Category Archives: Guns

1911_purview Colt Series 80 Officers ACP in .45 ACP by Glendale, Arizona pistolsmith Kent Singletary. By almost any measure, Arizona was—and still is—a virtual epicenter of the custom pistolsmithing world. While California gave birth to much of the early custom 1911 movement, many of the industry’s greatest craftsmen eventually migrated to the Arizona desert. WhyContinue reading “Kent Singletary Custom Officers”

1911_purview This Colt chambered in .45 ACP was built by one of America’s finest metalsmiths, the legendary Pete Single. Pete is often described as “the man behind the man” because, during the golden era of custom 1911 pistolsmithing, he performed checkering, machining, and precision metalwork for many of the most respected pistolsmiths in the UnitedContinue reading “Pete Single Custom Colt”

1911_purview This is a 1979 Colt long-slide in .45 ACP by Bill North. Photo of Bill is from 1981 at the Fort Harmar range. When I first saw this gun I thought someone ruined a Hoag. Hoag was CLEARLY North’s influence when he built it. Let’s see, machined and welded up slide extension to houseContinue reading “Bill North Custom 1979 Colt Long Slide”

Soviet use of M16s in their war in Afghanistan

1911_purview 1976 Colt 70 series 1911 in .45 ACP by Captain George Worthy out of Salinas CA. George was a special forces Green Beret in Vietnam and his handle was “George of the Jungle, which we see inscribed on the gas tank of his motorcycle. Following his military service he was a gunsmith in SalinasContinue reading “George Worthy Custom Colt”

From the RIA Blog The same day Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, Lt. Thomas R. Moss strained against the controls of his B-24 — named “Invictus” by his wife Margie — during a raid on the oil refineries of Ploesti, Romania. While Allied forces fought to overpower the defenses of “Fortress Europe,” Moss’sContinue reading “An Unconquerable Singer M1911A1”