During the early days when Jeff Cooper's Gunsite school had only been open for a short time, a student showed up with an absolutely stock Colt Government Model. Although he was surrounded by others with expensive, custom built “combat pistols,” he did well, and unlike some of the others his pistol always functioned.
So during a break Jeff ask him why he hadn’t had his pistol modified like so many of the others did. “Sir,” he said, “I didn’t know what modifications should or shouldn’t be made. So I decided to go through the course and then make any changes, if any were necessary, based on what I’d learned.”
There was a twinkle in his eyes when Jeff related this story to me, and he said he wished more of his students would come to Gunsite with the same attitude.
The concept and development of the first Gunsite Service Pistol (GSP) came about because of the constant failure of some of the expensive, gadget loaded “combat pistols” that were so popular in gun magazines, to function reliably. Col. Cooper observed – quite correctly – that the emphasis was on looks and accessories rather then dependability. Literally hundreds of 1911 platform pistols were being used at Gunsite, and it didn’t take long to discover what worked and what didn’t. He also believed that a reliable 1911 style pistol shouldn’t be something that only the well heeled could afford.
I think it's safe to say you're a 1911 type guy too!
