Here's a Delta Elite Ted rescued for me last year. I'd attempted installing a beavertail safety and got carried away with radiusing the top cut and basically dug out about .15" too much material off the top left side of the frame. Since I had a laundry list of others items I wanted done, I asked Ted if I'd be better off finding another frame, or even a completely different Delta before having him put all that work into it. He said something to the effect of "Nah, you'll never be able to tell." That was a bit hard for me to swallow at the time, because I'm pretty darned picky. I manned up and decided I'd take him at his word. (Good call.)
Even at the closest examination I simply cannot see the seam where the frame was welded up. I couldn't be happier with the results, not only of the repair itself, but the balance of the custom work. The pistol is an absolute joy to shoot.
While not a 1911, here are a few shots of my BHP that Ted finished for me earlier this year. He welded up a beavertail, flat-topped and serrated the slide, stippled the front and back of the grip portion of the frame, installed sights, welded up and modified the thumb safety, and all manner of other goodies. What the pictures won't show is the absolute friggin' magic that Ted works on a BHP trigger. I referred to it as a 12/12 trigger before. About 12 pounds of pull and about 12" of travel. The result is a trigger with almost no take-up, very little travel, and I'll be darned if it doesn't break just about like a nicely tuned 1911. Even though I've had much, much less experience with the BHP in general, I shoot this one better than any of my 1911s.
I own a couple of other 1911s that Ted has done a little bit of work on. I won't bother with pictures of those, as the mods were all piece-meal stuff and not representative of a true custom build. And, those guns have also seen work from another smith or two along the way. I will say that the work Ted did on those is top-notch.
I've handled and shot a few other pistols Ted has customized, as well a hefty .458 Lott Scout rifle he built for a good friend, as well as wheel gun or two. All absolutely top-notch work.
He should be just about finished with another Browning-designed pistol I sent in when the BHP came back. It's not a 1911 or a BHP, and I can't wait to get her back. When I do, I've got a Commanding Officer I hope he'll tackle for me.
So, is the price of an Heirloom Precision pistol "worth" it?
Only you can answer that question. I'm not a rich man by any means, and for me the answer is absolutely yes.
On a final note, both Jason and Ted are great guys. The "coolest" few hours of my life were spent in their shop hanging out and watching them work a couple of years ago.
-Matt
