Mike Searson's blog

It all started with a 1911-A1. I had long been a fan of Colt's venerable single-action semiautomatic Government model since I first fired one as a 17 year-old Marine recruit. In the years since I bought a number of Colts and assorted clones from Springfield Armory. In the spring of 1992 I decided to build my own. I used an Essex Arms frame, a Colt slide and painstakingly stippled the front strap with a steel punch.