ltwguns.com

For me the best part of building guns in the shop is the building. With the exception of this pair. The best part of these guns was being done. Building a pair of guns was much harder than I thought and very humbling. These guns were started somewhere around March. You could often hear Ray or Ted asking "are those still Jason's guns?" And I would sheepishly say something like "go screw yourself"

Either way, building guns for friends is interesting, and what I enjoy most. A very good friend of mine certainly gambled when he asked me to build him a pair of new Colt custom shop reproduction Series 70's. Like an idiot I said "sure". Well, they are finally done and I'm pretty happy, but knowing the owner as well as I do, there is a good chance I will see these again.

Jason, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did building them. However, you probably won't enjoy them as much as I enjoy them leaving the shop. See you in a couple of weeks!

As a side note, Jason Burton here on our forum is an avid Swenson collector. So, since Armand used to store the guns he was building in cigar boxes I figured a couple of cigar boxes along with his penchant for standard Colt thumb safeties is appropriate for the pictures.





Appropriately at home in some Alessi leather.






Checkering was non-negotiable. I asked.


Borders were also requested.


And finally Kart barrels were another non-negotiable part of this deal.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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

Great pics, Steve! I've been waiting to see just how much you could capture on "film".

For those who don't build these things, I'd like to point out that a pair of guns, a true pair is not just twice as much work as a single. It's much, much more.

Everything must match! the same number of lines in the checkering pattern, the same bevel on the magwell, the same "wrap" on the rear sights, etc. Polish, borders, slide top serrations... perfect matches. It's no easy task, and most guys who have been building for less than a year wouldn't, and likely shouldn't attempt it. It probably doesn't help to have a shop full of guys who'd like to see nothing more than a stray line on one of the pair, so Steve could be mercilessly abused until he got the two to match again I'm not the only SOB in the place.

I can't begin to express how proud I am at Steve's progress over the past year. it takes a great deal of desire and aptitude to fit in a project like this when you have a job that's demanding, a family, and very little free time.

Steve makes it happen because he wants it that badly. Pretty inspiring when I see guys who do this for a living who don't seem to care quite as much.

Jason, we'll have to sit and talk one day about the best deal ever struck for a pair of guns like this. You're buying.

BTW, it would have been easy for Steve to mark these guns with our shop logo. He certainly has my OK to do so on any gun that passes muster, and these do. I asked him to mark the guns with his own mark instead, as the shop doesn't deserve the credit - That Bailey fella does.

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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 believe he indexed all the grip screws Great looking guns, great pictures, Steve!! I bet you turn in neatly written and finely detailed IBR reports, too These are really nice, you and Jason should be proud.

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Sic Semper Tyrannis

and i cant make toast the same way twice
fantastic job.

Steve,

One hell of a job, be very proud of what you have learned in the last year.

Steve,

That is some excellent work. The attention to detail is amazing, as is your photography. Thanks for sharing, and keep 'em coming.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Steve

They look great together and individually. Good work.

JeffVN

Steve,
Absolutely gorgeous!!!

Ted,
Good of ya to give credit and props to well learned student.

VERY nice work Steve!

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Dave Berryhill
Berryhill Custom, LLC

Well, DARN! NOW what will Jason have to whine about?!?!

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Wayne Miller

So when do these beauties arrive? I will have to make a trip out to Jasons. Absolutely beautiful.

Lester

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Lester Wang

WOW!!! Steve, thanks brother, those guns look fantastic!!!

I think I may have to rearrange my schedule and pick ‘em up this weekend!!

This pair was conceived as a replacement set to my current carry gun, a well-used Baer TR Special. Even though it can be a bit of overkill, I like the idea of a brace of guns and a matching pair has a certain amount of utility. When we started this project I told Steve I wanted pretty basic guns that followed the same formula the TR Special does. Not too much foo-foo (except the French borders), checkered front and back, Heinie’s with inserts, S&A beavertails, long solid triggers, Kart barrels, Yo-Bo ignition sets, and (although Steve condemns them as 1930’s technology) Colt commercial thumb safeties.

I can assure you this pair was not as easy as it sounds for Steve… after all I have been known to be a bit of a ball breaker at times. I kept reinforcing to Steve the amount of perfection I expected out of a “simple” pair such as these and even though they were slated to be “using” pistols I would accept nothing less that perfection. I envisioned Steve with night sweats and long bouts wrapped around a bottle of Jack Daniels. Sorry brother, it was all in good fun. Just judging from the pictures I can already see that I got more than I bargained for.

Just look at the checkering on them bad-boys!!! Look at those perfectly matching beavertails, look at the melt of the MSH’s, polished pins to match the frame flats, and of course let’s not forget those thumb safeties!!! No doubt about it these guns are classics!!!!

Both guns were originally going to be finished in matte hard chrome but after getting daily updates on how nice these were going to be we decided a coat of blue would suit them better.

Thanks again Steve, I can’t wait to shoot ‘em!

Steve,

Ted made a pair of I believe Brownings awhile back and I called him and told him how perfect they looked. I know Ted is the Master and deserves the title but, this pair of pistols you built makes you his #! student.

Ted I agree that Steve deserves his own mark on these pistols yet I don't see a mark.

If Steve does not have a design yet I challenge all the Smiths and other Craftsmen on this site to design a mark befitting Steve's talents.

( Steve if you have a mark at least it was a good idea!!! )

Gary

Jason,

Let's do forget those thumb safties.

What a wonderful pair! If you'd like to have them function tested at high altitude, feel free to send 'em my way. I'd be happy to take them way up in the mountains and shoot the daylights out of 'em for you!

Super nice pair of pistols, Steve. The quality of your workmanship is obvious. I'm totally impressed with not only the pair, but the pics as well. Jason, you have shown incredible good taste in specing out these blasters.

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shop.HarrisonCustom.com
www.HarrisonCustom.com

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.

I have to chime in on the positive side for Steve, after teasing him at the shop about still working on Jason's gun.

These are ABSOLUTELY STUNNING pistols.

Steve spent hours and hours on the finest details insuring that the cosmetics were PERFECT and MATCHING to each other. All the time he spent on these was precious time out of his with his family, as he has been extremely busy since his promotion to Sargent.

My hat is off to him on this beautiful pair of Colt's.

Jason - You are one LUYCKY SOB to get these pistols. Enjoy them as much as Steve did building them. I would be honored to carry one them personally.

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http://www.harmscustomdesigns.com

Very inspiring Steve; you continue to amaze. Well done, and congratulations to the new owner.

Jim

Steve and Jason,
Well done and congrats.
Lenny

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Show 'em where you live....

BTW Steve, what's the poop on the grips?

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Dave Berryhill
Berryhill Custom, LLC

That's not poop, Dave. It's sweat. Considered by many to be a by-product of hard work. Poop is also a by-product, generally the result of less admirable endeavors. While both are by-products, one continues to be held in higher regard than the other, for a variety of convincing reasons.

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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

Damn Steve, those came out superb!!! Jason you are a lucky guy!!!

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John Del Pinto

Superb job! You should be very proud.

Huh? I was asking Steve about the grips. "What's the poop" is a figure of speech as in "What's the story on the grips?" or "Tell me about the grips." I meant it exactly the opposite of how you read it. I was interested in who made the grips and what kind of wood they are because I liked them. My apologies to Steve if he took it wrong.

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Dave Berryhill
Berryhill Custom, LLC

No problem Dave, I didn't have a chance to read until now anyway. The grips are Kingwood. Between these and Cocobolo they are generally my favorite. I have Tim Brian to thank for getting me onto Kingwood. I bought several pairs and these matched fairly good.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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

I like 'em. They have a color similar to walnut and look great with blue steel.

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Dave Berryhill
Berryhill Custom, LLC

Uhh...I feel rather uncomfortable saying this to a GUY , but...ahh...Dude, NICE PAIR!!! The nicest PAIR I've ever seen!!! I'd LOVE to have a PAIR like THAT!!! To think of what I could do with such a PAIR!!! They're PAIRfect!!! (sorry)


A10ACN

You done good, Steve. Twins are a tough do.

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CT Brian Custom
'Blending Art With Firepower'

Pictures of my to favorite things, 1911's and CIGARS!!!! Very nice.

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"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed man long enough never care for anything else thereafter."

Ernest Hemingway

Thanks for all the nice comments. The real credit on these goes to Ted's ability to teach. I have said several times. I am a chimp, emulating what Ted does. Certainly some things have gotten easier, however, Ted's patience to a degree knows no bounds. He has four "baby birds" he has to feed these days. Working on guns is therapy for me. The real fun in building is making somebody happy by creating something close that they had pictured for their gun.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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