Although the lightweight, oval-hole Commander hammer has become the standard on custom .45s — and no doubt, visually, it looks great — Novak uses a traditional round-hole rowel-style hammer because of its added mass. Should debris somehow accumulate in the recess in which the firing pin sits (ever find lint there in your carry gun?), the added weight of the rowel hammer is more likely to drive through it and still fire the pis- tol. On a pistol such as the rail gun, which is likely to see tactical use, things like this aren’t mere details. Perhaps the biggest change No-
vak’s made in the Colt Rail Gun, how- ever, is in the handling department. Already equipped with the relief cut under the base of the triggerguard that lets your hand get higher up on the frame of the pistol (thereby low- ering felt recoil), the frontstrap was checkered by metalsmith Pete Single at 25 lines per inch (LPI). Now almost de rigeur on custom pistols, Pete cre- ated 25 LPI checkering in 1994 as a compromise between 20 LPI, which is too sharp for many people, and 30 LPI, which can be almost unnotice- ably fine. It’s earned its acceptance in the marketplace; while 25 LPI doesn’t cut up your fingers, when you grab the gun, its grabs you back. An
extended, strong-side-only
thumb safety took the place of the factory ambi, and the factory beaver- tail went away as well, replaced with what Novak refers to as the Answer. A one-piece backstrap that combines the functions of the mainspring hous- ing and the beavertail, the Answer completely eliminates the pistol’s grip safety. Originally installed at the re- quest of the Cavalry — “I think we’re beyond that,” as Wayne puts it — the grip safety’s addition of the broad, upswept beavertail feature has re- moved the 1911’s tendency to bite the hand that feeds it, but often at the cost of reduced reliability. Since the rear of the beavertail is upswept, gripping the pistol hard — especially if you shoot
CALL 1(800)SA2-1911 “the MAG GUIDE people”™ when only the BEST will do! ORDER DIRECT and SAVE!
$78.95 Government Model/ Officers’ Model
A L
Mag Guide Available: Flat/Arched SS/BL 20 LPI NEW: Flat now available in Smooth Also Available: Grizzly Flat-SS/BL $89.95
$99.00 Ambidextrous
Magazine Release Gov’t Model, Officers’ Model & Para-Ordnance. SS/BL
NEW–Slim Line Mag Guides & Grips w/screws & bushings
A available in Aluminum Color Catalog Available Same Day Shipping Appropriate shipping charges Dealers Welcome 100% Customer Satisfaction
L available with Lanyard Loop add $10
P.O. Box 299 • Copeville, Texas USA 75121 (800) SA2-1911 • Fax (972) 853-0526
www.smithandalexander.com Hours: M-F, 9am-5pm CST
$95.95 A L
Full Para Mag Guide (For P14/P16 only) Available in:
Flat/Arched-SS/BL 20 LPI
$36.95 “E-Z Fit Hi Grip”®
$36.95 A L
Mainspring Housing Available in: Gov’t Model, Officers’ Model, all Para-Ordnance. 20 LPI Flat/Arched-SS/BL (P10/P12 flat only) (flat smooth available for all of the above)
Safety
.250 radius-Series 70 & 80 .220 radius S70 for Springfields “PalmSwel”/Standard (jig available)
Prices starting at $17.50
S & A Custom 1911 Grips Exotic Woods & Micarta Standard & Slim Line DD, FC & Smooth
The frontstrap of the Colt Rail Gun was expertly checkered by metal- smith Pete Single, in the 25 LPI pat- tern that he pioneered. Grippy yet not painfully so, 25 LPI checkering is a good compromise between the fine 30 and the sometimes brutal 20 LPI.
WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM 77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180