Jacob Grey seemingly appeared out of nowhere. In 2024, the brand received attention as the company entered the market with the TWC 9, a double-stack 9mm 1911 with a billet-aluminum frame. “Jacob Grey,” the man, founded Jacob Grey Precision Machining in 2012, manufacturing parts for the aerospace industry. Before that, Grey was building custom 1911s. He has now used the manufacturing power of his aerospace machine shop to create tight-tolerance firearms, both AR-15-pattern rifles and the TWC 9.
“TWC” stands for “Throwback With Capacity,” a nod to the venerable legacy of the Model 1911, but also an acknowledgment that it lacks capacity when compared to newer semiautomatics in the original single-stack form. The TWC 9 offers 17-plus-1 rounds.
The TWC 9 is manufactured on state-of-the-art CNC machinery, but the pistol is advertised as being “hand built one at a time, inspected and tested.” As of 2024, there is only one model of TWC 9. It has a 41/4-inch barrel, however, it is available with iron sights or with the ZeroTechOptic Thrive HD red-dot optic and extra magazines as a package. This is what Guns & Ammo received for
evaluation.
This contemporary-styled 1911 has a two-piece lower half, unlike John Browning’s original design. Classic 1911s have a solid metal frame, and then proprietary grip panels are secured to the outside of that framework, adding thickness and contour. The grip section of the TWC 9 is aluminum and it is attached to the actual serialized “frame” at the top of the grip, upon which the slide rides. Stainless steel screws lend a quality-looking contrast.
Advertisement
The modular construction allows the grip modules to interchange, making it feel like a new gun. Various competing designs have polymer grip modules and/or steel frames, but both the grip module and the frame of the TWC 9 are aluminum. Jacob Grey Firearms made its bones machining aluminum for the aerospace industry, so unique to this pistol is that all of the major components on these pistols were machined from billet. The total weight of Guns & Ammo’s test sample — with the red dot mounted and an empty magazine inserted — was 34.6 ounces, which is similar to other aluminum-framed pistols this size.
Another company, Staccato, currently holds the trademark for the name “2011”, but Jacob Grey’s “double-stack 1911” TWC 9 is built to 2011 specs, including using a 2011-pattern magazine, in this case a 17-round, Staccato 2011-style magazine made by Check-Mate Magazines. When Strayer-Tripp International (STI) and Strayer-Voigt (SV) battled for 2011 supremacy, magazines were interchangeable but had slightly different styles. The current Staccato/Check-Mate magazines follow the SV style, which is ironic given that Staccato was created from the remains of STI. This magazine has a stainless-steel body and numbered index holes at the rear for five, 10 and 17 rounds.
Two magazines are supplied with each iron-sighted pistol, however, the factory red-dot-sighted pistol comes as a package. For an additional $400, the pistol receives a red-dot optic and five 17-round magazines. With either model you get a nylon soft case.
Advertisement
The slide is 416 stainless steel finished with a corrosion-resistant black nitride. Installed onto the black-anodized finished frame, the TWC 9 has a businesslike appearance. The slide has a flat top with subdued serrations and angled cuts running the length of the slide. There are crosshatched slide serrations at the front and rear, which add style and aggressive texture. That said, as the TWC 9 is a 9mm, the recoil spring is not exactly stout. With the hammer back, the slide is quite easy to rack. That’s a reminder: As a 1911, the TWC 9 is a single-action-only (SAO) operating system. If the hammer isn’t cocked, the pistol will not fire. Many people consider “cocked-and-locked” the only way to carry a 1911: Hammer back and the thumb safety engaged. You can draw and fire the TWC 9 with one hand, in one smooth motion.
The TWC 9 has a 41/4-inch stainless-steel bull barrel that’s flush with the muzzle of the slide. It has a pronounced crown, providing additional aesthetic contrast. The barrel has an integral ramp and a notch in the barrel hood, functioning as a loaded chamber indicator. Barrel lockup is perfect. There was no movement when the barrel hood was pressed down, and the action locked up tightly as the slide moved into battery. There was just the tiniest bit of play between the slide and the frame, which is what you want on a handgun that was designed to be carried; that tolerance allows the gun to run longer when dirty.
The steel recoil-spring guiderod is a two-piece type that is disassembled from the front using a provided hex wrench. This is necessary to disassemble the top end for cleaning. Jacob Grey also provides a wrench to fit the screws holding the grip module to the frame, although you shouldn’t need to separate the two for normal maintenance.
Every TWC 9 is sold optic-ready. Guns & Ammo was told that most of the guns sold are the standard optic-ready models. This package, featuring the ZeroTech optic installed, was a website exclusive.
The TWC 9 ships with a coverplate and two optic plates, one meant for RMR-pattern optics and one for RMSc-pattern sights. Plates are steel and have integrally-machined rear sights. The rears are tall, suppressor-height sights, narrow, plain black, and serrated.
The front sight is a tall day/night sight made by XS Sights. It pairs a high-visibility orange ring with a tritium insert that glows in low/no light. With the ZeroTechOptic Thrive HD optic mounted, the sights reach nearly to the center of the window.
If you’ve never heard of ZeroTech Optics, it is an Australian optic company. The Thrive HD has an aluminum frame, a glass lens and 3-MOA dot. It uses a Shield RMSc footprint, Shake Awake technology to extend battery life (listed as up to “150,000 hours”), with 10 brightness settings. When looking through the lens, there is minimal tint, magnification or distortion. It weighs just .7 ounces with the CR2032 battery installed.
The front of the frame has a cutout designed to match, in appearance, the relief cut in the bottom of the slide. The TWC 9 has a full-length frame, with a four-slot Picatinny rail on the bottom for mounting lights and accessories.
The trigger is an aluminum design with a flat, finely checkered face. Jacob Grey’s specs call for the TWC 9 to have a 31/2-pound triggerpull. Our sample had the tiniest amount of takeup in the triggerpull ahead of the shot. The total triggerpull weight on G&A’s sample was tested at a heavier 41/4 pounds.
The grip safety is a machined aluminum part, but the other controls, including the slide stop, magazine release, and thumb safety, are made of steel. The thumb safety has extended bilateral levers that are no wider than the screws at the top of the grip. The same is true of the serrated magazine release. The thumb safety demonstrated positive clicks up and down, which is what you want.
The aluminum grip module is not as aggressively textured as some of the double-stack 1911s on the market, but it is suited for those willing to carry this size of pistol as a concealed-carry piece. The TWC 9 features diamond-shaped texture applied to the frontstrap and to the rear of the grip module. The steel mainspring housing is checkered 30 lines per inch (LPI), as is the bump at the bottom of the grip safety lever. Not surprisingly, due to the texture, full-length grip, weight, and the fact that this pistol is chambered in 9mm, G&A’s staff found that the TWC 9 stayed securely in our hands while shooting. The smooth matte sides of the grip module created no issues at all.
At the bottom of the grip module is an integral magazine well for additional support and quick magazine changes. It adds a minimal amount of width, perhaps an eighth of an inch. Inside, there is a generous bevel that makes speedy reloads easy.
At the range, the TWC 9 most notable takeaways were its soft-recoiling behavior and accuracy. Several additional volunteers made quick work while shooting through an impressive volume of test ammo. The TWC consumed all of it without a problem.
The TWC 9 is not priced like a full custom gun. It is in the upscale, mid-range price point for a double-stack 1911, but it offers near-custom features, looks and performance. Jacob Grey is a name that seems destined for success.
Jacob Grey TWC9
- Type: Recoil operated, single action, semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 17+1 rds.
- Barrel: 4.25 in., bull, 416R stainless steel
- Length: 7.75 in.
- Height: 5.75 in.
- Width: 1.4 in.
- Weight: 2 lbs., 2.6 oz.
- Slide: 416R stainless steel, machined
- Frame: Aluminum, billet, machined
- Finish: Black anodized (aluminum), black nitride (stainless steel)
- Safety: Grip safety lever, thumb safety lever
- Sights: XS Sights, day/night (front), black notch (rear); optics ready
- Optic: ZeroTechOptic Thrive HD
- Trigger: 4 lbs., 4 oz. (tested)
- Accessories: Five 17-rd. mags., optic plates, cable lock, soft case
- MSRP: $2,500 ($2,900 w/ optic as tested)
- Manufacturer: Jacob Grey Firearms, 888-877-7212, jacobgreyfirearms.com
Read the full article here