Send one Spartan: First Look at Sig Sauer’s Spartan 1911

“Molon Labe!” (Come and get them) was the response of King Leonidas to Persian emissaries at the Battle of Thermopylae some 2500 years ago when the million man Persian army asked the 300 Spartan hoplites to lay down their arms and surrender. In recent years it has become the rallying cry for those devoted to the Second Amendment against those who would disarm us. Sig Sauer has professed this motto on their Spartan 1911.

Anyone can buy end plates, grip plugs and magazine base pads for their Glock pistols to slap that motto on their handgun. Sig Sauer goes just a bit further, though. The pistol is finished an an oil rubbed bronze coating with “Molon Labe” engraved in the slide and inlaid with gold. This looks like something more appropriate for a modern day Spartan than a sword or spear (and is easier to conceal in Wal-Mart).

It doesn't stop there. The aluminum grips feature a Spartan helmet design with “Molom Labe” and continues with the gold filling. Even the trigger evokes the look of the eye slits found on a Spartan helmet.

At the same time the pistol is constructed with a plethora of what used to be considered custom touches that Sig Sauer now offers as standard from the factory: a beaver tail grip safety, an extended safety, Novak style tritium night sights, a magazine funnel and a 30 lpi (lines per inch) checkered front strap.

The end result looks like the best of all the proven custom touches for a fighting pistol combined in an elegant looking package.

So is the Sig Sauer Spartan 1911 just another heirloom handgun to be locked away in a safe for all time or is it ready to defend its wielder against a threat?

Would Leonidas approve?

We'll get back to you with a full review before the million man army tries to take the Hot Gates.

Manufacturer specs: http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/1911-spartan.aspx