[Dane Burns]

 

[Shay]

This is the gun that Walt Rauch tested in Combat handguns March 99 IIRC. I noticed a few Typos in the article and also felt it didn't go in depth for anyone that knows a quality 1911, the pictures however spoke for themselves and got my attention to the quality of BCP and Danes “combat oriented” way of thinking while building a fighting tool. I read the article again and again and fantasized about 1 day owning a gun by Dane in 9x23.

My lucky day and the same gun I looked at in that magazine comes up for sale.

Dane- how about sharing with us a description, list and thoughts as you built this baby.

My trigger finger is itching :smile:

Thanks for everything,

Shay

 

[Dane Burns]

For you my friend? Of course :grin:

Gun was indeed built in 1998 and published in the spring of '99. I remember asking Walt what kind of grips he prefered. His answer was ivory of course :roll: Not my idea for a fighting hand gun then or now. The gun originally had Carbon Fiber. Those were replaced with Micarta for the first owner. The gun's new owner requested BCP hand cut African Blackwood. That is the only thing changed on this gun since the article.

Bottom line? Like so many other BCPs this one is built from the best parts available at the time. A few things have changed but not many. Every part is some how touched, fitted, modified or polished on this gun, by hand. It was build to be taken apart by hand for hard use in the "field"..

The original typos occured because I had left an old reciept for a 45 under the foam of the gun case I sent the gun in and mistakenly Walt used it to write the article on the 9x23 specs!

Here is the true story of that gun. The slide and frame came from CMC. One of the rare CMC 9mm slides. The gun was fit up rather loose in frame to slide fit. I installed a match BarSto 9x23 barrel which was chambered in house with my reamer design, cut and crowned flush for protection. My preference for a hard use carry gun until just weeks ago was serrations. This gun has 25 lpi serrations front and back, along with a good melt over the entire gun. There are no sharp edges. The best ignition parts available in '98 were CMC EDM tool steel parts, so that is what is in the gun. AFTEC extractor of course. This gun has it all, but nothing extra either. Solid Vedicki trigger, what else! Single sided safety, trimmed and a recountoured grip safety. Heinie Slant Pros with inserts. Sights were low mounted using the original specs for milling on a Colt slide.

Hard Chrome by Metaloy. (who else makes a 3 year gun look so good!) Gun has been carried a LOT by the original owner. Only the sights show a tiny bit of blueing wear. I challenge any "paint on finish" to that test. To my knowledge it has never had a malfunction, EVER, with Rauch or Venezia shooting it, me or the owner of several years and around 3000 rounds total I suspect.

Knock on wood Shay!

Joe Venezia was able to shoot a 1.75" 5 shot groups during Rauch's tests. I have shot 10 round, sub 1" groups with my hand loads and the same gun from a bench.

Walt was nice enough to write it up and I am grateful. Rauch's last comment in the "Combat Handguns" was pretty accurate at the time and may still be. It says a lot. "He's probably built more 1911s in 9x23 than any other pistolsmith in the US."

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dane Burns on 2001-11-04 01:30 ]</font>

 

[Guest]

Congrats Shay,
That is a very nice 9x23 and I hope you lament in being faster than the rest of us to the for sale section.....by the time I read the post the gun was sold but I suspect Bruce got there ahead of me as well.

 

[Bruce]

Yes, Shay, congrats to a good guy getting a real keeper there.

David I tried, but, was too slow....

 

[Booger]

So where do you buy ammo for these? I called around, but no one around here stocks it.
Most of the shops had no idea what it was.
How to you keep them fed?

 

[jm10mm]

Some of us buy the components and make our own. Factory can be had mail order or internet. Ammoman.com or Natchez(?)There are others. Factory White box runs about 10-12 dollars. Hollow points are more expensive in the twenties.