J.H. Fitzgerald at Camp Perry, working on a competitor’s Colt 1911. Better known simply as “Fitz,” Fitzgerald was arguably America’s first true custom pistolsmith. Yes, long before Armand Swenson and the other legendary names that would follow. A former prizefighter and hardware store gun salesman, Fitz joined Colt in 1918 and quickly became the go-to guy for serious competitive shooters.
Before World War I, discerning Colt customers could request special attention to slide, frame, and barrel fit, along with a “sweetened” trigger. Following the war, Colt began offering match barrels, meticulously finished internally with mirror-like bores. Interestingly, little attention was paid to the exterior dimensions of these barrels. The concept of oversized barrels individually hand-fitted to a slide and frame was still a few decades away. Nevertheless, Colt’s craftsmen could select the best-fitting components from existing inventory when assembling a special-order pistol. The result was essentially a precision target pistol hiding beneath the unassuming exterior of a standard Government Model. In his book Shooting, Fitz described his preferred methods for improving the 1911, laying much of the groundwork for the custom pistolsmithing tradition that would flourish in the years to come. Here he is at Camp Perry, cigarette dangling from his lips, working on a competitor’s pistol. No fancy machinery, no modern aftermarket components, just an intimate understanding of John Browning’s design and the skill to make it perform better. Long before custom 1911s became a cottage industry, there was Fitz. Historical information adapted from Walt Kuleck’s M1911 Complete Assembly Guide.