One of the best aspects of building custom guns is that every gun gets to be truly special. A builder may do many guns that are alike or that share similar spec’s but each gun is its own and still unique if only in some small way. Then there are those distinctive projects that let you stretch your arms a bit and take some measure of artistic or inventive license even if only in the form of subtlety.
This gun was special and distinctive on many levels... the customer (Larry Vickers), the scope of the project, and of course the base gun itself, a Colt Pre-War National Match. All of this added to the uniqueness of the build. Although the gun was not a “pristine” example of a Pre-War National Match it was still a thorough gut-check to build on a gun that is, for all intents and purposes, not replaceable. It also brought the “cool” factor up ten fold and I think that shines through in the results.
The theme of the build was pretty simple... a traditionally styled gun that would do justice to the heritage of the Pre-War Colts. Larry wanted a full-house effort and we both agreed that the gun should have traditional looks mixed in with the best modern modifications and parts without taking away from the classic and distinctive quality that the gun already possessed.
After the spec’s were laid out I started with a weld-up frame and slide fit. All the lines on the gun were straightened and addressed and any dents, dings, or pits (such as those seen on the slide flats) were draw filed out. A military NM barrel and bushing were fit to the gun and the standard reliability modifications were performed along with the installation of a bar-stock extractor, EGW firing pin stop and slide stop, and Wilson extended ejector. A traditional Colt Commander style hammer keeps with the theme of the gun and the grip safety, a heavily modified EGW machined part, swings on a thumb safety that mimics a Colt Commercial look and feel while being slightly larger and more user friendly for most. The EGW slide stop was serrated on the bottom at 40lpi and the front strap and mainspring housing were both hand-checkered at 30lpi. The slide top was kept round and fit with a modified PG rear sight and black serrated front sight. Also machined into the slide were ball-cuts which help to add a more retro look to the gun. After a hand-filed de-horn the gun was finished in polished blue and fit with a set of traditional checkered walnut stocks that were custom made by John VanZyck at VZ grips.
This project was a long time in the making but from the very beginning I knew this gun would be something unique... after all, it’s not often that you get to build on the rarest of the rare Colt base guns. I’m much obliged for Larry’s patience along the way and for the opportunity to turn this gun into something special. Without question this was one I was sad to see go home. Enjoy the photos.
Before...
After…
Credit where it’s due: Photos courtesy of our pal Brady at
Monkey Edge.
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