ltwguns.com

Gents,
what would be considered best base guns?are the colt 70/gold match still favorites? and are there years and models to avoid?

Everybody has their favorites. The new Series 70's government models are pretty good, but sometimes need a bit of close inspection first.

At the top of my list for gonzo full house builds are Baer frame/slides.

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CT Brian Custom
'Blending Art With Firepower'

Tim thanks, Baer makes good slides and frames , good production guns.
Thanks again for getting back in touch with us....

Kimber Series One is on the top of my book for a base

I have heard some good things about the series one, the lack of the pin safety and the internal ext. Kimber has gone back to the internal ext. now....

Really???

I can't imagine having a really nice "full-house" gun and being stuck with allot of the things Kimber "gives" you.

For my $$$ I'll listen to any of the great 'smiths here and if given my choice the gun will say Colt on it.

what colts are best to use, what years/models, and more importantly what should the general condition of the gun be?

Would you mind explaining why you prefer the Baer slide/frame combos over other available brands?

Cause I get 'em for free........

JUST KIDDING!!!! Sheesh, lighten up people.....

In truth, I've used Baer frames/slides as the foundations for my full house 'turn me loose' customs for years.

Why? Because they're dimensionally sweet and correct. Oversize in all the places that I want 'em to be oversize, and undersize in all the places I want 'em to be undersize. Forged, & the quality is top shelf & consistant.

Add to that Les is cool enough to let me order frames & slides the way I want them, sometimes meaning with or without certain things that you can't get on an 'already built' 1911. What things? I ain't sayin. A smith has gotta have a few secrets, eh....

Other smiths have their own favorites. None of the above means that I'm right & they're wrong. It just means that the Baer frame/slide works best for me and my own 'personal style' of building.

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CT Brian Custom
'Blending Art With Firepower'

Thanks for the reply. I was curious as I don't see the Les Baer slide and frames used as often in builds as other brands. It sounds as if they could be a good alternative.

I think even Ed Brown used Baer frames and slides until not too long ago, maybe others did as well............Now they are used by the discriminating customsmith

Yes, early Browns were built on Baer frames. I always assumed it was because his shop was small and couldn't afford/justify having his own frames made.

Regards,
Greyson

Over a Caspian frame?

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Will Brink @ http://www.BrinkZone.com

This is interesting as I have been researching the choices as part of the planning for my wife's next custom. She really has a list of conflicting wants as she wants a custom serial number and a high-polish blued finish. The resulting search has really educated me on what is out there.

For me, the choice really depends on how I envision the finished gun, and a lot of the decision is my own (and, in this case, my wife's) tastes. If it is going to wear high-polished bluing and ivories, it is hard to go with anything other than Colt although I am really tempted to try a Baer frame and slide for my next custom. The Baer production guns that I have tried have very nice frames and slides. In fact, I have a Baer Stinger put away as a candidate for my next custom.

The classic Colt roll marks, especially on the Commercial guns, really look good and are always a good choice. The pre-Series '80 Commanders and Combat Commanders are also great choices. Rock River is another slide and frame that has really tempted me for a classic blued build. For bluing, I want a forged frame and slide because the cast parts may have small voids that the finish will highlight or come out of the bluing salts with an "interesting" color.

If it is going to be a working gun with a hard chromed or other tough finish, I like the SA NM-prefix guns as they are (usually) easy to find and inexpensive; however, they have some issues that a smith has to work around. I have two customs built on SA guns that are very good. Caspian is also a good choice for a working gun, and one can request a custom serial number. The Caspian cast frames have a good reputation for durability, but you may see casting marks on the finished gun, depending upon the finish chosen. Caspian slides, however, are forged, and they look gorgeous. In addition, Caspian allows you to select the serrations you want and allows you to delete the roll marks.

For me, certain guns are verboten because I dislike the cosmetics. Included in this category (for me) are Kimber and STI. I cannot stand the wide-spaced cocking serrations and the front cocking serrations on both brands and the rollmarks on the STI guns leave me cold. The Colt XSE guns also leave me cold for the same reason. However, I like the SV slides.

Before starting a build, I would discuss the choices with your smith as each smith has individuals preferences based on experience and style.

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Scott

I don't think you can build a prettier gun than one on a pre-70 Colt.
Series '70 small letter is next and current repro, third.

They may have some idiosyncracies that will make it a tougher job for a smith mechanically, but for me they are hard to beat. With quality slide/frame welding, a Colt can be as good as anything and better than most. If the rollmarks are good, and the slide flats are even, they will finsh pretty well.

I like Colt in a sentimental way:)

I like Kimber's for "light" customs. For a few hundred bucks, you can turn a medicore pistol into a really nice shooter in some cases. Kimbers have universal good slide/frame/barrel fit and they are quality parts. Notice I said GOOD, not ideal. The gripframe has a good feel also. Some brands are too "high cut" and will never look good to my eye-Baer, Rock River and some Caspians are in this boat.

The new Wilson frames are Super nice and with a Caspian slide and classic serrations I don't know if they can be beat for looks or qualit. Ned should have a package for me soon

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"The most effective armor is to keep out of range"-Italian proverb

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Very soon. Very, very soon.

The new Wilson frames are really something, I agree. All the outer profiles are done on a 3-axis CNC, using carbide ball end mills and pretty small step- overs, so there's very little tool pressure exerted on the frame. The result is perfect outer contours, although in most builds those step-overs will require a bit of finish work to make them disappear-- but they are not very deep.

The high-grip cut on these frames may not be what some 'smiths would like since it may interfere with their own particular method of high-grip cutting (such is the case with me), but other than that it is adequately high and good looking.

FWIW...

I have a buddy that had a slide from STI that came bald. Gans Guns then did all the machine work on it. From what I gathered, they are hard to get like that...but apparently they are obtainable.

http://gansguns.com/images/7.jpg (If anybody wants to see some race gun work...then check out the rest of his site.)

Does Wilson offer their frames without checkering? I only see with on their website.

I bet they do since the checkering is a different machining procedure...

From my limited experience I'd have to give a vote of no confidence to the new series 70 due to the shallow rollmark that gets washed out in the refinishing, you can lose half of it with a chrome job.. not to mention spending 1000$ for simply the frame and a few parts you'll keep is ridiculous. Otherwise I think aside from getting good quality stuff that is ok'd by the smith a major choice is the style of slide serrations- I like the very fine serrations vs. the thicker wilson types. Were I getting a tactical gun I could see some springfield or older colt rollmarks but for a fancier gun I'd get the caspian or les bear unmarked.

Absolutely.

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CT Brian Custom
'Blending Art With Firepower'