1911 picture thread

[FNFAN]

Agree. The first thing I saw was how the backstrap checkering extends just slightly onto the mag well. If you don't get an answer as to who built it here try 1911addicts.com. I've never seen that particular frame treatment and I'm sure someone will recognize the smith just from that.

[JAD]

Thanks for the kind words. I traded with a FFL friend of mine. I sent him a STI Tactical 5.0 SS for it.

It is full of little details that suggest the maker is a master, but the only mark I can find is that "B" on the extractor.

Good trade man.

[LittleLebowski]

That is really, really nice!

This. Digging those slide flats.

[farscott]

I look at the gun and I wonder if it was a smith's personal weapon. Clearly set up for function. "Mismatched" parts in terms of color/metal but otherwise well put together.
It was almost as if he/she had a few quality parts lying around so they decided to put together a serious, no frills, bet your life kind of blaster.

I am not a true 1911 guru by any means but the weld on mag well strikes me as a "proof of concept" job as opposed to a customer job. The vertical "touch" points for thumb and trigger finger on the frame are certainly unique. A signature move by the smith perhaps?

How does it shoot?


That pistol has soul!


david
vcdgrips

Not sure if the mismatched parts are deliberate or just available parts being used to build a pistol. The stainless parts (thumb safety, grip safety, grip screws, and magwell) are either ones that get a lot of contact and lose bluing or subject to corrosion due to sweat. But then the reference serrations wipe out that idea as they are designed to see finger contact. The slide stop appears to be the stock SA part, but the only other SA parts left are the frame and slide. That exemplifies this pistol. Another example: It has a two-piece FLGR requiring an Allen wrench to field strip but the barrel bushing does not need a wrench.

It shoots very, very well. The gun is set up for left-hand and right-hand shooting. It is not Bullseye accurate, but it put ten rounds from a Power Mag into less than 1.5-inches at twenty-five yards. The sights are plain black on black, so my guess is this gun was done pre-2000.

Agree. The first thing I saw was how the backstrap checkering extends just slightly onto the mag well. If you don't get an answer as to who built it here try 1911addicts.com. I've never seen that particular frame treatment and I'm sure someone will recognize the smith just from that.

Thanks for the hint. Did not think to try there. Dug through 1911Forum and LTW. My first thought was early John Harrison as his early guns (say pre-2005) are not marked, and the work feels a bit like his. He has also welded magazine wells much like this one. But he would not have gone for the stainless grip safety and ambi thumb safety.

[JHC]

My today acquired like new CQB Elite.

First WC for me. BTW that's a Hooten & Young cigar.

Attachment 39076

Attachment 39077

[StraitR]

I am trying to determine who built this pistol. The only clues are the quality of the word and a capital "B" stamped into the extractor so it is visible when the hammer is cocked. The base pistol is a NM-prefix Springfield Armory, the barrel and bushing are Kart, and the magwell has been welded to the frame. This is one heck of a "fighting 1911".

Have you checked for markings under the stocks on both sides? Dave Berryhill was known to work on a springer or two, but I can't say I've ever seen or heard of him marking extractors with a "B".

Maybe @theJanitor can be of some help.

[farscott]

Have you checked for markings under the stocks on both sides? Dave Berryhill was known to work on a springer or two, but I can't say I've ever seen or heard of him marking extractors with a "B".

Maybe @theJanitor can be of some help.

I have detailed stripped the pistol. The only non-SA marking is the "B" on the extractor. Where it is marked suggests to me it may have been a fitted spare. The serial number dates the pistol to the late 1980s to early 1990s.

One possible smith is Bill Bidwell of Jawbones from Broomfield, CO.

In any event, the pistol is a pleasure to shoot even if the feature set is a bit puzzling. The welded magwell suggests hard use while the two-piece FLGR suggests range toy or game gun. It is a fun mystery.

[CDFIII]

Guess I’m back in the 1911 (2011) game.

[theJanitor]

DSG RIGEL x 2

[Hambo]

I have detailed stripped the pistol. The only non-SA marking is the "B" on the extractor. Where it is marked suggests to me it may have been a fitted spare. The serial number dates the pistol to the late 1980s to early 1990s.

One possible smith is Bill Bidwell of Jawbones from Broomfield, CO.

In any event, the pistol is a pleasure to shoot even if the feature set is a bit puzzling. The welded magwell suggests hard use while the two-piece FLGR suggests range toy or game gun. It is a fun mystery.

It could have been worked on by different smiths at different times. I don't know if Ted Yost is still on any forums, but he would be a good one to ask.