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Thread: Sweeney's new 1911 book

  1. #1
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    Sweeney's new 1911 book

    Just picked up Patrick Sweeney's new book 100 years of the 1911. Very good, excellent detail and pictures. If you like 1911's or gun history you should get it. Amazon has it for cheap.
    The section on current master gunsmiths is very good. It is followed by a chapter on modern military usage of 1911's. His brief discussion of the current USMC 1911's, commonly known as MEU (SOC) 1911's, left a lot out and had several incorrect statements. Hopefully he got it right about Deltas use of 1911's but I wouldn't know for sure. Other than that it is very good.

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    Thanks for the review. Are his books usually pretty accurate? I'm always kind of leary of him since he seems to be a typical mainstream gun rag writer.
    Owner/Instructor at Resolute Response
    Assistant Instructor at Protective Shooting Concepts

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    Post his list of smiths for me if you don't mind... Curios, I know he is on LTW and I wonder if he stepped on any toes...

    I have a few of his books and he is pretty good, for 1911 I think Clawson is the best source for a lot of things....

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    I'm not his biggest fan. He gets technical things right, but then he flaunts certain 'smiths that I believe are nutcases.

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    Not to hijack the thread, but I long to see some of the smiths write a book.

    In an early 90s American Handgunner article, Ed Brown wrote that most people don't know that smiths buy guns from other smiths too, and like everyone else, they have to wait their turn.

    It would be nice to see which smiths people like Heinie, Leibenberg, Garthwaite, Nastoff and Vickers patronize and recommend. It would be even better if any one of these gentlemen would eventually write a book on the 1911, to include their journey from tinkerer to smith. That would probably sell a lot of paper.

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    Quote Originally Posted by padwan View Post
    Not to hijack the thread, but I long to see some of the smiths write a book.

    In an early 90s American Handgunner article, Ed Brown wrote that most people don't know that smiths buy guns from other smiths too, and like everyone else, they have to wait their turn.
    There could be a number reasons for that, for example, a collegial "endorsement by a checkbook" - which makes better statement than verbal praise. As far as carry is concerned, I think majority of smiths carry their own builds - and I can't imagine it any other way.

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    I've ordered my copy thru Barnes & Noble. I got it for $18 and change.

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    Quote Originally Posted by padwan View Post
    It would be nice to see which smiths people like Heinie, Leibenberg, Garthwaite, Nastoff and Vickers patronize and recommend.
    Even more interesting would be the list of gunsmiths those gunsmiths turn to when they need help. It happens much more frequently than you would suspect.

    Before he left the 1911 gunsmithing business to concentrate on making parts George Smith at EGW was one of those guys the big named guys turn to for help. I know this because I have gotten to know George over the years and I have personally seen guns in his shop that were sent to him from big name gunsmiths. Usually it had to do with welding issues that were beyond their abilities. Those guys usually fly under the radar but can turn out a shooter every bit as good as the guys that always seem to have spreads in American Handgunner. Maybe not as pretty but awesome guns none the less.

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    I always try to use restraint when commenting on Patrick Sweeney. Because he has given me some good ink, I need to be careful that what I say does not come off as overly effusive. And I certainly don't want to sound defensive, as everyone gets to have their own opinion...... I have certain gun writers I don't care for too. So let me try to put this in simple factoids (OK, some may be "opinionoids"):

    -Don't anybody go thinking he's just a gunwriter. He can shoot. Anything. Well. One unheralded shooting accomplishment is that he is and for years has been on the USPSA team that travels to the bi-annual IPSC World Championship.

    -I like to joke that he has the keys to the executive washrooms of every arms and ammo maker in the US, and many abroad. Actually, I'm not entirely sure that's just a joke.

    -He's extremely well traveled and well read. The guy can discuss just about anything authoritatively...... especially, of course, if it's gun related, but he is not one-dimensional.

    -Did I mention he can shoot? One day he decided to run our qual with a handgun. Now the qual is not the toughest ever, but guys that can do it with a handgun are pretty few and far between. 8 1/2" X 14" at ranges from 25 to 70 yards, 30 shots, a minimum of 27 must be on. Patrick was the first to try it with a handgun (that I know of), and he qual'd.

    -Here's a biggie. Patrick has never sought to take advantage of our friendship or his position in the industry to get things done in my shop "for consideration". I built him a nice titanium Commander-length 9mm four or so years ago (that he waited for like everyone else). He gave it back maybe two years ago for a few mods-- about an afternoon's work-- and didn't get it back for 9 months! There's never an awkward moment where he should be saying "whadda I owe ya" and doesn't-- he pays for the work, no drama.

    He's not a writer who picks up a gun once in a while and writes about it. He's a shooter, and a student of all things shooting, who really does the stuff, understands it, and writes it up for the rest of us.

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    Having shot next to the man, watched him shoot and talked guns with him many years ago at the Second Chance pin shoots, I too can attest that Pat is a no B.S. guy that is pretty damn knowledgeable and well skilled at arms.
    NOT in training for combat deployment.

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