AF2011-A 1 miniature arsenal

There is only one double-barrel semi-automatic pistol in the world, and it was born in Italy. The AF2011-A1 Second Century  also known unofficially as the Twenty-Eleven is not an experiment, a prototype, or a concept piece. It is a fully engineered, production-ready marvel that fires two .45 ACP rounds simultaneously with a single pull of the trigger. This is its miniature. And it is nothing short of extraordinary.

The Gun That Rewrote History Meet the AF2011-A1

In the world of fire arms, true innovation is extraordinarily rare. Most modern pistols are descendants refinements and iterations of designs that have been fundamentally unchanged for a century. The AF2011-A1 Second Century is something else entirely: the world’s first industrial double-barrel semi-automatic pistol, designed and built not in a laboratory experiment but as a fully market-ready production firearm.

The story begins with the legendary Colt M1911-A1 — John Moses Browning’s masterpiece, adopted by the United States military in 1911 and never truly surpassed in the century that followed. When Italian arms company Arsenal Firearms decided to mark the pistol’s centennial, they didn’t produce a commemorative engraving or a limited-edition blued finish. They asked a different question entirely: what if two of them fired at once?

The answer  achieved in just six months of intensive 3D design, stereolithographic modelling, and precision CNC machining using Switzerland’s most advanced five-axis equipment was the AF2011-A1. Two M1911 pistols, integrated side-by-side into a single frame, with twin barrels, twin hammers, twin triggers, and a patented 16-round double magazine that loads as a single unit. Pull the trigger once: two .45 ACP rounds depart simultaneously.

It was unveiled at the IWA Expo in Nuremberg in spring 2012. The firearms world stopped and stared. Was it real? Was it a joke? It was neither. It was history.

Engineering the Impossible – How the AF2011-A1 Works?

Understanding what makes the AF2011-A1 extraordinary requires understanding what makes the M1911 extraordinary in the first place. The 1911 is a finely tuned machine operating within extremely tight tolerances. Browning’s design leaves almost no margin for error — every part must interact precisely or the pistol fails. Now imagine achieving those tolerances twice, simultaneously, in a side-by-side configuration where both barrels must fire in perfect synchrony.

The Dual-Barrel Architecture

The AF2011-A1 is, in the most literal sense, two M1911s sharing a single frame and slide. Its barrels, triggers, magazines, and hammers all come in pairs — connected so that a single trigger pull fires both barrels simultaneously. The iron sights are positioned centrally, between the two barrels.

The Double Magazine System

The 16-round magazine capacity is achieved through an ingenious twin-magazine design: two standard 8-round M1911 magazines, bonded side by side with a shared base plate, inserted into the grip as a single unified unit. Loading and handling remain as intuitive as the original pistol, despite the doubled capacity.

The Interchangeable Parts Advantage

One of the most underappreciated engineering decisions

1:2 scale miniature model of the AF2011-A1 double-barreled .45 caliber pistol featuring custom engravings, gold inlay, and pearl grip plates.

in the AF2011-A1’s design is that the majority of its internal parts are fully interchangeable with standard M1911 replacement parts — including firing pins, firing pin plates, sear groups, springs, recoil rods, and mainspring housings. This was not an accident. It was a deliberate choice that roots this radical new design in more than a century of M1911 reliability.

As Seen on Screen — The AF2011-A1 in Films

Few modern firearms have achieved the cinematic presence of the AF2011-A1. Its otherworldly silhouette twin barrels, enormous width, the unmistakable DNA of the 1911 stretched to something almost science-fictional made it an instant choice for filmmakers who needed a weapon that communicated power, drama, and spectacle in a single visual beat.

The AF2011-A1 also became a viral internet sensation in May 2015 when professional speed shooter Jerry Miculek filmed himself firing two AF2011-A1 pistols simultaneously  unleashing 20 rounds in just 1.5 seconds. The video spread globally and was covered by firearms publications and mainstream news outlets alike, cementing the gun’s legendary status far beyond the collector community.

The Miniature Artisan Craft at Half Scale

The Miniature Arsenal AF2011-A1 Second Century is produced at 1:2 scale  exactly half the dimensions of the original firearm in every axis. Every element of the AF2011-A1’s remarkable visual architecture is faithfully reproduced: the wide twin-barrel muzzle, the oversized integrated slide, the double-magazine grip, the dual hammer profile, and the distinctive side-by-side geometry that makes this pistol like nothing else in the world.

But this is not simply a scaled-down replica. The Miniature Arsenal version of the AF2011-A1 is elevated to a collector’s art object through three expressive features that transform it from a model into a display piece of genuine craftsmanship:

Together, these three elements speak a clear language: this is not a toy, not a novelty, and not a budget replica. It is a precision-crafted collector’s object that belongs in a display cabinet alongside the finest scale models in the world — and that tells a story worth telling every time someone picks it up.

A Legacy Rooted in Saint Petersburg — The Miniature Arsenal Story

The connection between Arsenal Firearms and Miniature Arsenal runs deeper than brand similarity. Dmitry Streshinsky  co-founder of Arsenal Firearms alongside Italian arms expert Nicola Bandini  is also the founder of Miniature Arsenal, headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The two enterprises share DNA: a commitment to the highest standards of firearms craft, an obsession with detail and accuracy, and a belief that the world’s greatest weapons deserve to be celebrated in every form.

When the Miniature Arsenal AF2011-A1 model is in your hands, you are holding something that shared lineage  a physical connection to the team that conceived, engineered, and brought to market the most revolutionary pistol of the 21st century.

What is the history of an Icon AF2011-A1 Timeline ? 

• 1911 The Colt M1911 is adopted by the United States military. John Moses Browning’s .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol begins one of the longest service records of any firearm in history.
• ~2002 The original concept emerges. Swiss armourer Vivian Mueller hand-assembles a double-barrel 9mm pistol from modified Sig P210 parts — a one-off collector piece that plants the seed of what would become the AF2011-A1.
• 2011 Arsenal Firearms is founded by Nicola Bandini and Dmitry Streshinsky to mark the M1911’s centennial with something unprecedented: the world’s first industrial double-barrel semi-automatic pistol.
• 2012 IWA Expo, Nuremberg. The AF2011-A1 is unveiled to the world. Six months of round-the-clock 3D design, stereolithographic modelling, and CNC machining have produced a fully functional production-ready pistol. The firearms world is stunned.
• 2013 Production begins in Italy. The AF2011-A1 enters commercial distribution, priced between $5,000 and $8,000 USD depending on configuration and finish.
• 2015 007: Spectre. Dave Bautista’s character Mr. Hinx wields the AF2011-A1 — the pistol’s first major cinematic appearance, and in the most famous franchise in film history. Jerry Miculek’s viral double-AF2011 video generates tens of millions of views.
• 2016 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The AF2011-A1 appears in Milla Jovovich’s final chapter as Alice.
• 2018 Deadpool 2. Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson adds the AF2011-A1 to his arsenal, introducing it to a new generation of fans worldwide.
• 2026 The Miniature Arsenal 1:2 scale collector’s edition — hand-engraved, golden inlay, pearl grip plates — available exclusively at miniaturearsenal.online.

AF2011-A1 vs. the World — No Competition

Frequently Asked Questions