It's safe to say we are currently enjoying what may be called the golden age of polymer-frame, striker-fired, sub-compact 9 mm semi-automatics inspired by, if not unabashedly ripped off from, Gaston Glock's pistol design. That being said, there is still a genuine interest among members of the shooting sports community in the pistols used by Allied forces during World War II. My father remembers when, during the 1960s and 1970s, casual collectors could wander into sporting goods stores and find surplus M1911A1 pistols chambered in .45 ACP with relative ease for $20 to $50, depending on their condition.
Although not nearly as popular here in the United States at that time, it was not too terribly difficult to also lay hands on a P35, or, Browning Hi-Power 9 mm pistol, favored by the British, Canadians and other allies during and after the war. And it's worth noting here that both of these pistols, which are among the most enduring and influential semi-automatics yet devised, were both designed by John Moses Browning. But time marches on and the pool of vintage semi-automatics available for purchase has dwindled considerably. The pistols that do remain are now being auctioned online for prices starting at around $1,500 and going up from there.
Recognizing that there are plenty of casual collectors who would like to own an M1911 or a High Power without spending much more than they would on a polymer pistol, Century Arms launched the Centurion lineup of Turkish pistols in 2024. As of this writing, they include two all-steel models of which are near replicas of those classic original designs. The Centurion 11, based on the U.S. military's M1911A1, is listed for $400, which translates to real-world prices of around $350. The Centurion 14 takes its design cues from the Browning Hi-Power and comes with a suggested retail price of $410, and that tends to be closer to $370 at the gun counter. However, there are a few notable differences between the Centurions and the originals, including the manufacturer's markings, metal finishes and grip materials.
On their right sides, the slides are engraved with the word Centurion, the stylized capitol "C" has a sword driven point down through it, followed by either "11" or "14," depending on the model. The serial numbers are engraved on the right side of the frame above the trigger guards. The left sides of the slides bear the caliber markings along with the words "Alpharms Savunma Sanayi Ltd., Made In Turkey."
Alpharms is a small shotgun and pistol maker established in Düzde in 1991, eventually moving its operations to Trabzon in 2012. The carbon steel slides, frames and appointments of the Centurion versions of the pistols made for importation by Century Arms are treated with a matte blued finish. The checkered hardwood grip panels of the past have been replaced with injection molded black polymer. The changes to finish and the grips, while not strictly historically accurate, do work to reduce the cost of product. The left sides of the pistols' frames are engraved "CAI Georgia VT," which is an abbreviation for Century Arms International manufacturing and warehouse facility in Georgia, Vt.
This pistol series ships in black polymer storage cases with custom-cut foam interiors. Each pistol arrives with one magazine, either a single-stack eight-rounder with a polymer base for the Centurion 11 .45 ACP, or an updated 15-round box for the 9 mm Centurion 14 (the original Hi-Power magazines held 13 rounds). Inside the cases you'll also find a bore brush, a bore mop, a cleaning patch handle, a simple polymer trigger lock and an owner's manual.
Having touched on their similarities, let's take a look at how these two pistols differ. The Centurion 11 .45 ACP is a classically styled "slab-side" M1911A1 Government model clone from stem to stern. The round-top slide is fitted with historically accurate features including the rounded post front sight, a dovetailed square-notch rear sight and one set of straight-profile cocking serrations below the rear sight. The 5.01" long linked barrel is supported at the muzzle by a removable barrel bushing. The recoil assembly consists of a checkered bushing plug, a single round wire recoil spring and a stubby old-school recoil spring guide.
The frame's dustcover, trigger guard and grip frontstrap are rounded, smooth and unadorned with accessory rails or texturing. The single-action steel trigger is smooth-faced and deeply curved. For a budget-priced stock trigger, the pull was better than some I've tried. It was smooth with a hint of takeup before breaking cleanly with 7-lb., 14-oz. pull. It's by no means competition-grade, but for the price point there's not much to complain about.
The left-side round-button magazine release is checkered for improved purchase. The remaining external controls include the left-side slide stop and thumb safety lever, what appears to be one of the Colt-type short spur hammers and a GI-style grip safety. The mainspring housing is curved, grooved and made out of steel like the rest of the pistol. The provided blued steel magazine drops free, as expected, when the magazine release is pressed. It has no manufacturer markings beyond "1911-45" stamped on the right side near the polymer base plate. With the magazine inserted in the grip, the unloaded Centurion 11 sent for this evaluation tipped the scales at 38.6 ozs.
As for the Centurion 14 chambered in 9 mm, is has the unmistakable profile of a Browning Hi-Power without any up-to-date modifications to the frame or slide to clutter up its sleek, clean lines. One set of slightly canted slide serrations are located between the rear sight and the ejection port. The one concession to modernity that I heartily approve of is the low-profile three-dot sights. This is a more useful sight set than the rudimentary sights installed on the .45 ACP.
The Hi-Power employs a short-recoil, tilt-barrel action that continues to be influential in modern pistol designs. This gun has fewer parts than the M1911A1, so there is no barrel bushing or plug. Instead, the 4.66" barrel is supported by the solid nose of the slide, a single round-wire recoil spring and a short-recoil spring-guide that has a spring-loaded detent to secure the slide-stop lever.
The external controls consist of a round button magazine release button, slide stop lever and thumb safety all located on the left side of the frame. A curved single-action steel trigger is paired with a rounded rowel-shaped profile to reduce the chances of hammer bite. The grip frame's front and backstraps are left smooth and untextured. The single-action trigger of this 9 mm Luger pistol is just as stock as the .45's. The trigger's take-up has a hint of roughness to it before breaking cleanly with 5 lbs., 4 ozs. of trigger pull.
The blued steel 15-round double-stack magazine shipped with this model has a bright red follower and a flush-fit steel baseplate. In keeping with its High Power heritage, this pistol has a magazine safety to prevent the provided magazine from dropping free of the grip. After the magazine release is pressed, it drops down just enough for the baseplate to be grasped so that the magazine can be manually removed. This safety also prevents the gun from firing unless a magazine is fully inserted in the grip.
In the past, I've worked with budget-priced imports and clones that were less than impressive when it came to their construction. Scratches, dents, machine marks and so-so fitting were the trade-offs for lower prices. However, this was not the case with the Centurions. Yes, these guns are basic, no-frills models with a matte blue finish, however the machining of the steel is clean and precise, inside and out. The actions were smooth right out of the box with the slides properly fit to the frames. And most importantly, the controls were snugly and cleanly fitted. Overall, these are among the most well-made pistols in this class that I've tested so far.
Because these pistols arrive with just one factory magazine, I checked in with the Mec-Gar team. I requested two of their blued steel eight-round M1911 magazines with polymer bumpers (MGCG4508BPF; $27.85) to use with the Centurion 11 and a pair of blued steel 15-round High-Power compatible magazines with steel baseplate (MGBRHP15B; $35.60) to test drive with the Centurion 14. Mec-Gar is celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2025, and I've used this company's magazines in a variety of pistols with positive results across the board. In this case, all six of the magazines used operated flawlessly in these pistols. In fact, there were no malfunctions of any kind in the course of testing these pistols. But it's worth noting that the two Mec-Gar High Power magazines did drop free from the magazine well, unlike the factory magazine.
At the shooting range, the Centurions were put through their paces using a mix of practice and defense-grade loads. Formal benchrest accuracy testing was conducted at 25 yards using the factory installed iron sights. Considering the budget-friendly pricing of these semi-automatics, there was little to complain about in regards to their accuracy. Here are the results using CCI Blazer Brass, SIG Sauer Elite Performance V-Crown and Winchester 1911 loads fired from the .45 ACP Centurion 11:
For the 9 mm Centurion 14, the test ammunition included Belom-brand rounds from Global Ordnance, Federal American Eagle and Hornady Critical Defense:
The vintage and collectible firearms of World War II hold a special place in the hearts and gun safes of veterans, historians and shooting-sports enthusiast who appreciate the genius of their inventors’ designs and the great sacrifices made at that time to preserve freedom around the world. And for those who want to own them, they can have them, for a price.
I know of some purists who are likely to turn their noses up at the Turkish clones of these classic platforms. And that's just fine. Guns like the Century Arms Centurion 11 and Centurion 14 are not intended to replace historical firearms in either museums or private collections. Instead, they are built to be affordably priced to fill the hands of casual collectors, World War II movie and video game buffs and those who would like to have an M1911 or a Hi-Power in their collection without spending more than they would for a mid-priced defensive pistol. Based on the range results, the Centurions are reliable and enjoyable to use, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
Centurion 11 Specifications
Importer: Century Arms
Manufacturer: Alpharms Savunma Sanayi Ltd. Şti., Turkey
Action Type: single-action, recoil-operated, centerfire, semi-automatic pistol
Chambering: .45 ACP
Barrel: 5.01"
Frame: steel; matte blued finish
Slide: steel; matte blued finish
Rifling: six-groove, 1:10" RH twist
Finish: matte blued carbon steel alloy
Grips: checkered black polymer
Sights: fixed front, dovetailed square-notch rear
Magazine: eight-round detachable box
Overall Length: 8.6"
Height: 5.31"
Width: 1.28" (grip)
Weight: 38.6 ozs. (with empty magazine)
Accessories: owner's manual, foam lined storage case, one magazine, bore brush, bore mop, patch handle, trigger lock
MSRP: $400
Centurion 14 Specifications
Importer: Century Arms
Manufacturer: Alpharms Savunma Sanayi Ltd. Şti., Turkey
Action Type: single-action, recoil-operated centerfire semi-automatic pistol
Chambering: 9 mm Luger
Barrel: 4.66"
Frame: steel; matte blued finish
Slide: steel; matte blued finish
Rifling: six-groove, 1:16" RH twist
Finish: matte blued carbon steel alloy
Grips: checkered black polymer
Sights: low profile white 3-dot
Magazine: 15-round detachable box
Overall Length: 7.75"
Height: 5"
Width: 1.28" (grip)
Weight: 33.4 ozs. (with empty magazine)
Accessories: owner's manual, foam lined storage case, one magazine, bore brush, bore mop, patch handle, trigger lock
MSRP: $410
