“Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exists and make it better.If it doesn’t exist, create it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough.”
– Sir Henry Royce –
CO-FOUNDER OF ROLLS ROYCE
That quote, the sentiment behind it, and the ambition to create something perfect speaks to me. I believe that with every commission I accept I have a responsibility to contribute to the tradition of best gunmaking. This tradition serves as both inspiration as well as a guide to help refine my work over time.
My goal has never been to build cookie-cutter guns that all look the same or are a compilation of packaged features that can be described as “good enough”. My work takes a different path, one where I regard each commission I build as the true individual endeavor that it is. This build philosophy ensures that every pistol I craft is not only truly special but also a reflection of the time and efforts I have invested.
At this point in the evolution of my career ‘the work’ is the most important thing. I fully understand the best way to truly serve my clients is for this work to continue in the relentless pursuit of perfection and for each completed commission to bear the hallmarks of best gunmaking.
Commissioning The Project
Commissioning a bespoke 1911 is a special thing. It represents a commitment not just to the 1911 platform, but also a trust in the maker whom you’ve chosen to create your one-of-a-kind masterpiece. The commitment and trust is something I take very seriously. I recognize that each client is seeking the best that I can produce and often times I am commissioned to build a gun for the simple purpose of having it exist.
I generally only accept commissions from previous clients who are familiar with my work or from new clients with select commissions that both inspire and excite my creative interests. I look for new opportunities to push my craft or for projects that are of a historical or personal interest - something that keeps the classic lineage of the 1911 but presents a new opportunity to grow as a builder.
Client submissions need to allow me the latitude and time to put forth my best efforts. I’m not concerned with the number of guns I build each year and am instead focused on building only the best possible products I can - with no time limits dictated and no forced quotas to be met. The only limit is what my hands and mind are capable of.
I have been captivated and immersed in the 1911 for as long as I can remember and 2025 will mark my 20th year building 1911s. Despite the possibility of having another 20+ years available for me to build, that time may only allow me to produce 200-225 more guns and I want each to be significant and mean something to both the client and me.
The Investment
Nothing custom-made should be rushed. Each pistol I craft is a bespoke labor of love requiring a devotion of time often exceeding 170 hours per gun. The work that leaves my bench is limited by necessity as I consider each new project as an effort and opportunity to make better than the one before it. I see the merit and importance of time at my bench and even with 6 days a week spent in my shop my total yearly output will be limited to 10-12 completed works.
With only my best efforts in mind, I look at each additional gun not as one more but rather as one closer to never getting to do it again. The investment of time and effort to produce only the best possible product comes at a cost and requires that each custom build be priced individually based on the scope of the project and the hours invested. This helps to insure that each pistol receives the detailed attention and compliment of work it needs in order to result in an end product that can only be described as “complete”.
I strive to build not to a product quota but rather a level of excellence. This is not simply a vocation for me and the sum total of my life’s work is not how many hours I bill, but rather it is how I spend those hours. The possibility of only creating 200-225 more commissions means each completed work becomes a hallmark of my craft.
