I recently took possession of my first C.T. Brian custom pistol, a .45acp Commander built on a Baer oversized frame and slide. I can tell you than Tim's work is second to none and his guns shoot as good as they are beautifully built.
His craftmanship was first featured in the Jan/Feb '97 issue of AmHandgunner. That Colt he customized eventually led me to having my own Brian 1911 built. The wait was worth it- I apologozie to Tim, as my pics do not do justice to this beautiful rendition of JMBs 1911. But, I didn't have enough $$ to hire Ichiro Nagata, so they'll have to do. :wink:
You'll notice that this pistol has the dreaded thumb safety hole. I've never thought it was that big a deal, but I did ask Tim to explain why its present on this pistol:
Very simple. I take my beavertails so high, that when you blend the thumb safety to 'flow' with that area, you have to remove enough metal that the hole is partially exposed when the thumb safety is in the up position. If you'll take a look at it in the down position, you'll see what I mean about matching the contour of the beavertail
area.
I also suspect that our choice of the Brown thumb safety and beavertail made the hole more evident than say, Wilson parts might have. Irregardless, its a non-issue with me. I'm glad to have the highest grip possible with the parts I wanted, and if that results in the hole showing a bit, so be it.
Tim is a heckuva nice guy and very easy to work with. The communication line is always open. He offers no "packages" opting to let his customers choose exactly what features they want their custom to have.
I could not be more pleased with the work that Tim did. His attention to details is one of his trademarks. Speaking of trademarks, take a good look at the bevel treatment that runs the length of the slide. Very eye-catching modification that sets his pistol apart from any others.
Just a little note- the issue of GUNS that hits the stands next month will feature a new design of Tim's- its a real slick carry pistol with a couple of unusual modifications that enhance concealibility w/o sacrificing shootability.
my full review of the Commander
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BK on 2001-06-20 15:45 ]</font>
