Colt 70 series 1911 in .45 ACP by Lou Biondo out of Business End Customs in Peabody MA. I asked Lou to build me a Colt for years but he always refused on the grounds that the gun would never be as good as a gun he could build me on his (much straighter) frames and slides. But, the heart wants what the heart wants…and I wanted a Colt. A couple years ago he texted me in progress pics of this 1911 with a message that said “do you know any idiots who want this piece of shit?” We both knew damn well I was that idiot. I only wanted two things: Morse code every inch of it and paint it black! Well, Sinister Grey to be exact. The rest is history as they say. I’m typically a two tone Colt (with checkering) guy, but for years I have admired the rock star aesthetic of Lou’s builds. When I see Lou’s guns I see Metallica playing out the back of a matte black SS Chevelle resto mod with downpipes. If Darth Vader carried a 1911—BEC. Every single millimeter this gun has been massaged in some way. The bevels on this gun sooth my OCD and the engineering, execution, and machine work are second to none. There isn’t a sharp edge anywhere on this gun, and in the hand, it feels like a worn set of leather gloves. What’s Lou like? Swipe left—he’s like that, and he talks like Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. He’s a paisan from the East coast who gunsmiths out of a shell of a broken body, hobbled by years of competitive hockey. When he’s not building some of the best 1911s in the world, he is squeezing more horsepower out of his muscle car or taking cannolis to his father. This for me this is a “forever gun” and I’m grateful to own it
