Face5535 Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 30 minutes ago, Cam73 said: Jeremy Reid is next level! That stainless Colt with the shrinking diamond pattern was unbelievable. I dig the work Kirk at Golden Valley Firearms is doing. His rust blue finish is awesome. Far as I know, both of those guys are manual only, super impressive. Reid, is fantastic… Kirk GVC, lol. No. That imitation “frag gun” he recently did was an abomination. Im not a fan at all. That said, a lot of people looking to get a custom at a semi custom price seem to like him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) 36 minutes ago, mandiesel said: Ive had good luck with my pistols from ACW... they are more of shooters than collectables for me. What are you thoughts on Karl Beining (KGB Customs)?? The ACW are fine, as mentioned, just missing some finishing touches, for the money, they are fine! KGB. Karl is a good dude. I often times think he’s looking to sell guns vs build guns. Overall nice stuff but he’s still learning. I don’t think he’s on Reid’s level yet, but I’ve seen some really nice work he’s out out. Edited October 24, 2023 by Face5535 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam73 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Face5535 said: Reid, is fantastic… Kirk GVC, lol. No. That imitation “frag gun” he recently did was an abomination. Im not a fan at all. That said, a lot of people looking to get a custom at a semi custom price seem to like him. Are you referring to the level of workmanship or overall the pistol doesn't suit your specific taste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 19 hours ago, Cam73 said: Are you referring to the level of workmanship or overall the pistol doesn't suit your specific taste? Im referring to both, I’m not going to get into the weeds on this though. Look at his work, if you’re happy with the product he puts out, that’s all that really should matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayDee Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 23 hours ago, Face5535 said: I’ve seen two Chens in person. That said, I have only seen a handful of pictures of Stan’s work. Extremely rare. Got one? pics?! Negative…… I like what I’ve seen but I own several Dan Wessons. Two stock pistols and one from the DW custom shop. The custom is basically a Stainless Valor, brushed chambered in 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam73 Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 3 hours ago, Face5535 said: Im referring to both, I’m not going to get into the weeds on this though. Look at his work, if you’re happy with the product he puts out, that’s all that really should matter. May as well if you are going to blast him like that I have no plans to buy from him, simply not the reaction (based on comments) I've seen from others about his work. To include other serious collectors on your level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 On 10/24/2023 at 5:32 AM, Face5535 said: I’ve seen two Chens in person. That said, I have only seen a handful of pictures of Stan’s work. Extremely rare. Got one? pics?! I'm unlikely to ever have a Chen gun in my hands ... but I love the idea of the Chen Magwell, where you shorten the grip so that the magwell does not extend the grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRPOperator Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 Jeremy Reid or AJ Zito would be my 2. Although both have their books closed I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 9 minutes ago, TRPOperator said: Jeremy Reid or AJ Zito would be my 2. Although both have their books closed I think. AJ is a solid builder too. I don’t have a lot of experience with his stuff directly, however I know he is well respected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokarev Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 Eric Mercier is getting good reviews. He worked for Chambers Custom previously but is now out on his own. Finks Custom working out of Gunsite is also getting some good feedback although he's more of a general gunsmith rather than a dedicated 1911 builder. I have no experience with either. Just passing on what I've seen on some other forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted November 19, 2023 Author Share Posted November 19, 2023 Yeah, I know Eric… and David (who also worked for Joe). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f2benny Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 On 10/22/2023 at 6:16 PM, Face5535 said: IMO Greg Derr is a fraud. He’s been kicked off several high end 1911 forums. He’s lucky to still be listed on the custom handgun guild page. I’ve got nothing against him personally but I don’t deem him a trust worthy individual You don't have anything against a guy, but you say he's a fraud and not trust worthy? I'd hate to think what you'd say if you did have something against him. The guy's an outstanding talent and one hundred percent trust worthy in my own bona fide experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 (edited) 30 minutes ago, f2benny said: You don't have anything against a guy, but you say he's a fraud and not trust worthy? I'd hate to think what you'd say if you did have something against him. The guy's an outstanding talent and one hundred percent trust worthy in my own bona fide experience. I don’t know Greg Derr personally. He might be a very nice person. That said his business practices and the way he has approached things are not ethical. So yeah… I have nothing against him. He’s free to conduct business how he wants. Pretty cut and dry. And if you follow him and support him, great. It’s your money… you want to send your money to him… go for it. Edited November 25, 2023 by Face5535 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 (edited) Further more, maybe you can explain the following.. Greg goes from “pistol smith of the year” which was a joke, to being asked to step down from the guild, and is then banned from the biggest custom 1911 forum on the web? I’ll wait… Edited November 25, 2023 by Face5535 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dranoel Posted December 6, 2023 Share Posted December 6, 2023 A few pieces from my favorite pistolsmith: Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy27al Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 I’ve owned both Nighthawk and Wilson. I enjoyed both. I still regret selling the Wilson CQB - it may have been the perfect 1911. Lead times would control my decision between the two if I ordered today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted December 10, 2023 Author Share Posted December 10, 2023 26 minutes ago, andy27al said: I’ve owned both Nighthawk and Wilson. I enjoyed both. I still regret selling the Wilson CQB - it may have been the perfect 1911. Lead times would control my decision between the two if I ordered today Wilson has really fallen off. I would say they are more of a production custom vs even semi custom. Quality wise, on par with Dan Wesson. NH on the other hand has really upped the level of craftsmanship and quality over the years. Neither are “real customs”, but in the category in which they play, NH is the far superior product in 2023z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) I like the work Business End Customs does. https://www.businessendcustoms.com/ Edited December 20, 2023 by Supermoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyglock Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 57 minutes ago, Supermoto said: I like the work Business End Customs does. https://www.businessendcustoms.com/ I agree. Lou builds a very nice 1911. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 55 minutes ago, donnyglock said: I agree. Lou builds a very nice 1911. 1 hour ago, Supermoto said: I like the work Business End Customs does. https://www.businessendcustoms.com/ I think Lou has made huge strides of late to really get his gats on the right track. Plus his implementation of CNC really allows him to do things he wasn’t able to in the past. It’s been a while since I’ve handle a Biando gun, but I hope to soon. I’m excited to see just how much he’s improved since the last one I handled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyglock Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 11 hours ago, Face5535 said: I think Lou has made huge strides of late to really get his gats on the right track. Plus his implementation of CNC really allows him to do things he wasn’t able to in the past. It’s been a while since I’ve handle a Biando gun, but I hope to soon. I’m excited to see just how much he’s improved since the last one I handled. I agree. I build custom 2011’s and improving your craft is ever evolving. I agree that Lou has made strides in a great direction. He obviously has talent and passion and that’s a great combo for success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGus Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I've got several 1911's crafted by Rich Dettelhouser (Canyon Creek Custom) in 9mm, 40 s&w, and 45 acp for competition use. Rich builds a great gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickAument Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 No love for Ed Brown ? I’ve owned 3 Wilsons and 4 Nighthawks but my Ed Browns have been keepers . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 ive always like Ted Yost's work. he makes beautiful guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Face5535 Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 1 hour ago, NickAument said: No love for Ed Brown ? I’ve owned 3 Wilsons and 4 Nighthawks but my Ed Browns have been keepers . I consider those as semi custom guns… everyone has their own definition of what the difference between custom and semi custom so take that as what you like. I think the stuff NH has been doing has surpassed the rest. Wilson these days has really become a glorified production gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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