Giles 45 Shop Colt 1911 Old School Custom

[Modified]

I don't have a Giles 1911, but I do have a Woodsman he did stuff to. Both he and A.E. Berdon tuned it up and modified it from what I can ID on the modifications. Also the guy I bought it from said it was his dad's Camp Perry competition pistol.

As to custom 1911s I have the two, both D.W. King jobs:





Tuned up and wearing upgraded sights. Old Commercial from 1915.






This one was Elmer Keith's. King sights, and just...stuff done to it. I think anyone who wanted to upgrade it for free had at it over the years. I can't imagine how many rounds he put through it.

 

[Hill536]

I don't have a Giles 1911, but I do have a Woodsman he did stuff to. Both he and A.E. Berdon tuned it up and modified it from what I can ID on the modifications. Also the guy I bought it from said it was his dad's Camp Perry competition pistol.

As to custom 1911s I have the two, both D.W. King jobs:





Tuned up and wearing upgraded sights. Old Commercial from 1915.






This one was Elmer Keith's. King sights, and just...stuff done to it. I think anyone who wanted to upgrade it for free had at it over the years. I can't imagine how many rounds he put through it.

AE Berdan was from Lakeland, Florida - the town I live in and I never met him. I did meet his apprentice a few years ago who has since passed as he was in his 90's. I bought a bunch of barrels from him. For the life of me I can't recall his name. We spent an afternoon talking and he told me Berdan invented the "mousetrap" used in accurizing 1911's and the apprentice went into great detail how King Gunworks stole it from him.

I have a S&W registered magnum that was shipped to the Lakeland Police Dept. thought to be re-worked by Berdan. It's buttery smooth double action is among the best I've fired.

Man this is a small world!

 

[vp146b4]

Here are my two Giles 1911's. One a 45, and the other a 38 special. Luckily, I have two test targets, for the 45. The one is a 50 yd group with a machine rest. The second one is a 25 yd group, from a "hand rest only" he said and with bifocals he jests. They are amazing to shoot, as they both feel identical in my hand, and the triggers are the same too.

 

[Golddollar]

Here are my two Giles 1911's. One a 45, and the other a 38 special. Luckily, I have two test targets, for the 45. The one is a 50 yd group with a machine rest. The second one is a 25 yd group, from a "hand rest only" he said and with bifocals he jests. They are amazing to shoot, as they both feel identical in my hand, and the triggers are the same too.

Amazing, simply amazing!

 

[BE Mike]

Here are my two Giles 1911's. One a 45, and the other a 38 special. Luckily, I have two test targets, for the 45. The one is a 50 yd group with a machine rest. The second one is a 25 yd group, from a "hand rest only" he said and with bifocals he jests. They are amazing to shoot, as they both feel identical in my hand, and the triggers are the same too.

How refreshing to see these groups. It seems like nowadays people just brag on the internet about their 10 yard groups, which is laughable to me.

 

[AJ]

How refreshing to see these groups. It seems like nowadays people just brag on the internet about their 10 yard groups, which is laughable to me.

35-40 years ago could do that on a good day at 25 yards. Nowadays at 15 yards I can usually keep them in the 10 ring. Hate getting old. Also found that the shooting sessions are getting shorter due to eye strain and muscle fatigue. Again hate getting old!

 

[bullseyeman]

Giles

Just purchased this week Giles 3 gun set: 1911 45, 1911 38 super, and High Standard Supermatic Trophy. Question:
Can I safely shoot modern 38 super +P in the 1968 Colt 1911 Giles?

 

[6string]

Just purchased this week Giles 3 gun set: 1911 45, 1911 38 super, and High Standard Supermatic Trophy. Question:
Can I safely shoot modern 38 super +P in the 1968 Colt 1911 Giles?

Very wise of you to ask!!
You better look at that "38 Super" very carefully!
Every single Giles "38 Super" I have seen was a conversion to 38 Special, wadcutter target loads only!.
If so, the answer to your question is "NO!".
38 Super ammo could damage or possibly destroy the gun, and may cause a serious injury!
While Jim Clark used a ramped barrel fairly early on in his 38 conversions, Giles did not (that I am aware of). He converted the existing 38 Super barrel, which leaves part of the case at the bottom rear of the chamber unsupported.
Giles did not re-stamp the barrels or slides on these conversions.
If a 38 Special case fits the chamber, it has been converted.

Check out attached photos.

 

[Grayfox]

I have a 1964 Clark Long Slide. Even after 57 years it locks up tight, has a trigger that has to be felt to believed and shoots a whole lot better than I can.

 

[bullseyeman]

Very wise of you to ask!!
You better look at that "38 Super" very carefully!
Every single Giles "38 Super" I have seen was a conversion to 38 Special, wadcutter target loads only!.
If so, the answer to your question is "NO!".
38 Super ammo could damage or possibly destroy the gun, and may cause a serious injury!
While Jim Clark used a ramped barrel fairly early on in his 38 conversions, Giles did not (that I am aware of). He converted the existing 38 Super barrel, which leaves part of the case at the bottom rear of the chamber unsupported.
Giles did not re-stamp the barrels or slides on these conversions.
If a 38 Special case fits the chamber, it has been converted.

Check out attached photos.

Haven't had a chance to try to chamber a 38 special, but colt mag is marked "38 super".

 

[bullseyeman]

Very wise of you to ask!!
You better look at that "38 Super" very carefully!
Every single Giles "38 Super" I have seen was a conversion to 38 Special, wadcutter target loads only!.
If so, the answer to your question is "NO!".
38 Super ammo could damage or possibly destroy the gun, and may cause a serious injury!
While Jim Clark used a ramped barrel fairly early on in his 38 conversions, Giles did not (that I am aware of). He converted the existing 38 Super barrel, which leaves part of the case at the bottom rear of the chamber unsupported.
Giles did not re-stamp the barrels or slides on these conversions.
If a 38 Special case fits the chamber, it has been converted.

Check out attached photos.

Put 3 rds of full wadcutter in magazine. Racked, loaded, and extracted without any problem. Did not fire. Just wanted to check clambering and extraction. I was under the assumption previously that the magazine had to be swapped out.. So I'm assuming this is in fact, a conversion.
Thanks for your help.
Sure looks like 38 wadcutter!

 

[6string]

Giles converted 38 mags

Haven't had a chance to try to chamber a 38 special, but colt mag is marked "38 super".

I forgot to mention that Giles converted the 38 Super magazines as well. He made two deep semi-circular cuts, one each on the left and right sides. These accomodate the 38 Spl case rim while loading the mags. He also shaped the rear of the mag lips to match the radius of the case rim. More critically, he cut a couple vertical slots forward of this so as to create "fingers" that grasp the case and control it's angle as it's being fed into the chamber. It is the shaping of these fingers that so much of the reliability of the pistol is dependent upon.
He did a couple other little things, like tweaking to follower, and adding a spot weld to the front of the mag body that, when file fitted to shape, gave a tight fit of the mag to the gun for which it was intended.
Giles did this meticulously and thus his converted mags are probably even better than Colt branded 38 Spl mags.

(Addendum: If you refer back to my initial post, that is #2 in this thread, you'll see in the attached brochure that the cost for these magazines was $12.75 and that they were individually fitted and tested to a specific gun.)

 

[Golddollar]

Just purchased this week Giles 3 gun set: 1911 45, 1911 38 super, and High Standard Supermatic Trophy.

You have just purchased a complete battery of guns for bullseye that you can take straight to the firing line right this minute and compete. I was fortunate back in the 1990s to purchase a 4-gun battery of Giles guns, a hardball 1911, a wadcutter 1911, a Colt .38 Super converted to .38 Special wadcutter, and a High Standard .22 complete with rib and a new barrel which may have been made from a Shilen barrel blank. A gentleman from NJ had 2 complete batteries like this made by John Giles in the 1970s and was selling both batteries. It took me 2 years to scrape together the money to buy the complete battery but the seller was patient and worked with me to let me buy each gun one at a time as I got the money. Treasure those wonderful examples of old school craftsmanship.

 

[bullseyeman]

These pristine beauties!

 

[Golddollar]

These pristine beauties!

You were so fortunate to acquire those!

 

[bullseyeman]

Along with a NIB 1978 Colt Ace and NIB S&W Model 52-1! A very exciting, unexpected and expensive outing!

 

[Golddollar]

Along with a NIB 1978 Colt Ace and NIB S&W Model 52-1! A very exciting, unexpected and expensive outing!

I've had that happen to me too.