*Sorry,
this
series is sold
out.
Due
to
my current
backlog, I am
only accepting
orders for
full house
customs.
C.T.
Brian
Custom
.45 Commander Review
My
desire for a
C.T. Brian custom
pistol began the
day I received my Jan/Feb '97 issue
of American Handgunner. Tim's customization of a Colt
Commander
was the
cover story.
Of course the review was accompanied by dazzling photos that only
Ichiro Nagata is capable of.
That beautiful Colt caught my eye like no other custom 1911 had,
and I mentally filed Tim’s name as the one I would choose to
build me a
true masterpiece someday, an heirloom if you will. After
years of
waiting, I finally decided
it was time for my own Brian Custom... and now its here!
About
Tim-
Worth noting here is that Tim is a perfectionist when it comes to the
pistols he builds.
There is no part of this gun that has not been modified by his hands
and files.
Every pistol that leaves his bench is of “best
grade”
quality. Tim only builds around a dozen or so
'full house' pistols per year – when you learn that
approximately
80 hours of his time was put into
building my “masterpiece”, you begin to understand
the low
production number.
His goal is to build only the very best, and this he does. His
attention to the smallest of details
is one of his trademarks. The best pistol that Tim has built
is
the one
in front of him right now –
constantly striving to better his skills and knowledge resulted in this
beautiful pistol
reviewed here. Comparing my pistol to the AH Colt he built in
1996
shows the improvements
time has brought to his craftmanship... and his work was Master grade
quality then.
I admit to be “slightly” biased, but I consider Tim
to be the
premier 1911 smith.
His craftsmanship combined with his keen eye for details blurs the line
that separates
art from pistolsmithing. Tim has raised the bar in the custom
1911 field
to a higher plateau.
Parts Used-
Frame/Slide - Les Baer oversize
Barrel – Storm Lake Machine
Barrel bushing - National Match
Sights - BoMar rear, Brian front
Ejector - EGW oversized
Extractor - Wilson Bulletproof
Beavertail - Brown memory groove
Thumb safety - Brown wide/competition
Trigger - Videki
Hammer - Infinity
Sear - EGW Competition
Disconnector - Infinity Tri-Glide
Mainspring Housing - Colt arched
Slide stop - EGW oversized
Magazine catch - Brown extended
Guide rod - standard Colt
Recoils springs - Wolff variable rate
Grips- Hogue cocobolo
Barrel
and slide to frame fitting-
Building a best grade pistol requires not only the skills of a master
pistolsmith, but also the use
of only the best parts. Tim's preferred platform to build on
is a
Baer
frame and slide
with oversized rails. Quoting from Tim's catalog on his
procedure
for
fitting these
two components together: By
a combination of careful
machining
and hand fitting,
a very nice and tight slide/frame relationship is accomplished.
He
also includes
a note about maintaining reliability: As
with any close
toleranced slide/frame fit,
cleanliness is important for reliability to be maintained.
I
can
tell you there is no play
in the fit... its tight but not to tight.
A Storm Lake Machine barrel mated with an National Match bushing is
Tim's choice this time
when building my Commander length 45. He precisely fitted
both
barrel
and bushing. No slop or play
is detectable. I like the fact that Tim fit the bushing tight
enough
that a wrench is
required to remove it, but the supplied plastic wrench works just fine,
which is
important to me as my "finesse" with most anything mechanical leaves a
lot to be desired - the
blueing will last much longer since I won't have to resort to a steel
bushing wrench. Judging by
the targets shown below, Tim knows how to correctly fit a barrel to
maximize accuracy without
compromising reliability... as he told me, you
get the hang of
it after fitting
your first thousand.
The
Trigger-
Tim tuned the trigger to break at a very crisp 4.25 lbs. The
only
way I
can describe it is to state thats it feels
similiar to that of a finely tuned DA revolver trigger. Once
the
trigger pull
begins you can detect a slight “rolling” feel in
the
take-up, a touch I’ve not felt on a 1911 before.
Its very subtle and can really only be felt while slowwwwly working the
trigger. Another CT touch.
Every Master 'smith adds a few modifications to their work to set their
weapons apart from others.
These mods can be purely cosmetic or combine functionality and
cosmetics.
Either way it sets their work apart and gives their customers a little
something special while adding
to the pride of ownership.
Like the French cut border on the slide, Tim's modification to the
Videcki trigger
is purely cosmetic. But its tastefully done and adds to the
overall
beauty and uniqueness
that make up a Brian custom.
Notice in the picture the additional 4 smaller lightning holes Tim has
surrounded the Videcki’s
standard ones with. To further enhance their appearance each hole was
slightly beveled... giving the
industry standard aluminum trigger an eye catching polished look,
- a nice touch indeed!
Slide
details-
The
slide
catches
your full attention when you first examine this
pistol.
This is the most visible touch that seperates a CT Brian pistol from
all others.
The flats have been hand polished to a mirror shine.
The bottom portion of the slide has been beveled inward and matte
finished.
The beveling is a most distinctive touch to almost the same width as
the frame and...
Tim describes this much better than me, so...
Notice
there is a 'breakaway
angle' running
alongside the bottom. This is a precisely
machined cut that brings the bottom edge of your slide very close to
the
side of the frame. Now, instead of the side of the frame
'stepping out'
to the bottom edge of the slide, the slide now angles in to the
frame.
This
leads to a: less printing, and b: a better 'flow'. I know I
use
the
word
'flow' a lot. You'll understand the more you study your
custom. Anyway,
that
bottom 'breakaway angle' of the side will be bead blasted, just like
the
'non flats' of the slide. The remaining flat (which if you'll
notice,
runs out parallel with the uppermost point of the radius cut at the
lower end
of the slide), will be polished. The final effect is that,
when
viewed
from
the side, the upper radius of the slide shows the same amount of
'matte'
finish as does the 'breakaway angle'. The 'strip' between is
highly
polished, as are the flats of the frame. I'm sure I'm not
explaining
this well enough for you to visualize it properly, but I've been
doing
this on my full house customs for a year or so,
and the feedback from my customers has all been positive.
Tim's slide treatment is defintely different from what anyone else is
doing or has done. In addition
to reducing printing,
it is an eye catching addition that lets
you know you're handling
something special. I apologize to Tim for the poor quality of
my photography, believe me, it does not do justice to his artistic
talents.
A
well
executed
yet subtle French border separates the top radius of the slide from
the flats.
The width Tim cuts this at requires a bit of close examination to even
notice its presence...
a cosmetic modification that enhances the look of the pistol
without overwhelming the “whole of the pistol”
look.
A
Masters touch that adds much pride to
ownership of this pistol. The slide's radius is matte
finished. Moving
to the top of the slide
leads to another well executed cosmetic, yet functional
touch.
Tim has flattened and finely serrated the top at 40LPI for an
attractive non glare sight picture.
All sharp edges were broken very tastefully by old fashioned elbow
grease and files.
I much prefer this look to some of the radical
“melt-downs”
that some ‘smiths and
gunmakers offer today. The only sharp edges to be found are
the
serrations on the
front sight. Tim has given my pistol that bar of soap feel
without
compromising
the 1911s sexy lines!
Take
a look at
the fit of the BoMar
sight to the
slide. Not one sliver of daylight showing.
Tim carefully removed metal from the slide to enable the lowest
possible mounting of the
BoMar sight, so low in fact that a small amount of the hammer had to be
removed to clear the
rear of the sight blade! To complete the detailing of the
slide
Tim
serrated the rear to
match those of the BoMar. Notice Tim does not serrate the
extractor.
Whether or not to
serrate the extractor is debatable among ‘smiths.
Tim feels
that
since the
extractor is a replaceable part, it should be left un-serrated. I agree.
There
are a few
other of Tim’s
detailing that
need mentioning. Precise fitting of the grips.
The nicely executed dehorning
on the front of the slide. Its very subtle and easy to
overlook,
but
its there.
The ejection port was lowered and flaired to ensure complete
reliability.
All cuts are perfectly square. Even the recoil spring plug
and
cocking
serrations
did not escape Tim’s eyes nor files.
Details.
Details. Details.
Frame
details-
Featuring
hand
polished
flats and matte finished rounds, the frame was given the
full attention of Tim and his files. All edges were once
again
tastefully broken.
Tim perfectly executed 30lpi checkering on the front strap and main
spring housing.
Father time combined with hand checkerer’s aches and pains
have
changed the way Tim now
accomplishes his checkering. He uses a mixture of homemade
tools
and
old fashioned hand files
now where once he did 100% of his checkering by hand. The
results
have
not changed.
Not a flaw is to be found. The cuts are straight and deep and
then the
diamonds are lightly
hand broken to provide the surest of grips without being too
sharp.
Perfect for a carry gun.
Take a look at the way Tim blends his checkering into the handsome
grips. One detail you cannot see is how Tim has carefully
blended
the diamonds around the magazine well. Tim charges a premium
price for
his checkering... once you find out the time consuming process he uses
you’ll understand why – and once you have a CT
Brian pistol
in your hand, you’ll know it was money well spent!
Cameron
Hopkins
best described
Tim’s treatment of the Colt mainspring housing.
The
mainspring housing is a work
of art unto itself. Tim starts with an arched unit and blends
it
to the
frame
by filing it to match. The result is a
“sunken”
mainspring
that literally feels like
the gun was left in the sun to long and it melted into the frame.
True
perfection!
The beavertail was hand filed and fitted to give the highest grip
possible. Tim fits this safety so that only the slightest
amount
of
pressure is needed to depress it. A feature truly appreciated
by
me as
it
insures that even a poorly aquired grip by my
hand guarantees
the gun will fire.
The thumb safety was given similar treatment. Tim fitted the
oversized safety to the frame and then filed and recontoured
it to give it the most comfortable fit. Thanks to careful
filing
and
polishing, there is no "bite" to the thumb. On/off engagement
is
positive
without being too tight.
The
slide stop
was not
overlooked. Its edges were
subtly rounded.
The modification that Tim made to the slide stops protruding pin has
become one of his signature “marks”. The
pin was
flattened
and recessed
to fit into its now chamfered frame hole. While the
likelehood of
the
slide stop
being accidently engaged during a gunfight is very slight, it is
something
that Tim saw happen just one time in one of the many advanced training
courses
he has participated in. That one time was enough, and being
the
sort of
man unwilling to tempt
Mr. Murphy more than necessary, Tim takes care of this in a very eye
pleasing way.
How
it shoots-
Tim included 3 targets shot from a Ransom Rest at 25yds (normally Tim
shoots at 50yds but those
Rocky Mountain cross-winds did not cooperate on range day).
Two ammo types were shot, Tim’s 200gr LSWC shop load along
with
230gr Hydra Shoks.
SOP for Tim is to include the average groups rather than the best...
I
make it a practice never to send a customer the 'smallest group
of the day'.
I found that to be refreshing and indictive of Tim’s true
character- completely honest.
The "worst" 5 shot group using Tim's ammo measured out at 1-1/4", with
most of the groups averaging 1".
The Federal premium defensive ammo really shined in my
pistol.
The
largest group shot was 1".
On the whole, the HS typical group hovered around 3/4". No
question
about it, the man builds a shooter!
Finishing
touches-
A lot of old world craftsmanship
shows in Tim’s
pistols.
Though strictly cosmetic, the grip screws are
“timed”, that
is, the slots are
evenly vertical aligned. All pins are fitted flush with the
frame.
All lines are straightened and tooling marks removed.
This pistol was given Tim’s “Master Grade
Blue”
treatment. A time consuming process where only
hand polishing is used. You know its worth the extra money
when
your
pistol has,
to quote Tim, A
deep, dark and rich blue that never ceases to
amaze.
The finish is indeed beautiful, the flats having a true, almost black
mirror-like
appearance that contrast nicely with the matte finished non-flat
surfaces.
Summation-
Working together with Tim on this project was a pleasure. We
communicated frequently via
email, by phone when important details needed hashing out.
Though
we've
never met, a friendship
was forged, one that goes further than a business
relationship.
That
means a lot to me.
Here
are a few
quotes from Tim that
tell you a lot
about the man, his work ethic and his
thoughts about what his customers will
receive in a CT
Custom.
Billy,
I've got to say that as
much as you've
complimented my work, you
also deserve a great big pat on the back. You've been
excellent
to work
with.
A
true gentleman
who appreciates his
customers.
On
any custom I make, attention
to detail is of
the utmost importance.
Each and every part is individually modified until it achieves
absolute
perfection,
both aesthetically and ergonomically... The difference in my
work
comes
from making sure all of the parts and pieces that make up a pistol
‘flow’ together.
Flow
is a word
you'll hear often from
Tim. Its hard
to explain this with words...
to hold a CT pistol is to understand. What makes a Brian
pistol
unique
are the small, almost hidden
details of his work that you discover almost every time you examine his
work.
You
see, I believe in pride of
ownership. The
pride that comes from
knowing you own the very best...
Thanks
for your happiness and
faith in my work.
That, my friend, is my goal.
To be and offer only the best.
Meticulous
attention to details
coupled with his
skills, knowledge and a drive to make
each pistol better than his last, have positioned Tim at the top of his
profession. Not one to rest on his laurels, Tim will be
introducing a
limited edition
pistol aimed at those who choose a compact 1911 for concealed
carry.
This pistol features several innovative designs to the 1911 style
pistol which
enhance concealability. Look for this pistol to be reviewed
in
depth
in an upcoming 'GUNS' issue. The desire to be the
best and offer only the best still burns brighty inside Tim!
If
you want the
best 1911 that can be
had... you owe
it to yourself to get in touch
with C.T.
Brian. I'm
glad I
finally did!