Matte finish in a famous revolver model means cheap work to me.
I've heard that many of the skilled machinists and polishers at the major gun companies have grown old, retired or simply let go.
Having said that, my own favorite Colt 1911 Government Model has been heavily customized by a young gunsmith fresh out of school!
He bead blasted the stainless pistol, lowered the ejection port and smoothed the feed and action, added a Swenson dual safety, a beavertail and a nylon trigger and a Hogue grip. Oh yes, trijicon sights.
Mark Krebs later moved on to his own shop in Waukonda, IL, focusing exclusively on modifications to and specialized components for AK-47s, and he is generally regarded as the best in that field. I've heard that he is so popular that he doesn't even deal direct with customers anymore, leaving that to 3 or 4 distributors of his products.
He did a fine job on my Colt!
Norm
