The Golden Brat: For CCW Or Dictator Cosplay?

What’s going on in the Girsan factory these days? Has the ghost of Saddam Hussein infiltrated the R&D department? Taking a look at the new Golden Brat, aka the Witness2311 Golden Brat Compact Double Stack 1911, that shiny coating looks just like something the former dictator of Iraq might have owned, to keep company with his gold-plated AK—but it’s much easier to get your hands on this new Girsan, because it’s now available through EAA in the U.S. market

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A mostly familiar formula

The official name tips this pistol’s origins as part of Girsan’s Witness2311 lineup. These double-stack 1911-pattern pistols hit the U.S. market in 2022, starting with the full-size Girsan Witness2311 available in .45 ACP, 9x19mm or 10mm. In 2024, we got the Girsan Witness2311 Match, an accuracy-improved version of the platform—still a double-stack design. And then we also got the standard Witness2311 Brat, a short-barreled version of the same design.

Here’s what we told you about it in our first write-up:

“Unlike the other members of the Witness2311, the Brat has a 3.4-inch barrel. This shortened barrel makes for a more compact and concealable package. But while the barrel may be short, it is not short on capacity. The 9mm version of the Brat holds 17+1 rounds, and the .45 ACP model holds 11+1. It also retains the magazine funnel and beaver tail from the full-size guns. The MSRP is $679, and it is starting to show up at retailers online.”

At a price like that, you can see why people would be tempted by this compact double-stack pistol. As you might expect, the Golden Brat ups the price tag a bit thanks to that coating. It has a gold titanium nitride finish applied to its slide, barrel and other parts, for an MSRP of $889 in the U.S.

Other than the finish, this pistol appears to be mechanically the same as the standard Brat; same low-pro three-dot sights, same accessory rail, same removable magwell, same high-texture grips and so on. It is only available in 9x19mm.

Would it make for a good carry gun? That depends on whether you plan on dazzling baddies with your fabulous firearm finish as you draw down on them. Who knows, you may actually be able to convince somebody that you’re a third-world dictator fallen on hard times, when they see this blinged-up handgun—this kind of finish has been a trademark of the banana republic bigwigs for generations.

See full details of the Golden Brat at EAA’s website here.