced to Chet Whistle of CWA, I was pretty excited – CWA is THE name in custom competition 1911-22 pistols.

During the 2019 World Speed Shooting Championship, I met up with Chet and he provided me an example of his craftmanship for review.  Once I got back home, I took the CWA 1911-22 out to the range and ran 500 rounds through the pistol which were 100% reliable – no failures whatsoever.  This was notable for a few reasons.  Firstly, I wasn’t using high-end .22LR ammo – I actually was using “the cheap stuff.”  Secondly, I had not cleaned the pistol, which had been used as a demo gun all week long at the WSSC – there was no telling how many rounds the pistol had through it before I did my testing.  I’ve never before encountered a rimfire pistol that exhibited this level of reliability.

The CWA 1911-22 wasn’t just shockingly reliable for a rimfire pistol – it was an amazing shooter.  Here’s a mag dump (10 rounds) from 10 yards/30 feet…in under 2 seconds:

Note how well the gun groups shooting at that speed.  Absolutely Incredible.  Think that was luck?  The second string I shot was almost identical:

I saw similar results on the plate rack:

I’ll be the first to say that you can’t “buy skill” but there’s no denying that the CWA 1911-22 made me look a LOT better than I actually am – again, I’ve never shot rimfire pistol in competition so it’s not something I practice with to the degree I do with my centerfire firearms.  To pick up a gun I’ve never fired before and shoot a sub 3 second plate rack from 10 yards is something I would have simply thought not possible.

In speaking with Chet about the gun, he typically sets them up with a trigger pull weight of ~2lbs. in weight.  The example I had was perhaps worn in a bit and had a sub 2 lb. trigger weight:

It was easily the nicest trigger I’ve ever used on a pistol – and the results speak for themselves.

Chet’s miracle machines begin life as a high-end 1911 frame which Chet
fits to his other custom manufactured components to create a 1911
pistol chambered in .22LR. The operation and ergonomics of the
finished product are identical to a Colt M1911A1 pistol.  When his
business began, in July of 2011, Chet made replacement components for
the GSG/SIG 2911-22 platform – mostly out of necessity.  Chet was a
competitive shooter who loved the 1911 platform, and wanted to make
the GSG/SIG 1911-22 suitable for use in competition.  From there, his
business evolved into doing full custom builds for customers looking
for the ultimate competition rimfire pistol based on the 1911
platform.  The CWA 1911-22 custom built firearm shouldn’t be confused
with the GSG/SIG 1911-22 – they are two completely different animals.

One of the keys to the reliability of this particular rimfire pistol are the GSG all-metal magazines (they are stamped “made in Germany”).  Unlike the rest of the gun, Chet doesn’t have to do anything to them to make them suitable for competition – he just installs CWA base plates to them which give them some additional heft:

The entire package looks, feels, and performs like a finely tuned sports car – a work of art that performs better than any production offering could hope to even approach.  The best part?  Working with Chet on a custom build means the gun can be set up exactly the way you want it.  You couldn’t ask for a nicer guy than Chet and will work with you to bring your vision to reality.

Whether you’re a competition rimfire shooter, or simply a 1911 aficionado that demands the best, you need to check CWA Firearms’ 1911-22.  A custom build from CWA can run between $1600 and $2100 depending on the options chosen.  Magazines can run $45.00 each with the CWA baseplate.

In addition to this written photo review, I also recorded a video showcasing the CWA 1911-22: