American Tactical has announced their new FXH-45 Moxie late last month, bringing what some see as another 1911 chambered in .45 ACP to the handgun market. But it did catch my eye recently when I had the opportunity to shoot it. Here’s why, but first, some specs.
The American Tactical FXH-45 Moxie is a hybrid polymer framed pistol. There have been hits and misses with polymer 1911’s over the years and I have run a polymer 1911 I liked far more than anticipated, so I was curious about this one. The Moxie is a government-sized 1911 meaning it has a 5-inch barrel and full-size frame.
Thanks to its hybrid frame it weighs in at 32 ounces, empty. Yes, that’s lighter than some. I have a government-sized 1911 from a different manufacturer that weighs 38.5 ounces empty and one that weighs even more. Other Moxie features include a rounded mainspring housing, extended beavertail, 4140 parkerized steel slide, a forward accessory rail, ambidextrous safety and a removable optic mount.
What makes the American-made Moxie even more interesting is the MSRP of $399.95. If that price makes you skeptical, hey, that’s understandable. But given the realities of many people’s budgets and the current rush of new gun buyers, it should attract a lot of attention. The real question is how it will run at a high round count…will it be reliable?
I can’t answer that yet, but hope to have one in hand for a full review soon. In the meantime, here’s what I can tell you about how it shoots.
The Moxie is a fairly comfortable fit to my hands. It has finger grooves, something that’s far too shooter-specific to be one-size-fits-all, but they didn’t get in my way. The test gun we ran had a few hundred rounds through it that day and no failures of any kind. That isn’t a full-on failure test for a carry gun, but it’s an encouraging start.
As for accuracy, from a distance of 10 yards shooting offhand the gun was accurate. Five rounds at a time produced small groups, something repeated in the hands of most people who were shooting it. It shot slightly to the left, but when I looked at the sights, the front sight was torqued a bit in the front channel, so that was fixable.
The Moxie is designed to take aftermarket GLOCK sights and I do recommend upgrading to sights beyond the standard three-dot white sights once you have the gun in hand (that’s the same thing I suggest about GLOCKs themselves).
A quick note on .45 ACP. We could easily have a throwdown in the comments over caliber (and you probably will). Don’t like the caliber? Keep scrolling. But if this model sells well, I’d assume American Tactical will eventually release the FXH-45 Moxie in more calibers.
Not everyone can afford to throw down four digits, or even high three digits, for a gun these days. Even if you can there’s something to be said for having some affordably-priced guns in your collection.
The American Tactical FXH-45 Moxie is well worth a closer look. I’d love to see a reliable, budget-friendly 1911 on the market and look forward to running the Moxie at greater length.
What do you guys think, is it possible to build a reliable 1911 at a lower price point?
Specifications: American Tactical FXH-45 Moxie
Caliber: 45 ACP
Action: Single
Height: 5.4 inches
Length: 8.7 inches
Weight: 32.5 ounces, empty
Grips: Black polymer
Sights: 3-dot white sights, accepts all aftermarket GLOCK sights
Included: One 8-round magazine, removable top plate for optics
MSRP: $399.95
Check it out here.