The Continuing Evolution  of the 1911   

 He wanted the perfect recoil-reducing system. "I came up with over 100 different compensator designs and I have this heap of machined steel blanks in the corner of my garage to prove it," Johnny laughs. He began building raceguns, initially for his own use. Later on, his friends began asking him to build guns for them. So he did, just for kicks. Soon his guns started appearing at the Bay Area IPSC matches, and began winning. Friends started telling friends about his guns and compensators. Before he knew it, the demand for his services started to take up all of his time. He found himself spending more time in front of the milling machine in his garage and less at his chain of restaurants. Several months ago, he sold all but one of his restaurants and committed himself to doing what he liked most, building raceguns. 

Today he owns a gunsmithing and gun parts shop in Freemont, California and his customers come from all corners of the world. His guns do not follow the traditional lines and design of most raceguns. "My guns have the high tech look and they shoot flat - zero muzzle rise!" His latest recoil-elimination creation stands out in the crowded world of compensators. He calls it the Limcat Undergas Bypass Turbo System or Turbo Comp, for short. One look and you'll know what we mean when we say it's different. "I got the idea while I was shopping for a shotgun. A gas-operated shotgun runs its gasses through the bottom of the shotgun and uses the pressure to open its action and load the next round," he explains. He also noticed that the AR-15 had a similar set-up. Eureka! He immediately set to work and Turbo-Comp was born. It is the flattest-shooting comp I have ever tried and the felt recoil is very soft. The excitement in Johnny's voice is quite evident, "The faster you shoot my guns, the flatter it stays. I guarantee it." He adds, "When you see the dot on the A-zone of your IPSC target, just double-tap it and your hits will surely be there!"

And this gun is not something Johnny Lim had to prepare specially for our centerfold. It's the standard production racegun he builds for every customer. Johnny Lim is one truly amazing individual. He is extremely analytical. "I never run out of ideas," he says as he explains the many new "race toys" that are set to come out of the Limcat Custom shop. A unique scope mount design is coming soon. He won't disclose details about it but he did mention its name, "Stargate" and he said it will definitely help raceshooters go faster.

An STI Modular Frame was used to build Limcat's hi-tech competition pistol. The high-stress areas of the STI frame are machined from 4140 bar-stock to exact CNC tolerances while its lower-stress areas are made from a high-strength, lightweight, space-age composite polymer which helps absorb felt recoil. Nice cosmetic features that normally require custom gunsmithing work were molded into the frame. These include front- and back-strap checkering, squared and checkered trigger guard, and checkered grip panels. The lightweight STI frame help reduce the overall weight of the finished racegun. The pistol's target-to-target pointability is enhanced making it a faster racegun to shoot.

Also about to hit the streets in a few weeks is a radical, new race holster which he calls the Stealth Retention Device or SRD. Its gravity trigger block, which he has recently patented, has three adjustments: Total Lock (you'll have to break the trigger lock to get the gun out), Race Mode 1 (fast), and Race Mode 2 (faster!). It has a sleek aluminum body and is totally adjustable. It's completely different from anything that's out there and it's fast, turbo-fast. he says he got the idea while watching IQ, the movie about the genius, Albert Einstein.

A wider magwell means faster reloads. Limcat doubled the STI's standard magwell opening by installing a Hot Shots Magwell. This magwell is made of stainless steel to withstand heavy punishment from competition speed shooters.

Albert Einstein and Johnny Lim may have been born eighty years apart, but they are alike in many ways. Einstein unlocked the secret of the atom for the benefit of mankind and Johnny Lim is chipping away at the race-gun's speed barriers for the benefit of the high-tech speed racers of the shooting sports.

This impressive competition pistol is chambered in 9x23, one of the hottest new calibers on the race circuit today. Attractive lines serrated along the sides and top of the slide and compensator, as well as on the front of the muzzle give it a sleek "robo-cop" look. Matching 1/8-inch wide serrations that were milled on the front of the STI Awesome Slide complement the standard serrations on its back portion adding elegance to the pistol's very futuristic profile.

The Turbo Comp has four top chambers that are all reverse-angled in varying degrees. The inner shape of the chambers tend to push the exploding gasses to the front of the chamber and down pulling the gun in the same direction. The size of the chambers and their baffles reduce progressively from the initial main chamber maximizing the recoil-reducing forces of the diminishing gasses as they pass through the remaining chamber. The first chamber features a 3/8-inch hole on the floor that serves as the opening for the fifth chamber that tunnels beneath the top four chambers.

Johnny chose to crown his prize pistol with a C-More Serendipity SL, the tubeless, heads-up display red-dot system with an integrated mount. The one-piece unit weighs only 3.75 ounces. "It lets you shoot faster because the dot is easier to pick up," Johnny explains. Three of the four U.S. IPSC champions who have won the national title with a red-dot sight used a C-more sight to take the title.

Limcat developed a very popular "pop-in" anti-glare shield (shown above right) for the C-More system that eliminates all glare on the lens from the bright sun. The C-More Serendipity SL comes with a standard 8 moa red-dot. Replacement 4, 12 and 16 moa dot modules are available.

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