Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Building a retro 1911 a la' the Pachmayr Combat Special?

you are welcome.
Craig

Absolutely agree, glad to hear you say it. Frame to slide fit is 99% snob appeal and 1% performance. It's the biggest expenditure of dollars for the least return.

those are my grip safeties. Custom built at The Auto Shop as I have described, built up with weld and fit to frame.
Craig.

Oldpistolsmith, it is great to hear from someone else that spent some time building 45's at Pachmayr's. I was there a year or so ahead if you and they called me by a nickname of Chuck. I had a great time and learned a lot about 45's and custom work from Tom and some of the other smiths there including Mr. Pachmayr.
The only parts I remember getting from another shop were the safeties. At the time I was there we were doing more work on Signature models than Combat Specials, but I think the Specials were just taking off at the time.
I remember the hammer work on the rails of the frame and trying to get those rails on the slide of a Series 70 to take a set when squeezing them in a vice. You are absolutely right about the fit of the slide to the frame. The only thing that matters is where every thing is when the bullet leaves the muzzle. It doesn't have to be tight, just repeatable. Most shooters at the time had to have a tight slide. We gave it to them.
We had two or three earthquakes and I headed back to Georgia. I have lots of great memories about that shop and we were building some of the most accurate 45's made. Wish I had one.

I wish I had one too. Unfortunately most of my guns, including all of my .45s were stolen in 1998. It had such a bad effect on me that only until about three years ago could I start "playing" with guns.

Old Pistolsmith, sorry to hear that someone stole most of your guns. Care to tell us how it happened? Never know that it might help prevent the same happening to one of us.

BTW, I had Pachmayr build a .280 Remington on a 1909 Argentine Mauser action, back in 1979. Apex barrel, Canjar trigger, etc., etc. Frank took me through his wood warehouse and helped me pick out a beautiful English Walnut blank.

Over the years I've killed elk, Black bear, der, and antelope with it. A fine rifle.



L.W.

it was a house guest, friend of my daughter at the time. While she and were at work, he cleaned me out.
Here is the lesson, beside not trusting other people, all of my guns were recorded in our gun shop's FFL log, my father who ran the paperwork and gun sale side of the shop passed away in 1990.
I presumed I would always be able to find the log with the serial numbers of my guns. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with numbers to give the police. So record those numbers somewhere you always know you can find them.
Also, do you remember who did your rifle?
Was it Kevin MacCullagh or Freddie Brunner?

Thanks for the info on the theft of your firearms. Sorry you never got them back.

As for my rifle, I believe it was Kevin MacCullagh. I think after Pachmayr Gun Works closed, he went out to The Reloading Bench in the Valley, as a gunsmith. (??)

L.W.

I believe Kevin went to Kings in Burbank and then into his own business of making special effect firearms for the movie business. I'm probably wrong, lost a lot of brain cells in the last 35 years.
The other gunsmith could have been Steve Alexander. A very talented guy whose main love and specialty was building reproductions of classic black powder rifles. Steve also did long gun work there. He is still working in the mid west somewhere.
I have fond memories of Harry Ruffle (worked for me in the 45 dept) Kevin and Steve setting the San Gabriel gun range on fire when Harry shot his home made black powder cannon. It was a small fire and we put it out easily. If you did not know, the prerequisite to being a gunsmith is being a pyromaniac first.

I'm with you on the loss of brain cells. Kinda goes with getting older, huh?

I was mistaken about McCullough being at The Reloading Bench. I went through a whole bunch of old business cards from when I lived in Los Angeles, and found Kevin McCullough's business card from when he was at the Pony Express Gun Store out in Sepulveda, after Pony Express moved there from Encino.

If I remember correctly I had my Pachmayr rifle there for a different set of rings and Kevin recognized it and said he'd help build it at Pachmayr's several years earlier. The other gunsmith at Pony Express at that time was Gary Hardwick.

Almost all those gun stores are closed now.

L.W.