HankL
Member
Worth the wait and expense? I won't do it very often because I can't afford to but having a pistol put together by a true artisan is very rewarding.
C.T. Brian Custom 1911 Officers,
Many of you might wonder why I chose the Colt Officer’s Model as the basis of my “once in a lifetime†custom pistol. The simple answer is that I really like these little guns. I am not a big guy therefore I can tuck a short-barreled, version of the 1911 IWB easier than I can by using the real deal.
I was well aware of how finicky these little pistols can be from first hand experience, as I have owned the subject of this exercise since it was bought brand spanking new in the early 1980’s. My awareness of the pistols feeding peculiarities was also one of my reasons for choosing Tim to do the job. Since Tim’s Sidewinder seems to be so well received and the fact that Tim says that the Sidewinder is what both he and his wife carry, I had the presumption to assume that the man knew everything needed to make the little Colt a 100% pistol. The short sight radius was of no concern to me as this pistol will be a working pistol.
When Tim and I first discussed my needs and wants in a CCW here is what we came up with in no particular order:
Solid Match barrel bushing
Polished feed ramp and throated barrel
Tritium Bar-Dot-Bar extreme low mount fixed sights with dovetailed and pinned front
Lowered and flared ejection port
Shined up match grade extractor
Full length recoil-spring guide system
Brown Beavertail grip safety shortened to concealed carry specs.
Match Trigger, commander hammer, etc.
Beveled magazine well
25 lpi. Checkering on the front strap and magazine housing
Serrate rear of slide
Detail and refinish complete pistol
Thinned Exhibition Grade Kingwood grips
Tim, at no extra charge, milled the top of the slide and serrated it as well as adding a French Border because he thought it would round off the project!
I’ve only had 400 rounds through it but 100% reliability is where I’m at right now. If you like a smaller 1911 that runs all of the time I don’t think you could do much better.
C.T. Brian Custom 1911 Officers,
Many of you might wonder why I chose the Colt Officer’s Model as the basis of my “once in a lifetime†custom pistol. The simple answer is that I really like these little guns. I am not a big guy therefore I can tuck a short-barreled, version of the 1911 IWB easier than I can by using the real deal.
I was well aware of how finicky these little pistols can be from first hand experience, as I have owned the subject of this exercise since it was bought brand spanking new in the early 1980’s. My awareness of the pistols feeding peculiarities was also one of my reasons for choosing Tim to do the job. Since Tim’s Sidewinder seems to be so well received and the fact that Tim says that the Sidewinder is what both he and his wife carry, I had the presumption to assume that the man knew everything needed to make the little Colt a 100% pistol. The short sight radius was of no concern to me as this pistol will be a working pistol.
When Tim and I first discussed my needs and wants in a CCW here is what we came up with in no particular order:
Solid Match barrel bushing
Polished feed ramp and throated barrel
Tritium Bar-Dot-Bar extreme low mount fixed sights with dovetailed and pinned front
Lowered and flared ejection port
Shined up match grade extractor
Full length recoil-spring guide system
Brown Beavertail grip safety shortened to concealed carry specs.
Match Trigger, commander hammer, etc.
Beveled magazine well
25 lpi. Checkering on the front strap and magazine housing
Serrate rear of slide
Detail and refinish complete pistol
Thinned Exhibition Grade Kingwood grips
Tim, at no extra charge, milled the top of the slide and serrated it as well as adding a French Border because he thought it would round off the project!
I’ve only had 400 rounds through it but 100% reliability is where I’m at right now. If you like a smaller 1911 that runs all of the time I don’t think you could do much better.