Colt 70 series in .45 ACP built by Kings Gunworks in Glendale CA. Kings was owned and operated by a paisan named Arnold Capone. Al was largely a self-taught smith. He apprenticed as a teenager for the Hoegee Company until the company’s doors closed in 1949. He opened his own shop in Monterey Park, California, where he serviced customers like Tennessee Ernie Ford, an avid Colt Single Action Army handgun collector. Later he launched the iconic King’s Gun Works in Los Angeles, borrowing the King name from the then defunct DW King. With the help of Jeff Cooper (who wrote about Kings frequently) the shop became a favorite of combat shooters. It might well be argued that they built some of the first custom combat 1911s….yes before Swenson. Prior to Kings, custom gunsmiths like Shockey, Dinan, Giles, and Chow were focused on accuracy work for Bullseye shooting. In the early years, Capone was assisted by a smith who would go on to receive great acclaim…a cat by the name of Jimmy Hoag. Ted Yost once told me “guns are only original once, after that, they either get better or worse…you pick.” I usually pick better, so I sent this beautiful gun to @kgb_customs who threw a slew of original Kings parts (507 slide stop, 307 recoil cap, 301 GC trigger) at this old girl and treated her to new chrome and a slide refinish. Now it’s a forever gun.
Scattered Shots 