As far as handguns are concerned, many Americans believe perfection was achieved on Feb. 14, 1911, the date John Moses Browning received the patent for his legendary design. The M1911 effortlessly fit most hands, offered a higher capacity than most revolvers of the day, and, thanks to the surplus .45 ACP ammunition that would soon follow, was relatively inexpensive to shoot for a fairly long time. Today, though, .45 ACP isn't cheap, and dozens of kits materialized in recent years to convert M1911s to fire less expensive .22 LR ammunition. Some of these are exceptional, some lackluster, and sadly, until you mount one to your specific pistol, it’s hard to tell what you’ll get. Likewise, many M1911 owners aren’t interested in tampering with their guns, even if the kit isn’t permanent.
Earlier this year, Hammerli answered the call for these discriminating shooters with its Forge H1 line of .22 LR pistols. Built to the same exterior dimensions as today’s railed M1911s, these exceptionally crafted handguns offer the same handling characteristics as your old faithful while costing a fraction to feed.
At the time of this writing, Hammerli offers a full-size option as well as a shorter Commander-size version with a 4.25” barrel. My testing is limited to the former. On the outside, it’s a dead ringer for its centerfire counterpart, but when you pick it up, it’s markedly lighter in the hand. It achieves this through the use of not only an aluminum frame but an aluminum slide as well. Since .22 LR isn’t as hard to tame as .45 ACP or any of the other centerfire chamberings modern M1911s are offered in, there’s no need to involve the heft of steel.
Aluminum is also less expensive to work with, allowing Hammerli to offer the gun for a paltry $399 (MSRP). The pistol is built with the same control suite as the classic, including the safeties that made the M1911 a popular self-defense firearm, notably the grip safety and thumb safety. Fans of Series 70 internals will be pleased to know that this model retains that design, providing the clean-breaking trigger best associated with it.
Although the Forge H1 may sound like it’s just a rechambered M1911, its internal design is distinctly different. For starters, it operates using a straight-blowback system, as there is no need for a delay mechanism when dealing with the lower pressures of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Additionally, the barrel is fixed to the frame, unlike a conventional M1911, which moves with the slide.
Disassembly has its quirks—some familiar, some “European,” let’s say. The process begins in the typical M1911 fashion: ensure the pistol is unloaded by removing the magazine and verifying the chamber is empty. You then press in the recoil spring plug and rotate the barrel bushing out, just as on a standard M1911. After that, retract the slide, push out the slide stop, and instead of slipping the slide off the muzzle end, pull it back and lift it up from the rear. The good news? The process is tool-free unless you count something field-expedient, like a pen, to punch out the slide stop.
With the gun ready to shoot right out of the box, all that stood between me and live-fire testing was ammunition selection. Few firearms are as utilitarian as a full-size M1911 chambered in .22 LR, so I went for a variety that would suit different needs. With the right cartridge, this firearm is more than capable enough for small-game hunting, particularly in tight woodland settings.
For this, I picked Aguila Super Extra Hollow Points, as they are inexpensive for practice yet lethal enough to dispatch critters like squirrels and rabbits. Given the fixed barrel’s potential for exceptional accuracy, I also included SK Pistol Match and Lapua Pistol OSP ammo, both designed specifically for handguns and used in competitions as prestigious as the Olympics. Though compatible with most holsters designed for railed M1911s, I didn’t have one on hand, so I simply carried it in the provided case.
American Rifleman’s test protocol for rimfire pistols is demanding, as we like to see what a 10-shot group looks like. We also fire them at the same 25-yard distance used for centerfire handguns. Nonetheless, the Hammerli shined, delivering groups as tight as 1.25" with an overall average of around 3". The sights are adjustable by drifting either the front or rear, but mine shot fine right out of the box.
The H1 comes with two 12-round magazines, making it ideal for action shooting. For this part of the test, I ran the pistol as hard as I could to try and induce a failure. The only failure was on me—it devoured the entire brick of Aguila with only one misfire, a common occurrence with rimfire cartridges. Other than that, I had no stoppages with any of the ammunition I tested.
The rubber grips deserve mention, as Hammerli clearly designed this pistol for extended range sessions. These would be even more valuable if the gun had any significant recoil, but given the lack of kick, I could focus on delivering quick follow-up shots. The trigger’s M1911-style snappiness, combined with minimal recoil, made it easy to keep sights on target between shots. A Kestrel shot timer recorded splits as fast as 0.11 seconds, which is so fast it becomes hard to distinguish one shot from the other.
Stepping away from the range, I felt that Hammerli did an excellent job of recreating the M1911 experience while making it more affordable to shoot in today’s economy. This is a superb option for those looking for a backyard plinker or, given its accuracy, something to get their feet wet in competition. NRA conventional pistol isn’t out of the question, nor is the rimfire division of Steel Challenge.
Lastly, it’s a perfect choice for introducing a new shooter to the sport, and there are even thread adapters out there to suppress it, making the experience even more pleasant. Will I call it an improvement on John Browning’s design? I’m pretty sure a guy can get fired for writing those words, but I will write that this is as close as it gets to shooting the real deal without having to decide between ammunition and groceries.
Hammerli Forge H1 Specifications
Manufacturer: Hammerli Arms
Action Type: blowback-operated, semi-automatic, rimfire pistol
Chambering: .22LR
Frame: aluminum
Slide: aluminum
Barrel: 5”
Rifling: 1:13.75” RH
Magazine: 12-round detachable box
Sights: drift-adjustable notch rear; fixed front post; three-dot
Trigger: single-action; 5-lb., 11-oz. pull
Overall Length: 8.75”
Height: 5.2”
Width: 1.29”
Weight: 34 ozs. (unloaded with empty magazine)
Accessories: owner’s manual, hard case, spare magazine, tool kit, lock
MSRP: $399
