Atlas Gunworks Artemis V2 Perfect Zero Two-Tone

Atlas Gunworks builds some of the most sought-after competition pistols in the double-stack 1911 world, and the Artemis V2 Perfect Zero sits near the top of that lineup. Working out of Shelburne, Vermont, the shop spent years refining what they call a sightblock design, a barrel block system that shifts weight forward and lets the gun settle back to the same point of aim after every shot. Shooters call that Perfect Zero, and once you have felt it, it is hard to go back to a standard slide.

This example wears a striking two-tone build. The frame and slide carry a matte black finish, while the trigger, hammer, thumb safety, and magazine release are left bright silver, and the barrel hood is polished stainless steel and shows through the ejection port. It is a look that photographs well and tells you at a glance that this gun was built to a spec sheet, not pulled off a shelf.

Under the hood, it is a 9mm 2011-pattern pistol with a 4.6-inch bull barrel and a 6.8-inch sight radius, tuned specifically to fit inside the IPSC Standard division box. Atlas cut the slide for RMR and SRO red dots and left the fiber-optic front sight and an adjustable rear iron sight in place as a backup, so you are covered whether you run an optic or shoot irons. The grip uses Atlas's Alpha Grip texture over an aluminum frame module, built to stay put through a match without tearing up your hands.

At 39 ounces unloaded, it splits the difference between a target-heavy race gun and something you would actually want to carry around a stage all day. It comes ready to compete: three matched magazines, a spare optics plate, and Atlas's own soft case. If you shoot Standard division, this is about as good as it gets straight out of the box.