Watchtower Firearms Apache 1911: All the Bells and Whistles

Apache is a tough-sounding name. This tribe was the last in North America to be conquered, and its warriors, led by Geronimo, were greatly feared. “Operation Apache Snow” was the code name for a battle in which U.S. Army and South Vietnamese forces displaced the North Vietnamese from Hill 937—aka Hamburger Hill.

So if you’re going to name a pistol Apache, it better be tough. This new double-stack Government 1911 is made by Watchtower Firearms, a veteran-owned company headquartered in Spring, Texas. The firm names each of its firearms after a particular U.S. military operation. In fact, its own name is derived from Operation Watchtower, in which American forces seized Guadalcanal from the Japanese in 1943.

The Apache is something any warrior would be proud to carry onto the battlefield, but it’s targeted at competitive shooters. It’s also a limited-edition gun, and only 1,000 will be made.

The hefty 9mm pistol weighs 2.5 pounds when topped with the optional Trijicon SRO. The Apache comes with a 17-round and a 20-round magazine from Atlas Gunworks, so capacity will not be a limiting factor.

Mission and Ambitions

“We set out to build a competition double-stack 1911 with an amazingly fast return to zero, and I’d say we’ve more than accomplished that,” said Watchtower Firearms CEO Jason Colosky. A second-generation Marine, Colosky served in Force Reconnaissance throughout southwest Asia and southeast Africa.

Available in graphite and black or graphite and copper, the Apache looks battle or competition ready. Watchtower’s proprietary PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating on the slide, barrel, frame and all major components enhances durability and reliability. It also makes the gun easy to clean.

When you pick up the Apache, it feels like an extension of your body. Its weight and balance leave no doubt that you’re clutching a robust pistol. Its handling will bolster your confidence whether you’re shooting a stage or facing a deadly threat.

When the competition is heating up and your palms begin to sweat, the last thing you need to worry about is losing control of your pistol. Constructed on a pre-hardened 4140 stainless steel frame, the Apache sports Watchtower’s proprietary composite grip, which has 360-degree checkering to help lock the Apache into your hand when firing. Despite its double-stack magazine design, the Apache maintains a narrow handhold thanks to its grip, which doesn’t use panels like those found on a traditionally configured 1911. The Watchtower logo is prominently displayed on either side.

Magazine Transitions and Operation

In competition, efficient reloading is an important skill. The Apache’s flared magazine well funnels your magazine into the pistol. The lip of a pistol’s magazine well can hinder concealment, but on a competition pistol like the Apache, there’s no reason to deny yourself the simplicity and speed advantage a flared magazine well provides.

The Apache’s beavertail and undercut trigger guard facilitate a consistently high hold, which mitigates muzzle flip for faster, flatter shooting. The medium-length, flat-face trigger will be an easy reach for most shooters, and its width makes the trigger comfortable to press. A vertical slot near the front of the trigger adds a little flair.

A hole in the trigger face allows for overtravel adjustment, a feature you’ll find on many competition-oriented pistols. Turning the overtravel screw enables you to eliminate any extra rearward movement of the trigger after the shot breaks. This not only saves time but minimizes the chance of your trigger press jerking the muzzle off-target.

Controls on the Apache are hard to miss and easy to operate. The grip safety features a pronounced memory bump, so even if your grip is less than perfect, you can disengage it.

Robustness

An oversize, ambidextrous thumb safety is a welcome addition for anyone running the pistol with their non-dominant hand. The serrated thumb safety also makes a nice shelf for the thumb of your shooting hand. Downward thumb pressure helps counteract recoil forces that want to force the muzzle upward. The thumb safety operates smoothly yet snaps positively on and off.

The Apache is a bigger and heavier pistol than most people would carry, but it is well-suited for home defense and its ample accessory rail provides plenty of space to mount a full-size light. Accessory rails can complicate holster searches, but the Apache is compatible with holsters designed for the Staccato XC.

The 4.6-inch Clark/Para ramped 416R threaded barrel is housed inside the 4.25-inch tri-top cut slide. The 0.75-inch compensator screws to the barrel, blending seamlessly with the slide’s contour.

Compensators are becoming increasingly popular pistol accessories because they reduce muzzle flip by directing gases up, thus forcing the muzzle down. Shooting a heavy 9mm pistol like the Apache with a compensator almost feels like cheating. Fast and accurate hits just seem to happen.

Solid Purchase

Deep, vertical serrations both front and rear provide solid purchase for racking the Apache’s slide. “Apache” is etched into the slide on the left side across from the ejection port.

The slide is cut to accept an optics plate for mounting a red-dot sight with the Trijicon RMR footprint. You can also purchase the Apache with a Trijicon SRO already mounted to the slide. The SRO’s tall window makes it easy to find the dot—a difficult task for shooters used to traditional pistol sights.

The flat slide top and serrations help mitigate glare, which could interfere with your ability to see the sights. The Apache ships with suppressor-height sights. The serrated rear sight is drift adjustable, while the front sight features a green fiber-optic insert. I found I could see the sights through the window of the SRO, which made them a viable secondary sighting system should the red dot fail. Of course, shooters who aren’t fans of red dots could use these sights independently.

The Apache’s recoil is very light thanks to its substantial weight and the compensator. It comes with Dawson Precision Tool-Less Recoil System springs in seven-, eight- and nine-pound weights so you can tailor the slide’s reciprocating force to the specific load you’re using.

Competition Tuning

The lighter the recoil spring weight, the more quickly the slide will move rearward during extraction and ejection. It will also return with less force than with a heavier recoil spring. Of course, the opposite is also true.

Tuning the Apache to function optimally with a specific load provides a huge advantage in competition, where every second counts and a malfunction could eliminate you from contention.

The spring you choose can also affect the pistol’s recoil impulse, changing the way it feels when you shoot it. You can experiment with different recoil spring weights to see how they impact performance. For testing, I left in the factory-installed eight-pound spring, and couldn’t be happier with how the pistol performed.

Accuracy

At 25 yards using the Trijicon SRO, my best group measured just an inch using Wilson Combat’s 135-grain hollow-base flatnose ammunition. Most groups were between one and 2.5 inches, with the overall average group size registering 1.9 inches.

After confirming the Apache was accurate from the bench, I moved to 10 yards, where I picked up the tempo. I fired several multi-shot strings into the upper chest portion of the target.

As Colosky mentioned, the Apache is flat shooting. The SRO’s 2.5 m.o.a. dot was easy to track through recoil because muzzle rise was minimal and recovery predictable. The flat trigger was smooth, with very little take-up before reaching the wall. It broke cleanly and had a short, discernible reset.

As a result, the Apache was easy to shoot with speed and accuracy. If you are a proficient pistol shooter, the Apache will make you even better.

Zero Malfunctions

While the Apache’s slide-to-frame fit was tight, there were zero malfunctions during testing. I’ve tested high-end 1911s and 2011s that were beautifully crafted but struggled to function even to the level of a run-of-the-mill pistol. The trick is to have the frame and slide fit tightly enough for optimal accuracy but not so tightly that the slide is hard to rack, or so tightly that feeding and chambering suffer. The Apache’s fit was just right—tight for accuracy but reliable and also easy to rack.

“No corners are cut in the design and assembly of our Apache,” Colosky said. “From the Tool-Less recoil spring system to our proprietary PVD coating, which even includes the disconnector, every detail is deliberate.”

The Apache ships with a soft pistol case, Tool-Less recoil springs, the two magazines, a pistol lock and a lifetime warranty card. To show its support for the military, law enforcement and emergency medical services personnel, Watchtower offers first responder discounts ranging from 10 to 15 percent off suggested retail price, which is $3,990 without an optic and $4,540 with a Trijicon SRO mounted. The company even offers financing.

Just as the Apache warriors struck fear in the hearts of their enemies, the Watchtower Apache may strike fear in the hearts of your competitors—or at least invoke jealousy in the hearts of other shooters sharing the range. If you’re looking to add a high-end, high-capacity, double-stack 1911 to your collection, Watchtower’s Apache should be on your short list.

Watchtower Apache Specs

• Type: double-stack 1911
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 17+1, 20+1
• Barrel: 4.6 in., Clark/Para ramped 416R; threaded w/compensator
• OAL/Height/Width: 8.75/6/1.6 in.
• Weight: 2.5 lb. (w/Trijicon SRO)
• Construction: 4140 stainless steel pre-hardened frame
• Sights: suppressor height drift-adjustable rear, green fiber-optic front; slide cut for Trijicon RMR footprint
• Trigger: medium length, 3-4 lb. pull (factory spec)
• Safeties: ambidextrous thumb, grip
• MSRP: $4,540 (as tested, w/Trijicon SRO)
• Manufacturer: Watchtower Firearms, WatchtowerFirearms.com

---