PS-It's a well known fact Dane seems to prefer working on Kimbers, and Larry Vickers likes Springfields.
I am going to bust on Monty a bit here. I refrained from saying exactly what Dick Heiine or Larry Vickers prefer. I actually did know what both prefered at one time. It may have changed by now. If it were me I would call them up...either will answer the phone and ask them. I suspect it is the same from Novak's.
That said, of the guns I actually use today, my primary gun is a Springfield, my favorite personal gun a lightly customized Colt Series 80 in stainless. If I get a chance to build one for myself it will be a Caspian slide and a Jericho frame.
Now where do you read in my quote anything about Kimber. I don't shoot a Kimber myself, don't own a personal Kimber, and am not building myself a Kimber now or in the future. I thought it was clear that I
PREFER to build on a Caspian slide and a Jericho (which includes Wilson, CMC, Nowlin and of course Kimber) frame. If I was not clear hopefully it is now.
There is a reason I do an great deal of work on customer's Kimber guns. First they are sold at a very good price point. Second that are a very good value for the money and third the guns work out of the box generally.
The down side to Kimber is cosmetic for me.
I prefer working on 1911s. The best buy in 1911s IMO are the Kimber guns.
They are NOT my first choice for a gun to build a full custom gun on.
If I get a chance to build a custom 1911 for myself it will be a Caspian slide and a Jericho frame.
Hopefilly that is cleared up,
AGAIN :grin:
Best advice given here is from Bruce, who said call your smith of choice up and
ask him to build you a gun. My suggestion is don't ask them to build something that is out of their ordinary venue and choose the style you prefer from all our comparative wares. That way you'll both (customer and smith) will get satisfaction and enjoyment from the end product.
Just to add to this a bit from the original question:
Some may know this or not but I have a serious fetish about big bore bolt guns. :grin: I have built a number myself but realised that the level of rifle I wanted was beyond my time and experience. I started working with Mike Kizler who has both the experience and ability to build as good of rifle as anyone alive today. I have had several rifles from the likes of Rigby, Westley Richards, Griffin & Howe and Dakota besides other name rifle smiths.
By the time I met Mike I knew a little about rifle making and even more about the rifles I wanted made. Between the two of us I now own the finest rifle I have ever owned. I have 3 more coming from Kizler. I have no doubt that all will be as good as or better than the one I have beside my desk at the moment. The only mistakes in this rifle, a VZ-24 in 9.3x62, are the design flaws I made when ordering the rifle. The same mistakes Kizler warned me about originally. Imagine that :grin: The best guns are a design collaboration of the end user and the smith. But a smart end user would listen intently to the preferences of a good smith.
My next three rifles won't have the design flaws. I'll let the smith do what he does best :grin:
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dane Burns on 2001-10-20 14:11 ]</font>
