The Nasty–a 1966 Colt Supercomp II by Nastoff’s 45 shop. Steve Nastoff was among the best gunsmiths in the 80s and 90s, with a waiting list that frequently exceeded 5 years. He made the .45 comp gun that Jerry Barnhart won the 1987 IPSC Nationals with. After that, he was king for a decade. Look at this thing, it’s all there–sharp edges of the Bomar are surgically radiused and masterfully dovetailed, skeletonized blue commander hammer with sharp checkering (a Nastoff trademark), fine checkering fore and aft, checkered trigger guard, compensator and tungsten guide rod to reduce muzzle flip, and a swaged magwell, a sphincter-puckering blacksmithing moment for any gunsmith. Steve was the best of the best, with his flawless metalworking, sculpted beavertails, and meticulous attention to detail. It is because of this that his guns are highly sought after by contemporary collectors and rarely found anywhere on the secondary market. The stark reality is that there exists an inverse relationship between this level of craftsmanship and profit. This is why most one man shops don’t survive. Steve left gunsmithing in 2001 to work for the government— specifically the firearm laboratory at INS. This timeless 1911 is now shod in Spegel grips…so in my mind, it has been properly honored. Anything less on this gun is an abomination. I bought this masterpiece from industry legend (and world renown M1 Garand expert) Scott Duff. I guess I’ll be its steward for a few decades. Swipe left to see Steve and Jerry handling their business. Now who was “JB” marked on the rear of the slide? John Bonham? James Brown? Na–it’s world class shooter Jerry Barnhart. These guns have stories.
Scattered Shots 