I'm not exactly the world's biggest fan of rimfire replicas of center-fire guns. Some of the models that I have handled over the years have turned out to be the shooting industry's version of a Potemkin village. At a distance they look just fine. But up close they lack the appealing characteristics of either a dedicated rimfire or the center-fire model they are intended to mirror.
The Forge H1 is a rimfire clone of the venerable 1911 pistol.
But this is by no means a universal rule. In fact, I've found a few rimfire clones along the way that have proven to be a successful marriage of both form and function. And after spending some time with it at the shooting range, I'm happy to add the new-for-2024 Hammerli Arms Forge H1 .22 LR pistol to the list. Here are just a few of the reasons that the Forge H1 1911 style .22-caliber pistol deserves a closer look:
Reputable Manufacturers
Product branding can be useful shorthand when determining a product's quality. But at first glance, the Forge H1 can be a bit confusing. The left side of the slide is boldly engraved with “Hammerli Arms Forge H1 22” and the right side of the frame sports the words “Hammerli Arms FT Smith, AR.” However, the right side of the frame also says “Made In Germany By Umarex.” The water is muddied a bit more by the gun's arrival in a Walther branded storage case with a Walther 1911 style .22 LR magazine and a barrel a with recessed threaded muzzle which is sized for, you guessed it, Walther adapters. So, what's the story here?
Hammerli and Umarex brand markings are engraved on the frame.
This .22 LR pistol's design and construction draws from three well-respected German brands working together to bring this pistol to market. Johann Ulrich Hämmerli founded his company in 1863 to make rifle barrels for the Swiss army. By 1950 Hammerli was producing competition-grade target shooting rifles that would take home gold medals in the next four Olympic games. In 2006, this company was purchased by Umarex and moved to by Ulm, Germany.
Umarex Sportwaffen GmbH & Co. KG, or just Umarex for short, is a German manufacturer that was founded in 1972. This company is best known in the United States for its expansive selection of airguns including pistols and rifles chambered for BBs, pellets and paintballs. But back in 1993, Umarex became the proud owner of the Carl Walther GmbH firm which would continue to operate in Ulm and Arnsberg, Germany.
The recessed thread muzzle can be fitted with a Walther adapter to support muzzle brakes, compensators and sound suppressors.
Walther, which has a firearms production history stretching back to 1886, is a more familiar brand in the U.S. thanks to the James Bond movies and this character's iconic PPK pistol. Today this company offers both combat and competition-grade 9 mm semi-automatics, concealed-carry .380 ACPs and sporting rimfire pistols. The Forge H1 draws on Walther's extensive experience and components while its subsidiary, Walther USA, is assisting in distributing these models.
In short, based on what I can see, the Hammerli Forge H1 is essentially a well-made Walther style, blowback-operated .22 LR pistol on the inside while duplicating the look and feel of the popular American 1911 on the outside. What's not to like?
Easy to Use
Before diving into the Forge H1's 1911-ness, I thought it was worth mentioning here that this is an easy and enjoyable pistol to operate. The lightweight aluminum slide allows for the use of a low-resistance recoil spring. Instead of having to grasp the slide with my whole support hand to pull it back, I was able to cycle it using just the tips of my thumb and index finger. This makes the gun eminently more accessible to those with hands weakened by age or injury and those who are new to shooting.
The left-side controls are laid out and operate in 1911 fashion.
The two single-stack 12-round magazines shipped with this pistol have a follower fitted with flat, round button on the left side. This allows the person loading to press the follower down in order to make inserting cartridges easier. But the manufacturer goes one step further by providing a flared polymer magazine loaded that slides onto the magazine from the top. The loader engages the button and provides a ridge that's even easier to grasp and press down than the button alone.
The Forge H1 arrives with two Walther single-stack 12-round magazines.
This is, by definition, a low-recoil handgun due to its .22 LR chambering. But this caliber also contributes to regular practice sessions in that it costs less to enjoy. For those who shoot centerfire 1911s, practice-grade .45 ACP costs around $0.40 per round while 9 mm is running at about $0.22. As of this writing, plinking-grade .22 LR is listing at around $0.06 per trigger pull. The difference adds up quickly!
Authentic 1911 Look and Feel
The Forge H1 sent for this evaluation is the 5”-barrel version. Due to its steel frame, it weighs in at 32.7 oz. with an empty magazine. This closely replicates the weight and balance of a typical all-steel 1911 center-fire pistol. The slide and frame are treated with a durable matte black Cerakote finish.
Unlike a center-fire 1911, this blowback-operated pistol’s barrel is mounted to the frame.
The traditionally styled round-top slide has front and rear cocking serrations and a beveled ejection port. The low profile, combat-style metallic white-dot sights are set into 1911-sized dovetails. This means they can be traded out for a variety of aftermarket targets and night sights.
The 1911-style controls and the .22 LR chambering make for an enjoyable shooting experience on or off a bench rest.
The frame's dust cover features an integral 1.75", 4-slot Picatinny accessory rail suitable for mounting light or laser sight modules. The left side frame controls include a 1911-style slide stop, a low-profile thumb safety lever, and a serrated round button magazine release. The traditional rounded trigger guard houses a smooth-faced, vented aluminum trigger. The combat-style hammer is couched in an extended beavertail grip safety with a memory bump. The pistol is finished off with a set of comfortable and effective textured rubber grip panels.
1
This pistol proved to be reliable with a variety of ammunition grandes and brands.
Overall, this layout is right in line with many modern, factory-custom 1911 pistol configurations. The controls not only work properly and smoothly, but they also have an authentic 1911 feel. And for those who are already shooting similarly styled 1911s, the Forge H1 will fit into the same holsters you already have.
But the make-it-or-break-it feature for this pistol was going to be the trigger pull. What rubs my hair the wrong way with the less-than-stellar rimfire replicas are triggers that have a completely different feel than center-fire models. That defeats what is usually the primary purpose of seeking out a rimfire clone, namely, to use it as an understudy for the center-fire gun in order to save money on ammunition costs.
The best 5-shot group of 1.70” was fired using CCI Clean-22 ammunition.
The Forge H1 successfully duplicates the desirable 1911 trigger. It is a bit on the heavy side with a pull weight of 5-lbs. 13-oz. But it exhibits such a short, crisp, clean break that it feels a bit lighter than the trigger gauge indicates. At the shooting range the only things that belied this pistol's 1911 nature, were the reduced recoil and 12 shots in the magazines instead of the standard .45 ACP capacities of seven or eight.
Enjoyable Trigger Time
Taking the Forge H1 to the shooting range proved to be a real treat. Some folks want their pistols to be as light as possible. But this one's 32.7-oz. weight made it utterly steady, on or off a bench rest, with exceptionally tame levels of recoil. The pistol proved to be utterly reliable with all the practice and premium-grade ammunition tested. The only malfunction while testing was a single failure to fire due to a faulty primer inside of a bulk-box cartridge. That's no fault of the gun and just par for the course when using practice grade .22 LR ammunition. Formal accuracy testing was conducted at 15 yards using .22 LR loads made by Browning, CCI and Federal with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph on hand to measure bullet velocities. Here are the results:
The 5” barrel Forge H1 checks all the boxes for a useful 1911 rimfire understudy, which is no mean feat. But it also proved to be an enjoyable .22 LR pistol to shoot. This pistol is a good fit for just about anyone looking for a reliable, well-made .22 LR handgun. This pistol has a suggested retail price of $399 with real-world prices currently closer to $350. It’s a reasonable price, especially for what you get. It's also currently available with a 4.25” barrel. For more information, visit hammerliarms.com.
