I want to hear what our Addicts feel are the Mount Rushmore of current 1911 Custom Gunsmiths. Recent being having built in last 5 years & still alive. Being Mount Rushmore you can only name four Gunsmiths to fill your carvings.
Mount Rushmore of Current 1911 Custom Gunsmiths
BattlebornNV
21 - 40 of 129 Posts
Joined
·
1,010 Posts
I add @RCSchauland for sure. I don't experience w/ many of top builders outside of him. But the work he has done on 4-5 of my guns has been outstanding.
Joined
·
11,882 Posts
Based on pictures of guns he’s done. I would think Derr would be mentioned.
Joined
·
760 Posts
You are a bad, bad man man
Joined
·
6,490 Posts
Novak's by all accounts builds a good gun but I dont think that they are anywhere near this standard, this is based purely on personal feedback members gave me when I posted a thread about doing a build with them - several folks PM'd me and told me based on the smiths/guns I run that I would be disappointed in Novaks and these were all folks who owned and were happy with Novaks guns.
Joined
·
6,490 Posts
Re Reid, I think its just because of his volume, there arent enough of his guns out there in people's hands to know one way or another. Personally, I love his work when I see him post it and he is someone I would be pursuing once I move out of the PRK.
Joined
·
6,490 Posts
Honestly and maybe, I am just too picky, when you limit the selection to smiths who are alive and have built guns in the last 5 years I think its a fairly small field at least for me of ones that reach the mountain level.
Joined
·
4,347 Posts
I said this mostly in jest. But honestly, there's probably only a handful of guys here with collections broad enough to give honest selections. I've certainly not owned the works from all the smith's cited in this post, but I have pistols from some of them. Does anyone here?
I think Burton and Rogers easily meet this criterion, but who are the other two??
Joined
·
11,882 Posts
My Mount Gun Guys would include a who & why.
Burton:
His complete attention to form, fit & function. His skills in using both machinery & hand held tools to do precision, quality workmanship.
Sbardella:
For the determination to make major parts from forgings rather than someone else’s work. Taking ownership from cradle to delivery.
Robinson:
He isn’t above letting customers paint a picture of what they want and he creates it out of metal.
Even though it ends up with his name & reputation on it.
#4 unnamed at this time:
Several fall into the category of design, program and machine operators.
Burton:
His complete attention to form, fit & function. His skills in using both machinery & hand held tools to do precision, quality workmanship.
Sbardella:
For the determination to make major parts from forgings rather than someone else’s work. Taking ownership from cradle to delivery.
Robinson:
He isn’t above letting customers paint a picture of what they want and he creates it out of metal.
Even though it ends up with his name & reputation on it.
#4 unnamed at this time:
Several fall into the category of design, program and machine operators.
Joined
·
50 Posts
I dont feel i have the experience to pic from all of them but my first four i would buy
Rogers
Christiansen
Biondo
Chen
I have a rogers (its swanky but dont think its a full custom but it fuctions flawless would love to buy one of i can ever get the chance) biondo on order those are the two that spoke to my soul first anywho
Id go after chen next
Rogers
Christiansen
Biondo
Chen
I have a rogers (its swanky but dont think its a full custom but it fuctions flawless would love to buy one of i can ever get the chance) biondo on order those are the two that spoke to my soul first anywho
Id go after chen next
Joined
·
2,988 Posts
The Renaissance artists of 1911's.We've been blessed.
Joined
·
3,443 Posts
I think to comment one must own must own at least one example from the smith on your list. I also think the recommendation is more meaningful if you were the one who commissioned the pistol vs buying a complete build. With that criteria in mind my 4 are
Ted Yost
John Harrison
Jim Garthwaite
Don Williams
Ted Yost
John Harrison
Jim Garthwaite
Don Williams
21 - 40 of 129 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
