ltwguns.com

Hi,

Can anyone post pictures of the limited production pistol done-up in honor of Col. Cooper's 80th Birthday?

I'm particularly interested in the abbreviated grip safety and hammer.

Some pictures were posted on this forum, but the grip safety had already been changed to a beavertail.

Thanks.
John

Here are a couple of pics of a gun inspired by the Cooper 80.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f303/ ... ltpic1.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f303/ ... ltpic2.jpg

Rick,

Much appreciated, thanks.

Regards,
John

Very interesting. How does it feel when shooting? Does the back edge dig into the web of your hand?

When were these made? What is the going rate?

If your questions were directed toward the Cooper's 80 guns, they were built a few years ago by the 'smiths at Gunsite. They're no longer available.

If the questions were directed toward RickB's gun and pictures, they were modified by his pistolsmith. A competent pistolsmith can perform the reshaping of the grip safety at his own shop rate.

Is it my imagination, or is the grip safety pinned?

Rick

Looks like it. Remember, the Colonel has his pinned all the time.

I know he was having a gun built with Novak's one-piece backstrap/beavertail.

The grip safety is pinned.
I shot the gun, as pictured, for about three years, but ran into an intermitent problem with activation of the thumb safety, after flipping it off but before getting off a shot. This is disconcerting, to say the least, and I determined that I was just getting so much of my hand "into" the grip that I was flipping the safety back on. A more positive detent may have solved it, but I ended up putting an old M1911 grip safety on it, the small extension keeping my hand from oozing up around the sides of the frame. I have another gun with the bobbed grip safety, which I shot Friday night, and I still think it can be a functional and unique mod.
How long the hammer can be left and still not bite is up to the individual user. I started cutting off one serration at a time, until it never touched me while shooting. The other gun has a Commander hammer with the lower part of the loop cut off, forming a very stubby spur.
When I'm shooting the gun, it feels no different to me than shooting one with a beavertail. The part of the beavertail that forms the "tail" curves up and away from my hand at about the point where the standard frame tang ends.

This is precisely why Col. Cooper insisted that the proper way to hold a 1911 was with your thumb on top of the safety. Although it is not currently popular, I have seen many accidental activations so, I happen to agree with him.

I really dont want to tick anyone off but at what point to Cooper ever get promoted past LTC?
Simply asking not meaning to pick a fight, but everything Ive ever read, has him leaving the military at LTC.

Please correct me if I am wrong.


Jim

_________________
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin , 1759

I've never been in the military but I thought that in casual conversations, to simplify things, sometimes the LT gets left off. Similar to the reference to "general", it's rarely distinguished if the officer is a "brigadier general-O-7" or "major general-0-8" or "LTG - 0-9" or "Chief of Staff - 0-10), etc.

Oops way off topic, spank me.

Man that is one conversation I would not want to have with a full bird
colonel.':shock:'

Steve

It is acceptable to call a LTC - "colonel". The only time we ever distinguish between the two is if we are announcing their name, such as at a Commander's Call.

Other than that, around base you would simply address them as Colonel. It is the same with LT's. Nobody goes around calling me "1st Lt". It is just LT.

_________________
Hard work pays off

That's just the way it is:

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:kOX ... s/Training%

Like I said wasn't intended to pick a fight. The proper method is when spoken to address the LTC as Colonel...however, when written it is in fact LTC so as not to inadvertantly promote someone that has never attained the rank of COL....as has been done in the case of LTC (ret) Cooper over time...anyway dont want to take anything further away from this fine pistol...

Jim

_________________
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin , 1759

Jim,

I didn't see it as you picking a fight. I just wanted to clear things up for people who may not have served and might be confused.

_________________
Hard work pays off

Rick, who did the work on the pistol in the photos? If its already posted, im looking over it.

_________________
www.mattlamey.com

I served and we never called LtColonels "Colonel" but I was a Sgt in the Marines. My future father-in-law is a full bird, I'll ask him. It sounds like from that link that junior officers are supposed to call LtColonels "Colonel" during verbal address but that's it and certainly not in writing.

He should be General Cooper!

I did most of the work myself. The gun started as a stock Colt '91A1, and after sorting through the stock parts, I replaced the lockwork with SVI, and a lot of the small parts with Ed Brown. It has a Kart EZ-fit barrel. A local 'smith milled in the Heinies, and did the metal prep for the finish, which is an early version of Bodycote's Diamondblack boron carbide.

I have a copy of the original Handguns magazine with an article on the Cooper commemorative. I may be able to scan some pics of the original and post them here. I'm in the middle of a move , so it may not be this week, but I'll try and get them up as soon as possible.

Colonel Jeff Cooper is in bad shape as I write this. He is in a Hospice and his mind is still sharp, but the body is almost gone. I believe he is 86 years old and failing fast.

Cooper was the influence for almost all of the 1911 craze. His constant, rational defense of the "archaic" platform has bought this pistol to the level we see on this forum and elsewhere.

I am not sure the Col. would be incredibly impressed by nitre bluing, 50 lpi checkering, or the plethora of doo dads and widgets that could be hung off ol' slabsides.

He would be impressed, however, that us people of like mind and rationale are here as an educated group, supporting the art of the handgun and delivering innovation for the next century.

If only his guns could talk.

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It is reported on other forums that Lt. Col. Cooper passed away today with his wife and daughter at his side. RIP Jeff Cooper.

Great. LtColonel Cooper died on my birthday. I don't know how to take this for luck but I will alway remember him and give thanks he was here with us. Wish I'd met him.

RE: The Cooper 80 1911's were made in the spring of 2001. The price at the time was $2,495. They were limited to 80 units in honor of Col. Cooper's 80th birthday. The two I have were built by Ted Yost; the fit, finnish, accuracy & reliability are all you could ask for. The reduced grip safety shoots just fine, it just does not "feel" as secure as the beavertail or ducktail type.

Mike Fletcher

Well, I know it's been awhile, but I finally got around to scanning these pics from the Nov 2000 Hanguns magazine. sorry it's taken so long, but as I posted before, we were in the middle of a move, and I just now found this article again. Hope you guys enjoy the pics(remember they are scanned), and I hope nobody minds if I post them. BTW, fantastic work Mr Yost, these are definitly some of my all time favorites!!!

Thanks for posting the scanned pictures. The middle picture is the one of the Cooper 80 pistol, the other two are just the Gunsite models.

I own a pair of "twins" like the bottom GSP2000 with the recontouerd front strap and Mr. Yost's excellent lanyard loop mainspring housing. They are some of the best pistols I have owned.

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