Michael Tinker Pearce
Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2016
- Messages
- 1,576
My project to build a modern version of the Detonics Combat Master is complete. This is something I have wanted to do for some time, but couldn't work into the budget. Early this year a friend made an offer I couldn't refuse: He would buy parts for two guns, I would build them and he'd get one. Yes-please-and-thank-you!
While the original Combat Master was a fairly spartan affair focused on close-in self defense standards have evolved in the modern world, and those changes are reflected in these guns. These are somewhat in the category of a 'pocket race-gun' optimized to put accurate rapid-fire on target as quickly as possible.
I used Hellfire Armory alloy frames to keep the weight manageable, RIA 'Officer' slides and ramped full-support bull-barrels and components from EGW, Klonimus and Wilson Combat (mostly.) Fitting, de-burring and cutting the frames to size was necessary, but not an amount I would consider unusual. Front sights are Sig fiber-optics, rear sights are custom and made from aircraft aluminum. The sights are configured to allow the rear sight to be employed for cocking against a surface, belt etc. and offer good traction but won't gore you. They are serrated front and back at 40 lpi. Both guns have hand-cut 20 lpi checkering on the front of the grip-frame and under the trigger-guard. Both guns also feature ambidextrous safeties, functional grip safeties and mag-well funnels. Both guns are finished in Satin Black GunKote.
The grip-frame is slightly longer than the original, allowing even my meat-hooks to get a three-finger grip. I felt that the pay-off in comfort and control was worth compromising concealability a little.
I did not make the guns identical; Spice of Life and all of that. Here's some of the areas they differ:
The first gun has a modified checkered aluminum mainspring housing, a full-length dust-cover/rail and a grip-safety with a tiny bit of a tail; with my big hands I am always a little concerned that I will grab the gun a bit too high under stress. It's never happened with my original CM, but it's in the back of my mind.
The second gun has some changes-
This gun has the original lack of a beavertail and the frame dust-cover cut to the original length. I wanted something subtle and tasteful for the grips.
Both guns have nice, crisp triggers that break at 3-1/2 lbs. with little take-up and almost no overtravel. The reset is super-short. The eight-round magazines have hand-made bumper-pads screwed to the bottom; on the first gun I used the same micarta as the grips. On the second gun they are G10. I used Mec Gar magazines for both guns on the advice of Peter Dunn, one of the men behind the original Combat Master.
Still working on my first cuppa' Joe, so I probably left a buncha' stuff out but that's why it's a forum; you can ask questions! Here's a few more pictures:
Here's a string of 7-yard double-taps from the test-firing of the first gun.
Really happy with how this project is coming out. Now that the coatings are done there's just a bit more test-firing and I can call it good. Which one is mine? I think the first gun, but I am going to let the fellow that paid for the parts choose. I won't feel abused in either case.
While the original Combat Master was a fairly spartan affair focused on close-in self defense standards have evolved in the modern world, and those changes are reflected in these guns. These are somewhat in the category of a 'pocket race-gun' optimized to put accurate rapid-fire on target as quickly as possible.
I used Hellfire Armory alloy frames to keep the weight manageable, RIA 'Officer' slides and ramped full-support bull-barrels and components from EGW, Klonimus and Wilson Combat (mostly.) Fitting, de-burring and cutting the frames to size was necessary, but not an amount I would consider unusual. Front sights are Sig fiber-optics, rear sights are custom and made from aircraft aluminum. The sights are configured to allow the rear sight to be employed for cocking against a surface, belt etc. and offer good traction but won't gore you. They are serrated front and back at 40 lpi. Both guns have hand-cut 20 lpi checkering on the front of the grip-frame and under the trigger-guard. Both guns also feature ambidextrous safeties, functional grip safeties and mag-well funnels. Both guns are finished in Satin Black GunKote.
The grip-frame is slightly longer than the original, allowing even my meat-hooks to get a three-finger grip. I felt that the pay-off in comfort and control was worth compromising concealability a little.
I did not make the guns identical; Spice of Life and all of that. Here's some of the areas they differ:
The first gun has a modified checkered aluminum mainspring housing, a full-length dust-cover/rail and a grip-safety with a tiny bit of a tail; with my big hands I am always a little concerned that I will grab the gun a bit too high under stress. It's never happened with my original CM, but it's in the back of my mind.
The second gun has some changes-
This gun has the original lack of a beavertail and the frame dust-cover cut to the original length. I wanted something subtle and tasteful for the grips.
Both guns have nice, crisp triggers that break at 3-1/2 lbs. with little take-up and almost no overtravel. The reset is super-short. The eight-round magazines have hand-made bumper-pads screwed to the bottom; on the first gun I used the same micarta as the grips. On the second gun they are G10. I used Mec Gar magazines for both guns on the advice of Peter Dunn, one of the men behind the original Combat Master.
Still working on my first cuppa' Joe, so I probably left a buncha' stuff out but that's why it's a forum; you can ask questions! Here's a few more pictures:
Here's a string of 7-yard double-taps from the test-firing of the first gun.
Really happy with how this project is coming out. Now that the coatings are done there's just a bit more test-firing and I can call it good. Which one is mine? I think the first gun, but I am going to let the fellow that paid for the parts choose. I won't feel abused in either case.
