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Photo of the day... the starting process of a large letter Series 70 Colt Government Model project. I get to do some cool stuff on this gun, keeps my job fun!

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Photo of the day... before and after shots showing the beavertail fitting on a large letter Series 70 Colt Government Model project. This is just the bottom end blending, the top still has to be blended and the overall shape/size of the part will be changed as well.

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Photo of the day... views from a barrel installation on a current Colt project, this without a doubt one of my favorite aspects of building a gun.

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I never get tired of looking at the process.

Photo of the day... double checking for correct positioning before doing the final machine pass on this Kart barrel.

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Photo of the day... the beavertail transformation from start to finish on a long term project Colt Commercial Government Model.

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Photo of the day... sight install on a large letter Series 70 Colt Government Model currently in the works.

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Photo of the day... one of my personal guns with an extractor that made the executive decision not to let me finish the last stage at a match this week.

This part had around 50K on it... replacement was made easy since I fit a spare to the gun when I built it. Didn’t help me at the match though...

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Interesting, you stick with the Series 70 thumb safety, on a personal gun?

And you should join a friend of mine in the "busted extractor" club. In decades of shooting he has broken a pill bottle full of them, and I have broken one. Maybe. I can't be sure.

The above-ref'd friend of Patrick is a mutual friend. I don't know the current count but fifteen years ago it was seven. No kidding, he carries spares in his ankle holster. Why and how does he break them....? He doesn't do anything different from the rest of us other than a very high round count concentrated on one gun, plus-- he's a lefty. He wonders if that has anything to do with breaking extractors. Patrick and I have discussed it. Any thoughts Jason?

Photo of the day... thumb safety contour and blending before and after on a Colt Government Model project.

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I've always preferred that size of safety... works very well with my hand shape and size. Every time I try to go to a larger safety I end up back in the same place. I do a safety on the guns I build that is pretty close to the same look as the Colt Commercial part while being a bit longer and wider. It works really well... just don't yet have the need to put on on my personal guns. And, as a related thought, I detest ambi-safeties on my personal guns.


I have several "high" round count guns... multiple Government Models with 20K+ and another with 60K+ on it but this may be the single example with the most, don't know for sure since I stopped keeping a good round count some time ago. This is the very first extractor I have ever broken.

Lots of ways to stress an extractor when set up incorrectly, but I would imagine your friend's gun has optimal extractor geometry. I guess I would wonder if the extractor is being stressed as the gun links down, like maybe it's something to do with the position of the barrel and/or the position of the extractor relative to that.

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It may be that particular gun, but I wonder. Ned does the work on that gun, and has for what seems like a couple of decades now. If there's a trick he's been missing, I'd be stunned.

Photo of the day... before and after shots showing the correction of the trigger guard lines on a Colt Government Model project.

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Photo of the day... some final assembly details on a recently completed two-tone Colt Government Model.

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Interesting, the pyramids not brought up to needle-like points, but each left with a tiny meplat.

That checkering is as perfect as it comes!

Yeah... not truly by my intention though, a byproduct of points that were blasted then hard chromed as seen under magnification. No matter how consistent my pattern may be I have found it quite difficult to maintain actual 'pointy-points' once the part is blasted.... and it drives me crazy.
Thank you!

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Photo of the day... some barrel work and bore-sighting on a Colt Government Model in the works.

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Photo of the day... fresh cut 30lpi checkering on a long term Colt 9mm project that is very close to being finished.

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Photo of the day... random photos from a long term Colt 9mm project in the works.

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Photo of the day... a bit of blending on another Colt Government Model in the works.

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Photo of the day... front strap checkering on a 45ACP Colt Government Model in the works. These photos show from high-cut, to lay out, to finished pattern.

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Photo of the day... 40lpi hand-checkered mag-catch for a 45ACP Colt Government Model in the works.

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Photo of the day... before and after shot showing the correction of a factory cut on this large letter Series 70 Colt Government Model. Note the horrible gap on the right side of the hammer slot between the frame and slide… no way I could live with that.

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"The stuff they do at the factory that doesn't show up until you perfect the area next to it". That can be areal rabbit hole, can't it?

HEY. I ran across something on the innerwebs the other day, looks like I got something I always wanted-- thanks to you Jason. A crossover member, LTW / APG. Congratulations on joining the American Pistolsmith Guild and good move sez me.

Thanks Ned....

Photo of the day... before and after shot showing rear slide serrations cut at 40lpi on a 9mm Series 70 Colt that is just about to be finished.

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Photo of the day... a recently finished two-tone Colt 9mm Government Model for a very patient client.

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Photo of the day... before and after shots showing slide stop modifications as well as modifications to the slide stop notch to allow for better and more reliable engagement.

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Closing up those gaps really improves the looks. Every time I see something like this it reminds me of the sleek looks of the Sokolovsky Automaster.