Gotham Armory
The Gotham Armory GA911 is a working masterpiece.
Conceived in 2002 and brought to reality almost 20 years later, your firearm is the product of countless hours of passion, hard work, talent, and skill by a team of artisans that are second to none.
There are many ways to commemorate the events of september 11th 2001.
Here is a monument crafted in the design of "America's Pistol."
The very first soldiers to counter attack the perpetrators of the tragic attacks of September 11th 2001 carried with them to Afghanistan a small piece of metal from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.
Now the GA911 is forged from that same hallowed steel.
A36 structural steel is perfect for what it is designed for, however it is not “Gun metal." In order to achieve the properties needed to withstand the rigors of recoil and containing the more than 20,000 pounds per square inch of chamber pressure something had to be done.
The steel from the World Trade Center is not some cosmetic attribute added onto the GA911, it is in the bones of it, it is present in the very soul of it.
How to change a metal without homogenizing it into something unrecognizable? The answer is Pattern welding, also known as "Damascus". By taking thin pieces of different types of steel and iron and "Forge welding" them together you combine the characteristics of the different metals so you can build something that is both strong and resilient. A stunning byproduct of pattern welding different metals together is that they can be etched with acid that uniquely affects the different materials creating a visible and tactile pattern that is beautiful and as unique as a fingerprint.
Most blacksmiths cannot create a billet large enough to build the frame of a 1911 design pistol. Limitations of the size of forges, presses, and hammers prevent most from even considering such an undertaking.
Gotham Armory is honored that Rob "Deker" Dekelbaum is part of our team and found the perfect Recipe" for the GA911. After almost a year of trials searching for the perfect blend of steels and technique, a combination of 1075, 1050, 15n20 and our World Trade Center steel was settled on.
Dreaming up and making into reality a machine he named, "Screw-cifer" to twist the slide billet into its distinct pattern, the GA911 is over 130 layers of steel heated, hammered, and forged into a solid block of strength and beauty.
In 2017, after years of searching for steel that had a direct and confirmed origin in the World Trade Center Gotham Armory found Retired Detective Sergeant Capriola. He can be seen here at Ground Zero and in order to perpetuate the memory of those who died on 9/11, Detective Sergeant Capriola donated to the GA911 project two pieces of steel. One of which was 3 inches thick, roughly 18 inches long and 8 inches wide weighing 127 pounds, that he had in his possession from the time he acquired it at Ground Zero until he transferred it to Gotham Armory. It is this piece of the World Trade Center that the GA911 is made from.
Please follow the journey of that steel, salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, into the tribute you see here.
Starting as a block of torch cut rusted metal the steel is squared and trimmed.
Taken to the Niagara Specialty Metals Rolling Mill it is heated and rolled down from three inches thick to just 1/8th of an inch.
Sheared into shape to be added to the other metals the pieces are polished and welded into stacks that are forged into billets.
Collaborating with the one of the best 1911 builders in the world the billets are machined, shaped, heat treated, hand fitted, test fired, etched, hand polished and finished, fitted with ironwood grips, inspected, and finally declared perfect.
The Gotham Armory WTC Honor Pistol GA911 is American made. 100% of parts are sourced, machined, manufactured, assembled and finished within these United States of America. The Steel recovered from Ground Zero has been followed through every step from lower Manhattan ultimately into th case. Gotham Armory, as the only and probably last manufacturer of firearms in New York City is proud to be the creator of the WTC Honor Pistol.
It is worth noting that Gotham Armory is the only existing Type 7 manufacturer of firearms with a “NY, NY” rollmark
