I was kind of lucky, because I started shooting for the Army Marksmanship Unit, where all my guns were built for free by Army guys like Larry Leutenegger or Jack Maple (I was issued one of the last ones he built before retiring). Later on, I had M9s built by Tony Kidd and Justin McMillan. I know what a good gun looks like and how it shoots. I also know who builds civilian guns, who the pretenders are and who did (and does) nice work. Like I mentioned in a previous post, the bullseye gunsmithing community is small; good guns make their builders justly famous. Word travels fast. Lots of gunsmiths for the 1911 are two steps above a parts-changer; hitting an IDPA target at 10 feet doesn't properly showcase your accuracy work. Too bad the OP didn't want to listen; maybe his 'Smith builds awesome guns in obscurity. He must be; after all, he built the ones the champs are using that we THOUGHT were built by the the great 'smiths. Building a good gun is expensive. I would have played the odds, found someone out there that knew what he was doing (lots of GOOD advice was given here) and had a great gun built. And it wouldn't have been any more expensive than a 2nd-rate pistol. Too easy. Hope I wasn't too blunt.
Bob
Last edited by RGK; 01/06/14.
