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While at IWA Classics in Nurnberg, Germany earlier this year we got to speak witht he good folks at Ermox. At the time the only models we knew of in the US were some shotguns and the X-Fire previously reviewed. At the front of their booth were some beautiful doublestack 1911s. Those pistols showed both the artistic and manufacturing capabilites that the X-Fire alluded to. I was excited, but also knew it might be a while IF we ever saw them on the US market.
We were saved by Fusion Firearms, a 1911 maker that I had previously not interacted with. Fusion Firearms partnered with Ermox to make some tweaks (details unknown to me) and unlike so many other importers actually stand behind and support the product!
What is it? The XP Pro is a doublestack 1911 (yes, I'll be updating the doublestack 1911 guide as I find time) made of all steel and taking glock-pattern magazines.
Who's It For? I can see this pistol fitting several roles.
The enhanced controls and Glock-pattern magazines make is a great gun for striker-fired shooters to get into a doublestack 1911 with less teething pains.
The comparatively low MSRP also makes it a great choice for those wanting a doubletack 1911 without making a massive lifestyle adjustment.
Weighing in at 35.5oz it might be a bit heavy for carry use, but makes for an excellent range/competition gun; sitting steadily in hand and soaking up recoill.
Take a Look at the Fusion Firearms Ermox XP Pro in the tabletop video. (Do to the recent attack by YouTube I'll now by sharing Rumble links.)
Specifications:
CALIBER: 9MM
SLIDE: 4" Tri-Topped | Pro Cocking Serrations | Pro Vent Cuts | Tennifer Finished
RECOIL SYSTEM: 1 Piece Full-Length Guide Rod
WEIGHT: 35.5 oz
PATENT: Pending
COLOR: Black
GRIP: Aluminum | Chainlink Pattern | Checkered Front Strap | Removable Magwell
FRAME: Steel | Tactical Rail | Tennifer Finished
OVERALL LENGTH: 7.5 Inches
MATERIALS: Bar-Stock
BARREL: 4" Clark/Para Ramped | Bull | Tennifer Finished
SIGHTS: Fixed Combat | RMR Ready| RMR Plate With Cowitness Sights Included
MAGAZINES: Glock® Compatible | (2) 17-round Magazines
TRIGGER: Steel 1 Piece Milled Trigger
MAG-CATCH: Checkered Polycarbonate
In Hand the Fusion Firearms Ermox XP Pro feels like a solid piece of molten metal. The action moves very slickly, even considering I did not add oil prior to shooting. The grip is girthy; providing plenty of surface area and the weight makes the gun just sink into your hands. After filming the tabletop video I was excited to get to the range and give it the GBGuns range protocol:
Cold Shots: Truly the first rounds through the gun. No warm up, no practice.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger.
Multi-Mag: When a firearm uses a common magazine pattern that has lots of aftermarket options I like to test a few and see how they fit. In this case The Go-Safe, TorkMag, and ProMag Glock-pattern magazines fit frighteningly poorly without even shooting. The other magazine designs you can see in the Shooting Impressions video below.
What's For Dinner™: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun we used the following ammunition:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
70gr Federal American Eagle Lead Free $32.99 / 50 direct from Federal
110gr Koenig JHP $49.69 / 50 at Optics Planet
115gr Hornady American Gunner $20.99 / 25 at KYGunCo
115gr Sig Elite Defense V-Crown $39.99 / 50 direct from Sig
124gr Sig Elite Defense V-Crown $44.99 / 50 direct from Sig
124gr Federal Premium Tactical HST $39.99 / 50 at Target Sports USA
130gr Federal Syntech PCC $29.99 / 50 direct from Federal
147gr Sig Elite Defense V-Crown $44.99 / 50 direct from Sig
147gr Fiocchi Defense Dynamics JHP $20.36 / 50 at Global Ordnance
165gr AMMO, Inc Stleth FMJ $26.21 / 50 at KYGunCo
Range Ammo Magtech 115gr FMJ $234 / 1000 at TrueShot
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12 yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of our shooting experience and time for us to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
Watch the Process and hear the feedback in the Fusion Firearms Ermox XP Pro Shooting Impressions video below:
Ammunition seen in our Shooting Impressions video was made possible by our Patrons and supporters of our ammunition savings account through Ammo Squared.
On the Range I needed a few moments to get used to the grip, and a couple of times failed to fully depress the grip safety, but was blown away by how softly the gun shot. Even with some of the spicier ammunition the recoil was negligable, and as you saw in the Sights & Trigger Control portion of the video that low recoil enabled me to have quicker and easier follow up shots as I wasn't recoiled out of my sight picture.
As mentioned in the tabletop video, the grip texture isn't particularly aggressive, and when combined with a coated metal grip might lead one to believe it's slick and yet there I was shooting in the rain without issue. I attribute that to traction being great where it counts (front and back strap) and the weight of the gun meaning I didn't need as much grip to hold on through recoil.
If I were to make any changes it would be to the front sight and grip safety. There's nothing wrong with either, but I prefer a higher-visibility front sight (though if you use a dot you may not want that). With over 100 videos in my 1911 playlist this was obviously not my first time with a grip safety, but I did have to adjust my grip at times. I believe this is a downside to a features others might see as an upside; the use of Glock-pattern magazines. The Glock-pattern magazine is dimensionally inneficient thanks to the friction-inducing polymer sleeve around a steel liner. As a result any grip made to accept Glock-pattern magazines will need to be larger than if it were a steel magazine. For the shooter this means more surface area to grip, but in my first outing with the Fusion Firearms Ermox XP Pro it also meant my hand wasn't trained yet to land properly on the gun every time. The solution would be either more time on the range or a larger grip safety.
Overall I think Fusion Firearms and Ermox have put together an excellent range gun for those wanting to get into doublestack 1911s without breaking the bank and without needing to buy expensive magazines. There are other "affordable" options out there that I've reviewed, but none as user-friendly or finely fitted as the XP Pro.
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