ltwguns.com

Hey all,

I checked out the sites for the smiths that are involved in the LTW program - damn you guys do some fine work!

One thing I noticed was that very few had pre-set packages (with pics) that showed various set-ups for a fighting gun or a carry gun.

I'm bouncing back & forth between a full size or a commander for carry, and I'd like to hear your guys various comments/suggestions for the smiths and what work to have done.

Thanks
Phil

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Phil

Phil

Welcome to that site. You will not find a better carry gun then the ones that the LTW smiths produce. I have always been in love with the full sized Government Model. That is until I purchased a couple of commanders off this site (one by Yo Bo, the other built by are very own Steve Bailey I LOVE HIS WORK) and I now carry my commander as much as possible. I guess it depends on if you are carrying Concealed or openly. I still prefer a full sized 1911 on my duty belt but when working plain cloths you can't beat a commander sized 1911.

Just my two cents
Kendall

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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

These seem about right to me ... fighting guns courtesy of our friends at Yo-Bo.

Yost-Bonitz have a bunch to look into... their Ti Carry, 1*, 1* Enhanced and 1* Elite.

http://www.yost-bonitz.com/index2.shtml

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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

While not all the smiths have pictures posted and some are far better pistol smiths then they are webmasters, more then a few of the very talented folks who post here offer pre-set "carry packages".

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Jeff

I kinda figured that bro. No way was I attempting to slight these guys in the least with their skills, wether it's smithing or webmastering!

I just hoped that those of you who have their work and if it's something similiar to my needs would post your pics/thoughts.

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Phil

nm

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Jeff

Phil,
Let me chime in here a little. Most packages offered by various smiths are done to incoporate a number of things on a carry gun that satisfy a number of needs. Every smith has a couple of things they do differently and find important due to their experience.

On my carry guns I like to have some of the following things because that is what I find important.
-Beavertail
-High Profile sights
-A good trigger including internals
-High cut frontstrap
-Good springs setup
-If it is a duty gun I think tritium is good to have, I usually only have trit on the front sight
-Carry bevel
-And if time permits some nice metal work. But that is not always necessary....It is nice to look at and makes the gun personal. However, I still see a great deal of aesthetic quality on a simple traditional gun.
-Slightly beveled mag well
-Good bushing fit
-And reliablity work.

IMO the 1911 platform can work right out of the box most of the time. I think the biggest misinformation out there is we do all this work because the guns don't run. That has not been my experience. We do this work because it enhances the guns sometimes quite extensively. Some guns don't do well right from the factory. That can usually be corrected with minor work.

I carry a 1911 because IMO the gun is capable with the right person behind it that others aren't. That is a whole different nauseating discussion. The most common advice I hear is "buy a stock Kimber, Colt, SA, etc...shoot hundreds of rounds through it and decide what is important to you" That is pretty sound advice. A nice 1911 does not have to cost thousands. Colton Bagnoli in our shop buillds a beautiful gun that would serve a number of purposes. The price at which these are sold is better or comparable to others semi-production version. However, Colton spends a great deal of time on details.

Any of the smiths here on LTW will build you a good solid carry gun. They will also build you just about whatever you can dream up. That is your job, figure out what you want, convey the message and wait.

Between a Commander and a Gov't model? Buy either. If you buy a quality product and don't have someone work on it on their kitchen table you will always get value back out, if you don't like it. Then once that one is setup the way you like it, live a little and buy the other. There is a foregone conclusion since you found this site. You will not own just one 1911. Good luck in your efforts.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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

Well said Steve.

The Yo-Bo *1s are excellent as apackage. I have seen several other LTW smith sites and know they have similar good quality offerings too.

I currently have 3 carry pistols in development (meaning in the queue) with two of the LTW Smiths (2 with Yo-Bo; one commander, one officer frame and comander slide - excellent) ) one with Tim Brian (Sidewinder - sweet!!).

These three are all full-house carrry guns (or very close to it). Some ask why I would spend so much for something that'll carry on a daily basis - that is the answer. I'm going to carry it and I want it to work every time, but still want it to have some of the nice looking options that I value.

JeffVN

I've never owned a Commander personally, due to my feeling that the slightly shorter slide/barrel doesn't do much for conealability. But I sure have a lot of customers who want them and I have learned that any accuracy or handling issues caused by the shorter length, beyond the theoretical, are non-existent. Getting Commanders to run reliably is also not an issue, although there is a theoretically smaller window of operation due to the stroke being shorter. That is, if we were to take a Commander and a 5" and feed them perfect ammo and perfect magazines, both'd work fine. I we were to incrementally start messing with the ammo, either toward the hotter side or the milder side, and use magazines with progressively weaker springs, the Commander would probably stumble first.

Now, make it a lightweight Commander and as a carry gun it gets a lot more worthwhile. 'Course these days we can get a LW 5" too.

Me not being crazy about Commanders has not kept me away from the Officers ACP length. All the above applies to them, and then some..... I just feel that in this size, now concealability is imporoved to a point where it makes it more worth while to put up with the idiosynchrasies (I did spell-check that )

BTW, regarding your picture of fighting guns from YoBo.... they look to me like they're getting along just fine

While the pictures are nice and all the work the smiths put into the pistols makes me drool, I was always under the impression that for a carry/street pistol the changes you will mostly want to know about from the various packages offered involve parts and changes you won't see from the pretty pictures.

hammer/sear work, trigger work, tuned extraction/ejection, barrel fit, etc.

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Jeff

That is true. If I figure out a way to photograph that stuff I will let you know.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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

LOL. Translucent 1911's...

I hope my comment about web pages didn't come across as crass as it seems now that I read it.

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Jeff