Pachmayr Combat Special

[Steve J]

I just ran across my build sheet from March of 1979 for my Pachmayr Combat Special. The wait time for a custom Pachmayr was interminable. Three years later (yes 3 years) in April of 1982, life happened, I gave up on ever getting it or being able to afford it once it was ready (newly married and well on my way to divorce), and had them pull my pistol from their warehouse and send it back to me unaltered. Alas, woe is me.

I hope the prices give you young guns a good laugh.

$290 --- Colt Series 70 Government Model

$366 --- Pachmayr Combat System

$12 --- Red insert front sight

$20 --- National Match long trigger

$30 --- Ambindextrious safety

$15 --- Radius complete sight

$35 --- Extended slide release

$22 --- King's SS recoil buffer & plug

$45 --- Furnish and fit 3 extra magazines

$15 --- Hard chrome plate 4 magazines

$3 --- Hard ball ammo test

$6 --- Shipping and handling

$859 -- Grand Total

[Paul Burtchell]

Unreal Steve.

And now for $4,600.00 you can have the latest version

http://www.pistoldynamics.com/CS_Classic_1.pdf

[sfinney]

And you could have owned an original on gunsamerica.com for $2500 -

http://www.gunsamerica.com/976842722/Guns/...BAT_SPECIAL.htm

[Steve J]

Michael LaRocca is another smith who was building them at Pachmayr at the time. He too is doing a modern version of the Combat Special. http://www.laroccagunworks.com/combat_specials.shtml

I'll tell you another thing I didn't find out until years later. 1983-84 while I was busy getting divorced and starting a career in the Army that would keep me out of the country for the next 15 years was exactly when IPSC matches started at the Abilene Gun Club, and Bob and Ginny Greider (of Greider Precision) were customizing 1911s for combat (read: IPSC matches) out of their garage just a few blocks from my boyhood home. They ran an add in every issue of American Handgunner back then. I never noticed it. I was oblivious to what I had missed until a few years ago.

[Powder Finger]

Bob was something else. I remember him showing me a 9mm around the mid 80's.

It was for steel only, fixed barrel (like a S&W 41) the slide basically gone up front except for

rails & spring tunnel. Then it had a front sight that stuck out an inch or so (to get long sight radius).

I think they must have hung around with Jim Boland at least they came up with the same

way out there ideas.

[Jaxshooter]

You can also own a 427 Cobra that was 7500.00. It sells for over 1 million today.

[Steve J]

Jeff Cooper's Pachmayr Combat Special from the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation site.

Edited June 12, 2009 by Steve J

[Carmoney]

I don't think Uncle Jeff would have been thrilled with the Bo-Mar sight. Besides, he believed that beavertails are for pussies--if a standard grip safety chopped up your hand, well you just need to toughen up, son.

I think it looks like a neat gun, though!

[Brian Gonsalves]

Here's mine!

[Steve J]

Now I'm jealous, Brian. That's a beauty. Looks like it's in mint condition.

[Eagle Mike]

Here is a pair of pistols from Pachmayr's shop.

The Govt. model was circa 1975 and the Combat Commander circa 1985.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Eagle Mike

[Steve J]

Very nice, Mike. Thanks for letting us see them.