Running the Major loads, recoil was less than I had expected and the front sight block snapped the front sight back quickly. A phone call with Adam Nilson revealed that the competition guns Atlas makes have magazines tuned not to lock back when empty, although their personal defense models do. They aren’t going to get caught in a flat-footed slide lock reload. Dumb me! USPSA shooters don’t want a slide lock. I then discovered that the slide didn’t lock back on an empty mag. My intention was to run multiple drills to slide lock, make a slide lock reload, and keep going. The gun only ships with one magazine but two were included for the test. The next phase consisted of rapid multiple target drills. Interestingly, the Atlanta Arms Minor load was no more than 1.5 inches away from the Point of Impact (POI) from the Major power loads. Although I had done nothing more than remove the gun from the bag-no cleaning or lubrication-there were no malfunctions of any type during that 100-round plus session. The accompanying accuracy chart will show the results of those tests. The Bomar-style rear sight zeroed quickly. The initial groups from the bench were gratifyingly tight, and only five inches low, with the windage on. The extended magazine release and slide release make gun operation fast and positive. None of my guns have a trigger lighter than 2.5 pounds, and this one was a treat! There was just the merest hint of take-up, which let me know I was “there.” Then it wasn’t so much consciously pressing the trigger to fire as it was just thinking “time to fire.” I could easily get spoiled! The first step was to zero the gun from a 25-yard bench rest, and the light trigger took a bit of getting used to. Atlanta Arms notes that some guns may require a lighter recoil spring to run their Minor load, but since I shoot a lot of Steel Challenge, I wanted to try it out. The Nemesis is too heavy to make the weight limit as a legal IDPA ESP gun, but it’s perfect for Steel Challenge, where no PF is required. That can extend the versatility of the gun by allowing it to shoot events where a 165 PF isn’t required. But, reloaders can easily reduce the load to a 125 PF Minor. 40 S&W is that virtually all factory ammo will make a 165 Major Power Factor (PF). I also added Atlanta Arm’s 180-grain FMJ Minor load. The loads on hand for this test consisted of Major caliber loads: Atlanta Arms Premium 180 FMJ, Aguila 180-grain FMJ, Federal American Eagle 180-grain FMJ, and Remington 180-grain UMC FMJ. Nemesis is designed for USPSA Limited, where a Major PF is advantageous. Given its USPSA Limited purpose, I selected the.

Additional tuned magazines are available. The Nemesis ships with one tuned high-cap magazine and a very well-designed premium range bag. The generous magwell and magazine base plates make for fast and positive reloads. Lightening cuts on the forward portion reduce the slide weight and also provide the convenient forward cocking serrations. The slide features a flared ejection port and positive rear cocking serrations. The high-rise beavertail grip safety has the proper cut out for the skeletonized hammer. Controls consist of an extended left side magazine release, slide release, and ambidextrous extended, combat-style, thumb safeties. It’s finished in a black matte DLC coating, and features a 5-inch KKM bull barrel. The steel-framed gun is built on a wide body 1911/sans grip safety platform. It would also be a strong performer in Steel Challenge. The Atlas Gun Works Nemesis (MSRP: $4,750) is designed for USPSA Limited Division/IPSC Standard, and 3-Gun.

After testing out their newest model, I can see why. Even visiting online forums where “product flaming” is the norm, I’ve never seen a negative comment about Atlas guns: just a lot of positive comments.

The gun stays flat, and a simple spring change makes this a serious Steel Challenge gun.Īlthough they haven’t been on the scene very long, they seem to have achieved their goal. Veteran Open Class shooter, John Paradine, runs the Nemesis with Minor loads on steel.

Xline vario trigger