ltwguns.com

Has anyone on here seen any of Paul Liebenberg's work from Pistol Dynamics? I'm thinking about having a new Series 70 done in a Signature Grade package. I'm also thinking about having EGW, John Harrison, or Marc Morganti do the work, but am kind of leaning toward Liebenberg because he's in the same state. Any comments about the above mention's work? Who do you think will give me the most accurate and comsetically flawless gun? Any feedback is appreciated before I sink a lot of money into this cusotm project. Thanks.

Not to offend any of those mentioned, John Harrison is the only one that I have delt with and would recomend him. He never did any work for me but he did answer many ???'s. The only one to build a pistol for me is Chuck. http://www.rogersprecision.com I have nothing but good to say about him as well.
You can't go wrong with either of these.
Tony

_________________
Bless the great colors of this Country, those who protect those colors and those who help the cause of this sight.

Paul Liebenberg is a great smith, his waiting list is long. A friend has been waiting for his series 70 Colt for 2 1/2 years, hasn't seen it yet. Another friend waited for 5 years for his.

As for Chuck Rogers, I saw for the first time one of his pistols today. It was a "parts" gun that's been posted on several forums. Simply beautiful.

John Harrison is a friend and the only other person that I would let inside my 1911s. John just built a titanium Commander in 9mm for me. I presented him with a tough challenge and he came through, it's not easy dealing with 1) titanium 2) 9mm and 3) Commander size.

BTW John, Welcome to the sight.
Tony

_________________
Bless the great colors of this Country, those who protect those colors and those who help the cause of this sight.

Welcome John,

If you've narrowed the search down to a few guys (all of whom you mentioned BTW are excellent choices), I'd give you one piece of advice - pick the one you think will do a piece that best complements YOU, and get him started. Give him all the time he needs, and don't worry about financing the whole project now, and making every last minute decision on details of construction. You'll have plenty of time to arrange the finances and iron out details while your gun is patiently awaiting it's trip to the bench.

I talk to a lot of people who are concerned with proximity to the smith, getting their funds together, and the time factors involved before even starting a project. Fedex, AT&T, and the internet have made our world a small, friendly place. Don't worry about the money at the front end - Nobody who's doing a good job these days will be calling you in two weeks saying "Surprise - You're done! Now send money!" If you need to make a change, just give plenty of notice - we want to make sure the finished product is just what you wanted.

I learned these lessons in dealing with the nice folks at Westley Richards. ( I know, How lame that I can't build my own doubles )They're not close, they don't have the time for a lot of communication, and they're not particularly fast. But when delivery day rolls around, the wait, the price, and all the anxiety disappears.

_________________
Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

TR

I appreciate all the responses. After talking to CT Brian and seeing some pictures of his work, I'm also considering him. I know... it's hard making these tough decisions. The wait times do concern me a bit though. I was told by Pistol Dynamics that the wait was 18-24 months.. but if people are waiting 5 years.... well, I'm patient, but not that paitient if I have to put over $1000 down. Cost is, but isn't an issue. I'd like to get the best value for my hard earned money. I don't mind paying a premium if I'm getting a truely premium product. I don't want to pay more for something that's identical to something else that I can get for much cheaper. If a smith tells me 2 years or 1 year, I'd like to get my gun in that time span... I can understand a month or two over... but not 2 years over. Are most of the above smiths including Tim pretty good about delivering on time? Again, thanks for the help.

Hi John,

I just recently went through the process of selecting a smith to build a gun for me. I am sure all the names you mentioned will build you an accurate firearm. Cosmetically, I think you find that most of the well known smiths have a certain style.

I would suggest you look at as many pics of each of the smiths as you can. You will see the differences in style. Find the one that you find most esthetically pleasing. Then make sure you and the smith can communicate well.

Just my 2 cents.

Tom

John,
You should probably be having this discussion with the individual smiths. Not everyone here has bought a gun from CT Brian, Ned, Ted, or any of the others. Quality of work by any of the smiths here is a given. Styles vary. A gun built by Ned Christensen will certainly have a style all it's own. So will the other smiths here. Time frames are not set in stone. Each smith will come as close as possible but there are no guarantees.

Pistols that are going to look alike one from another are built by Wilson, Les Baer, and Ed Brown. None of those smiths are represented here. Anything you get from a smith either on this forum, or a smith with a good reputation is going to provide you a one of a kind gun. The various pictures of the smiths work here should give you an idea on style. The wait is a bitch sometimes but well worth it in the end.

_________________
Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."
- General George Patton Jr

One of the most important things you should consider in choosing a smith is his willingness to communicate with you about your gun. After all, it is you who will be spending the money. Time is another factor. It seems unreasonable to me to wait for years to have a gun built. A recent customer from Mass comes to mind.

Michael and I had been communicating via the Net through a discussion group. He is a very serious IPSC shooter and had won several nice parts at matches so he wanted to build a Limited 10 gun. He contacted us about changing his parts into a shooter. We sent him an estimate on the cost and a detailed list of the suggested parts we would use to make his dream come true. That was followed up by phone calls to make sure he understood exactly what was going to happen. Soon a box of parts arrived at the door along with a check in partial payment.

A few weeks went by and soon the bench was cleared for Michaels gun to begin. In less than a week the gun was ready to shoot and to be taken to the range for testing the gun and the ammo he supplied. I had asked that he send his handloads so the gun could be matched to the exact ammo he planned to shoot. I always ask for ammo from handloaders. The gun was tested with his ammo along with the loads we use as well as a smattering of commercial fodder just to test it's versitility. During every step of the building process I sent pictures via e-mail so he could actually see his gun being born. Once everything was completed the finish was applied and another picture was sent of his new "baby". In less than three weeks from start to finish Michael had his gun at the range. He was a very happy man.

This is how we chose to treat out customers. YMMV

_________________
Genie
Williams Gun Repair
Princeton, Texas

Custom 1911s a specialty

To expand on what Ted said, find the 'smith that is already making something like what you want, or better yet is making something you would have wanted, it if you knew it could be done that way. Doing so makes alot of things take care of themselves, and is easier on everybody involved.

There is kind of a ballance, insofar as you wouldn't be hiring the 'smith if he didn't know more about building a gun than you did, but at the same time you need to stand your ground on the things that in your mind MUST be done on the gun. The fact is that some 'smiths won't make you the gun you want, whether you (or they) know it or not; it simply isn't their way. An implication of this is that you really need to know what you do and don't want before the ball gets rolling.

By the way, Ted, I'm getting the Caspian frame for my 10-year West Point gun in about a week. I've already got 2 pages of instructions and line drawings to help you along.

_________________
Sean Smith
"Hey don't worry, I can handle it. I took something. I can see things no one else can see. Why are you dressed like that?" -Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China

John,
I KNOW how tough these decisions are, HOWEVER.......... if you stick with the top names you mentioned (as well as those who have responded to your post!!), when you ultimately receive your piece, whomever you picked, you will be convinced that you picked THE right one! That is one of the great bonus' of dealing with one of the "greats".
You WILL be pleased as punch with whomever you choose.

Good luck,
Jeffro (Jeff)

Custom guns are special. They are one of a kind. Anyone can buy a production gun from a "name" but they are still someone's idea of what you, the buying public, need. Having a gun made just for you, your very own concept of what sets your gun apart from all the rest is what thoughtful custom builders do.

However, breathtaking beauty or plain jane is still not the end of it. The gun must be reliable every time if it is to be a shooter. There are untold hours of handfitting, testing, firing, tweaking and more test firing which goes into the finished product. These things are not done on production guns other than maybe a three string firing before the gun is boxed up and sent to a dealer.

By all means do have a talk with the smith you choose. Make sure he knows exactly what you expect from his time and your money. If the smith's attitude seems not to your liking then find another. In fact, you would do well to have a talk with several custom smiths to find the one with whom your are completely comfortable and confident of his work. Ask for references. Any smith who is worth your money should be happy to supply some sort of direct access information to former customers.

_________________
Genie
Williams Gun Repair
Princeton, Texas

Custom 1911s a specialty

Choosing a smith is an intensely personal matter. All of the smiths on the list compiled by the original poster have the requisite mechanical ability to create a flawless pistol. For me, the ability to communicate is as important, if not more so, than the mechanical ability needed to craft a truly custom 1911. A smith has to be willing to accept my input and blend it with his experience and knowledge to insure a customer happy with a firearm. Creating a custom pistol is the result of a conversation and the communication must flow in both directions. I have a few custom pistols in my safe, and I now know how I like the process to unfold.

I am also unwilling to hurry a smith, so waiting for the pistol is part of the process. I want my smith to be happy to be working on my pistol, not resenting me and/or my pistol because I am counting the ticks of the clock. The outcome is better for all of us when the customer is not hurrying the smith. I have waited a year for a custom pistol, and I was never concerned about the time required to complete the project. On the other hand, the pistol itself was the only down payment that was needed.

I have had the privilege of being a client of John Harrison for the past few years. In that time, John has completed two amazing pistols for me, and he has a third in his safe. Creating a custom pistol with John is truly a pleasure. I can think of no higher compliment to John than to say he continues to earn my business and my gratitude.

_________________
Scott