This clapped out roach of an Essex (hand fit to a Colt NM slide and barrel) was made by the venerable Charles Emory Petty Jr. This gun was advertised on Guns International and when I called to inquire about its stated provenance the retired gunsmith on the line said “Charlie was my friend…it’s his personal gun that he built and competed with. Hell I helped him fit the barrel.” Well then…that was good enough for me. So I sent the $600. When I got the gun, the grips came off–“Petty” on the grip handle. Maybe lead with that? But in the south men won’t use 5 sentences when 5 words will do. Charlie was one of those rare gun writers who truly knew firearms from the inside out. Beginning his career as a young U.S. Air Force pistolsmith, Petty learned the art of accurizing the 1911 under master gunsmith Robert W. “Bob” Day, hand-fitting and welding match pistols for the USAF Marksmanship School. He later became a respected competitive shooter, handloader, firearms experimenter and prolific writer, contributing for decades to American Rifleman, American Handgunner, GUNS and other publications. Petty also authored the important 1976 reference High Standard Automatic Pistols 1932–1950. He remained deeply involved with firearms throughout his life, preserving and writing about the old-school pistolsmithing techniques he had learned more than sixty years earlier. Charlie Petty passed away in November 2022, leaving behind an important body of work documenting an era when building an accurate 1911 meant welding, filing and fitting nearly everything by hand. This post is dedicated to his memory. Grips by newcomer Joel Will, who I am starting to really dig. Bulleye forever.
Scattered Shots 