Black and Tan Bobtail

[deezulsmoke]

Seems like this is all I am posting anymore is bobtails. There is other more different work in the works, I promise!
S&W Scandium Commander
EGW Match bushing
EGW Titanium hammer, MSH cap and pin, hammer strut.
EGW sear and leaf spring
Caspian Speedbump grip safety with stippled "cone"
Ed Brown bobtail with full stippling
Tightened frame to slide
Caspian trigger
EGW checkered slide stop with hand checkering to match on lower edge
Heinie Straight 8 Night Sights
OnTarget/VZ 5 DPI grips
VZ Gatorbacks cut to match (not shown)
Re-profiled front strap with stippling to mag release and stippled lower trigger guard.
Full top stippling on slide
40 LPI serrations on rear of slide
Cobra Coat tan and black finish
Jeweled barrel hood

Enjoy!

Jess

 

[Ric]

thats great work, I had wondered if a Scandium could be bobtailed.

 

[buzz_knox]

According to John Harrison, S&W's Scandium is really just aluminum mixed with a tiny amount of scandium to give it added strength. It works, but doesn't prevent the frame from being cut and rounded.

 

[GunNut]

WOW!!!!

That is really a nice job. Almost makes me want to get back into 1911's.

How's it shoot?

Steve

 

[Bart Noir]

The stippling where the hand grips the gun seems like a very good thing. On the top of the slide, well, no offense intended, but it reminds me too much of the worst case of rust-pitting I have never yet seen.

It isn't for me.

Bart Noir
Literally, it isn't for me, and I'm glad that gunsmiths find work. For that time when I do want something done.

 

[tegemu]

Ric, to see another S & W Scandium Commander that Jess bobtailed, go to www.ontargetcgw.com , select "1911 Gallery," then " Smith & Wesson Bobtail." I'm the proud owner of that one.

 

[deezulsmoke]

Thanks guys. There has been a real mixed reaction to the stippling on the slide. It is kind of a love hate thing. There are pics here in the forum somewhere of several bobtails that I have done. The one that I am almost finished with right now will be a real interesting gun. 9X23 Caspian bobtail Commander with all of the good stuff. I think that I have posted pics here before but I will post a couple more when I get it done. For a real adverse "counterpoint" opinion of the gun, check this out:
http://pistolsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=27728&sid=70cf346f57fe0af764c7b87d0336ec99
Kinda really left me speechless!

Jess

 

[jeepmor]

To each his own

Whatever the customer wants

Rule 1. Customer is alway right
Rule 2. Not really, but he pays the bills, give em what he wants and we'll charge him again when he comes back to get it right.

Overdone looking to me. I appreciate the work like I appreciate people who restore Edsels. Not my particular product of interest, but I share the passion for the process, I just choose a different canvas is all.

jeepmor

 

[10-Ring]

I'm riding a BOBTAIL wave right now. I have been doing my research on bobtails lately & very recently purchased a DW Bobtail so to see this one is just catching my eye...nice
Congrats

 

[Gordon]

Nice, but a little too much for me. I checked your prices,what do you think about the folling for my Gunsite Edition S&W ?

Crown the ugly barrel, Carry bevel (or dehorn and bevel , what is the difference) and reliability package.Also would like a set of Novak Night sites. I already have a 4 pound crisp trigger and have put a couple thousand rounds thru it with no issues- but time for a new recoil spring and inspection of wear points and corrections. Are you finding any problems with Scandium S&W commanders?

 

[BrennanKG]

Jess,

Nice work.
While the slide stippling is not to my taste, it's not my pistol.
The stippling on the frame looks and amazing and grippy!

Thanks for sharing, and thanks for being willing to give the customer what he wanted, even if it was not your usual thing.

Regarding the color combo: I like it. The scheme reminds me of the new Sig P220 Combat (without the Sig's ugly grips).



B.

 

[Spackler]

I commented over on Pistolsmith.com, but again, nice work. The color combo and the stippled slide top aren't my taste, but the work looks great.

 

[asiparks]

Hi Jess, I read the pistolsmith postings, maybe a little harsh, but remember you are posting in a forum where people are used to seeing work by master pistolsmiths like Yost- Bonitz, Dane Burns, CT Brian etc.

If I might offer some constructive criticism without any malice; and this without having seen or shot one of your pistols in person, but the pistol above looks "untidy", too much stuff packed all on one gun. The color scheme suggests tactical, but then you have a decorative jewelled barrel hood. Of the other silver parts, the trigger sides are matt and hammer sides are polished, then you have a 4 different textures going on, flat, stippled, checkered and serrated (5 if you count the grips). In the details, and this is what really sets pistolsmiths apart, the checkering may indeed follow the contour of the slide stop, but it does look wonky, as do the serrations on the back of the slide. There appears to be a big gap between the beavertail and the frame at the top cut radius which makes it look poorly fitted and most noticably, the rear sight set screw has been left sticking up which just looks sloppy.
I don't mean to be overly picky, but here's some food for thought... another forum member had recommended I send my Kimber to you for bobtailing, but seeing the gun above gives me pause for thought, would I trust one of my favorite guns to a smith who would post the above as a sample of his work ?

 

[distra]

Asiparks, take a look at http://www.ontargetcgw.com/basefile/sw-bobtail-02.htm that's my S&W commander. I think Jess does a great job. The black and tan is not everyone's taste, but that doesn't mean the workmanship is bad. The customer wanted this. I know for a fact that the customer had a lengthy discussion with Jess and saw pix of the progress the whole way. Maybe if this was not a 1911, people would not feel so strongly about the looks. But let's face it, an ugly stick can still knock the s***t out of something, likewise a less than attractive (no offense Jess pistol can do the same. It may not be to most individuals liking, but "most people" did not pay for it or request the work. I have a BHP at Jess's getting some work done and new custom Ti Caspian 1911 Command with stainless slide coming. I think you all will like that one As for the black and tan, I think it is an example of Jess's ability and someone else's taste.

 

[tegemu]

I find it interesting and probably disappointing for you, that people who don't like the customer's taste on the gun seem to transfer that dislike to you. It is sort of like shooting the messenger. As a customer, I am VERY impressed with the quality of your work, on my and this pistol. I often recommend you to folks for Quality, value, price and rapid return. Keep it up Jess.

 

[asiparks]

It's not a question of whether the gun above reflects my taste or that of anyone else. When you choose to post several photos of a gun you've worked on, in an online forum you are a) pretty much inviting comment, good and bad and b) advertising the quality of your work, regardless of what a customer requested. So if there's a reason that the rear sight set screw is left sticking up, then maybe mention it. If the checkering in your photo looks wonky, then take a picture from a different angle...it's in his interests to make his pistols look their absolute best and sorry, but those pictures don't....
Distra, yours certainly looks nicer, but, and this may seem picky,but Jess could've shot a photo from an angle that doesn't show so much daylight under the rear sight (or indeed filled in the gap before refitting them after coating) and taken a second put in the grip screws before presenting it on the website...it's a fine line that separates the high quality gunsmiths from the rest of the pack

 

[distra]

Yeah, Jess and I talked about the Novak fit, he was disappointed, but I really did not care that much about it. It came from S&W that way and I decided I didn't want to have Jess mess with the dovetail. He TRIED real hard to get me to change over to Hiene, but I resisted do my preference for the 3 dot. My feeling on the Black and tan, correct me if I'm wrong Jess, is that he took the pix before sighting it in and left the screw loose before going to the range. You are right, tightening it up or removing it would make a better pix. As for my grip screws, that was all me, I wanted to see about 3 or 4 different grips before I decided on these. Jess, I guess you will have work on the presentation photos for the forum, but please keep sending the raw in-progress pix to me. IMHO, Jess does a fine job at a fair price in timely manner. BTW, Mrs. Distra wants her HP!