For those unfamiliar with boutique maker Cabot Guns, the story is worth a brief retelling. When Penn United, the Pennsylvania-based high precision manufacturer, found themselves in the slowdown from 2008, they decided to take on a new project as something of a morale builder.

Wanting to showcase the skills of the American tradesman, they unsurprisingly decided to use the manufacturing technology they use in the aerospace and medical industries to build an M1911. The resulting pistol, which was introduced in 2011 under the new company Cabot Guns is unquestionably the most precisely-made M1911 we know of, and managed to capture the unicorn of complete parts interchangeability which is unheard of on the M1911 platform. Unfortunately, the price reflects the build quality, and retail typically runs $6,000 and up. 

In an effort to make the all-American brand more accessible, Cabot has introduced its “S-Class” M1911 which will retail around $3,600. Available in both Government and Commander lengths, the S-Class also comes, like the original C-Class, in both right and left-hand versions.

While the original C-Class will remain in production at its current price point, the S-Class is built with some hand-fitting, and therefore doesn’t have the complete no-fit interchangeability of the pricier gun. That and a different level of surface prep allows Cabot to deliver a pistol with the precision of the higher-end guns, but priced right where you expect a high-end custom M1911 to fall. Along with the introduction of the S-Class, Cabot is also beginning to build a dealer network.