The gun shown in the accompanying photographs is one of John Harrison’s most recent interpretations of a CCO. Delivered in early August, our objective was to create a downsized, matching companion for an Enhanced Series 80 Government Model .45 ACP produced by John for me early last year. Just for kicks, John and I typically come up with code names for my custom pistol projects while early in concept development. The Colt S80E Government Model he built for me was originally code-named “Black Widow†… which has remained with it to present date. So it was only logical to call its downsized, matching companion “Little Widowâ€.
Little Widow’s receiver came from a Colt 1991 Compact (Officer’s Model). The slide is a Colt Series 80 Enhanced Commander sought by John for closely resembling its full-sized counterpart. Below are the edited specifications from Little Widow’s invoice which are virtually identical to its Government Model companion:
-Straight-8 Slant-Pro front & rear sight set
-Drill sight & slide for vertical roll pin in dovetail front sight
-Serrate top of round top slide 30 lpi
-Machine ball cuts on front of slide's dust cover
-Machine large bevel on lower edges of slide
-Serrate rear of slide, extractor & ejector to match rear sight blade
-Machine french border at top of slide flats, -w- deluxe interrupted cuts
-Weld frame rails and machine to proper slide to frame fit
-Nowlin bull barrel, Commander, .45, std. ramp
-Wilson barrel link
-Briley support reverse plug
-Wilson 1 pc Commander guide rod
-EGW oversize slide stop
-EGW oversize firing pin stop
-Wilson Bulletproof extractor
-Best Grade trigger job
-Yost - Bonitz hammer, sear, disconnector set
-Greider short solid aluminum match trigger
-Checker front strap 25 lpi. Includes high grip & truing front strap with unchecked lower border
-Checker smooth S&A MSHl 25 lpi
-Machine frame, fit & blend CMC beavertail grip safety
-Ed Brown wide extended thumb safety
-Machine bevel and hand finish mag well opening in frame
-Carry Bevel Package
-Countersink slide stop pin hole & recess pin
-Modify frame, MSH and grips for Round-Butt
-Yost-Bonitz plunger tube
-Ed Brown extended mag catch
-Refinish pistol in matte IonBond DLC
On the pistol range, Little Widow exhibited performance nothing short of stunning once it broke in. Reliability was initially hindered by frequent failure to return to battery. John forewarned me that the extremely close tolerances designed into gun combined with the IonBond DLC finish would create temporary cycling problems until the pistol wore the finish away from its friction-bearing surfaces. He offered to break-in the pistol prior to delivery if I’d preferred. That’s synonymous with Lockheed Aircraft asking Chuck Yeager if he’d prefer the factory test-drove new aircraft prior to delivery. I said ... “Thanks but no thanks, John. I’ll suffer through the first 100 rounds or so.â€
The CCO probably took closer to 150 rounds to begin cycling reliably which speaks for IonBond DLC’s tenacity.
The handling and ergonomics of the pistol quickly took center-stage after the gun began running smoothly. John Harrison is magical when it comes to enhancing a pistol’s feel by way of very subtle refinements. The front and rear strap checkering, undercut trigger guard and reshaped grip-safety/tang all work together beautifully to comfortably secure the pistol deeply into the shooter’s strong hand. So deeply and securely in fact that my medium-sized hands practically forgot they were wrapping around an Officer’s Model-length grip frame … brilliant.
Immediately evident during range testing was how wieldable (is that a word?) the Commander-length gun is … acquiring the target very quickly. John's flat topped, serrated slide helps guide the eye to the front sight and solidly fasten it to the target. Recoil was brisk as would be expected from a compact gun firing a full-sized cartridge. However, forward weight bias created by the heavy Nowlin barrel and full-length guide rod helped tame muzzle-flip. Rearward thrust was also less noticeable due to the perfect contour of Harrison's well designed and executed round butt. I thought to myself, several times during testing, “Man … this damn thing is so sweet, solid and quick to find the target! How the hell does John do that?â€
Nailing quickly acquired targets with opening shots was not a problem due to the pistol’s clean, consistent trigger break and incredible accuracy. I didn’t have the opportunity for a direct A-B comparison, but surprisingly the little CCO seems to be even more accurate than its full-sized companion. However being a hardcore traditionalist with respect to guns I would never admit that on an open forum
In conclusion John Harrison is simply amazing. It’s the thought process and multitude of subtle enhancements you don’t readily see that differentiates great custom works from merely good ones. John continues to raise the standard for great custom guns.
I hope you enjoy the photos…
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