Custom 45 ACP

      Here's one of my best Colt handguns.   It's a custom 45 auto that has several unique features.   Most of the custom machine work on this handgun was done by Dwight Hall . . . . a good shooting buddy of mine.   He is a skilled part time gunsmith and a terrific craftsman.   The most unique thing about this pistol is that when we started this project, it was long before there were any compensated 45s anywhere.   Having nothing to copy, we built and tested several prototype designs that all used a very short slide to unlock the barrel.   We came across this final configuration around the time that the first custom long slide 45s started showing up in the gun magazines.

      All together it took about 2 years (in our spare time) to complete this pistol.   Getting it to function with 100% reliability was no small task.   This pistol earned the name "Albatross" because of all the experimental engineering required to get it working properly.   This particular pistol works great with an unusually short slide and a fairly long compensator.   However, this combination is seldom used on todays compensated 45s because of the difficulty in getting them to function with 100% reliability.   We discovered that a long, heavy compensator has too much downward leverage (on the barrel) when used with a short slide.   This handgun required a Teflon tip in front of the recoil spring extension tube, to support the heavy compensator when the slide is in motion.   This pistol now functions perfectly, and its accuracy is outstanding.

      There are several other features that are very noticeable when this gun is in your hand.   The flared magazine well isn't an "add-on" extension.   The lower part of the frame was cut-away, and it was replaced with a huge beveled magazine well that was welded to the frame.   This design maintains the original height of the frame.   The grips have a coarse, sharp texture that really helps control recoil when your hands get sweaty.   The grips were made by coating a thinned pair of "Rogers Grips" with epoxy, then spreading a layer of sharp 80 grit abrasive on top.   Try this for a super non-slip grip.   I call them "Gravel Grips".   You can easily make a custom set of grips like this, for less than it would cost to buy an original pair of grips.