Two Well-Dressed Ladies
Photos: Pittman, Inc.
Around 1974 I was a newbie reserve cop in a small town in Southern California called Chula Vista. It was my first experience in the business and I was getting my feet wet to make sure it’s what I wanted to do. Part of the fun and appeal was the fact it had to do with guns. After all, there aren’t many jobs around that make you carry a gun every day, and learn to shoot it, and will supply the ammo and the range. I was hooked.
One of the best things about law enforcement in those early years was the fact they were very lax about both duty and off-duty guns. “Hell, carry whatever you want off-duty,” the grizzled range sergeant told me. “Just make sure it works.”
I had a 1911 or two and had even learned to do a bit of garage-style customizing with silver-soldered safety extensions, crooked checkering and learned you could send it off to Armoloy and get back one of those compelling silver-grey hard-chromed finishes that were the cat’s meow. Cutting edge for the mid-1970s.
Then one day I stumbled onto a fireman who had a minty Browning Hi-Power for sale. I was intrigued since it was “high capacity” and felt slender and “just right” in my hand. I bought it standing in the driveway of the fire station for the princely sum of $140 cash. One of those “you give me the money and I give you the gun” transactions that were so great in the olden days when they trusted us.
I found the Hi-Power to be elegant, like a thoroughbred to the 1911’s workhorse. It carried comfortably, shot accurately and was always dead-nuts reliable. Of course, ammo selection was limited, but I scrounged a box of Super Vel and I was set. I confess it was hard to get used to that tiny safety and I was never comfortable carrying it cocked and locked like my 1911s, so it always had an empty chamber. Probably stupid, in retrospect, but at least I never shot myself in the foot.
A few years passed and the appeal of the Hi-Power waned as new guns begged to be owned. Selling it off for $250 as I recall, I felt smug and didn’t miss it — much.
Then, as is the case with such things, I shot a friend’s Hi-Power after being hired full-time on the San Diego PD in late 1979. Off-duty carry was the same there and you could pretty much carry what you wanted. The feel of that Hi-Power brought back memories and lit a fire that didn’t go out until I had another. I soon found a new one having adjustable sights and a slightly extended ambi-safety, all factory bits. I was in heaven, but got stared at when I shot local IPSC matches with it.
I carried and shot that svelte gun for years, winning a few matches and even a gold medal in police action pistol competition with it. “A Hi-Power? What’s that?” was heard more than once. I had to have custom leather made for it since nothing duty-ready was around at the time, and I needed duty-type gear to compete.
That gun ran and ran and ran, and in all honesty, the only time it ever jammed on me was when I was shooting a can of junk ammo from the crime lab (stupid, I know), and I had one let-go on me. It blew the bottom off the magazine, emptying the remaining rounds onto the ground, and the pressure dented the metal inserts in the rubber Pachmayr grips. They probably saved my hand from getting metal in it though. The bite of the blow caused me to drop the gun, yelling “ouch!” — and then the dust settled. It felt like somebody smacked me in my palm with a flat paddle.
I examined the gun carefully and found the case head had blown, but the barrel and chamber appeared fine. I cleaned and reassembled the gun and fired it with factory fresh ammo. It ran fine, and continued to do so for years. I still have the gun and it still shoots great.
There’s a timeless appeal to a Hi-Power, the elegance of the design, its reliability and the fact a Hi-Power simply feels so damn good in your hand all adds up. I love the guns, as do many of you, and when we run a Hi-Power piece in Handgunner we invariably get tons of letters asking for more.
Which is a long-winded way to get to this point. But I felt it was good to share a bit of history and emotion about these wonderful handguns to get you warmed up for what’s to come. As you’ve seen, what we have here is no ordinary pair of Hi-Powers. They’re sort of a matched set that aren’t matched. The long and the short of it may describe them literally, but there’s much, much more going on here — so let me explain.
Dear friend and one of the most respected pistolsmiths around, Terry Tussey of Tussey Custom, is also a great fan of the design. After visiting on the phone one day, I asked if anyone had ever repeated the feat of making a long-slide Hi-Power, after Jim Hoag did one about 25 years ago. I told him I was pretty sure Bill Laughridge of Cylinder & Slide did some in order to help 9mm make “major” caliber, and I thought Austin Behlert did a few.
“I don’t think anyone is doing them anymore,” he said. “So how about we find out if we could?” I almost dropped the phone. I’d wanted to shoot a long-slide Hi-Power for years and simply had never thought it would happen. It seemed like the “perfect” 9mm. Slim, accurate, reliable and unlike most long-slide 1911s, it would look right.
“You think you can?”
“Only one way to find out,” laughed Terry.
I helped Terry scrounge up a Hi-Power and some other bits. A barrel was needed so Bar-Sto came to mind. I twisted Irv Stone’s arm clear behind his back until he came-up with a 6" barrel and sent that to Terry too. “What now?” I asked.
“Now we see if this old goat can do the near-impossible.” I could tell Terry was smiling at the other end of the phone, though.
Stunning workmanship to match the Hi-Powers.
“Can’t be done.” It was Terry on the phone. “I don’t know how the hell those guys did it, but I’m telling you, it can’t be done. The bits just won’t fit, no matter what I do. Oh sure, I made the slide just fine, but that’s where everything ground to a halt. I can’t figure out how to manage the barrel and lock-up. So don’t bother me since I have to think on this some.” Click.
The phone rang again, almost immediately. It was Terry. “But there is some good news. I’ve got an aluminum Hi-Power frame scrounged-up and one of those Argentine short ‘detective’ slides. I’ll bet you’d like to see those two mated together, eh?” Click.
Good thing I was sitting down. I figured Terry would solve the riddle of the long-slide, it just would take some “think” time. But this other caper came at me out of the blue. A lightweight, short-slide Hi-Power and a long-slide? This would definitely be Hi-Power heaven for those of us who suffer from the affliction of these fine guns.
So I waited.
fit for fancy firearms.
“Okay, it works fine. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I last spoke to you. I hung up and bam, there was the solution. I’m not going to tell you how because you won’t understand it. You may fancy yourself an editor, but you’re not a pistolsmith. Suffice to say, it works. Really good, if I do say so myself,” said Terry, matter of factly. And he was right, I probably wouldn’t understand what magic was applied to make it work. I was just happy he understood it.
“When can I get it for an article?” I asked quietly.
“I’ve still got to finish it, and the short one, so leave me alone for a while. I’ll let you know. Don’t pester, either, ‘cause it’s not polite.” Click.
What arrived after a couple more months is what you see on these pages. Opening the box revealed two of the most wonderful things I’d ever imagined in my gun-imagination — which usually runs pretty rampant. They were Hi-Powers, no doubt, but nothing like I’d ever seen. Ever.
“Well, what’d you think?” it was Terry on the phone. “Pretty cool, eh? And they shoot damn good too. Can’t believe I pulled it off, but there they are in front of you. Go shoot ’em before you say anything.” Click.
Yes. Pretty cool.
I shot them, and they shot — damn good, as Terry said. Very good, as a matter of fact. As in averaged 1.5" for the long-slide and 2" to 2.5" for the shorter, at an honest 25 yards in my new back-yard here in Joplin. The best groups were with Winchester 147 Gr. sub-sonics and I nailed a tight 1" with the long-slide and 1.75" with the shorter. Also, the Chrony chronograph showed an average of about 1,015 fps for the long slide, and about 945 fps for the shorter with this same ammo. Doesn’t matter in the real world.
And both were completely reliable. I made it a point to keep a firm wrist with both guns since the long slide had a lot of mass to move, and the shorter one probably needed a firm platform to recoil against too. It worked, because they worked — fine.
that goes into his guns is simply astounding.
I finally tracked Terry down and got some specifics on the guns. I found the smaller of the two to be light and fast; and the SFS system from Cylinder & Slide Terry installed allowed hammer-down carry. It’s an interesting action, and after using them several times on several guns, I’ve never had a single problem. But, if you carry one, I’d recommend you stick to it so you don’t get confused in the hysteria of a gun fight — or simply shoot the TV forgetting how it works.
When you depress the safety, the hammer snaps back to full cock and you go to work. When you’re done, you simply press the hammer down, rendering the gun safe again. Simple and easy to learn, but like anything, you need to keep at it or you’ll go stale.
Terry did a wide trigger from C&S with over-travel stops. The sear is also C&S, barrel KKM Precision, front and rear sights are Novak and after carefully fitting all the bits, Terry sent it off to Accurate Plating for the retro-looking hard chrome, which I think looks great, being a retro-guy myself.
The long-slide was something very different though. This well-dressed lady shot softly, almost as if it were relaxed and at ease. A delicate “ka-chunk” feel told you another round had found the target. Simply compelling, and I found myself pulling the trigger just to experience that unusual action. I felt like I had a 9mm laser in my hand. Point it and it hit what you were aiming at. No fuss, no bother, no awkwardness, you simply saw a 9mm hole appear where you were pointing. It was instantly addicting.
After cutting and welding the two slides (and you can’t see where they are joined) Terry installed a C&S hammer, sear, sear lever, ambi safety and wide trigger, all courtesy of Bill. There’s that Bar-Sto 6" barrel, a Novak gold bead front sight, Millet rear and some “just-right” stippling on the frame. The two-tone look with blued slide and hard-chromed frame is retro and modern simultaneously.
Oh, and those stunning grips on the guns? The ones you’ve likely never seen before? They can only be found at Esmeralda’s shop. They are custom, done one-at-a-time, and Esmeralda picks the wood out personally, traveling around the world to find it. They are as stylish as the lady herself is. The best deserves the best?
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More?
Yes, more. Terry says he’d do a few more if anyone was inclined. He said the short ones may be a problem since the Argentine government is having fits, but if you have your own short slide, I’ll bet he could mate it to your existing frame and then you’d have a “sort-of” long and short version. For the full-blown long slide? He’d need a complete gun and a slide to match it. He might be able to drum-up something to help out, so you should call him to find out specifics for your own project. And a hearty thanks to all those who pitched in to help this project appear. The sums are, indeed, much more than the parts.
In this world where we see $5,000 and even $10,000 1911 projects, sometimes on these very pages, it’s nice to know a Hi-Power or two can still stir the blood. It’s almost like meeting up with that sort of plain girl you remember from high school — only now she’s not plain anymore.
These are definitely not plain anymore.
I would have done just about anything to get either or both of these guns 30 years ago. And you would have too. Don’t lie. I wonder how much I can get if I sell my dog? Or, maybe Terry would trade me for my 1951 Allis Chalmers Tractor. She’s a good girl, named Alice, a bit dented, but runs good, and there’s not too much rust. No, really Terry. It’d be a good deal. Honest. Straight across, and I’d toss in some firewood too. And you never know when you might need a good tractor.
For more information:
Tussey Custom, www.tusseycustom.com, (775) 246-1533;
Cylinder & Slide, www.cylinder-slide com, (800) 448-1713;
Novaks, www.novaksights.com, (304) 485-9295;
Bar-Sto, www.barsto.com, (760) 367-2747;
Heinie, www.heinie.com, (217) 228-9500;
Millett Sights, www.millettsights.com, (888) 276-5945;
KKM Precision, www.kkmprecision.com;
Esmeralda Grips, www.esmeralda.cc, (760) 949-1645;
William Henry Knives, www.williamhenryknives.com, (503) 434-9700;
Crimson Trace Lasergrips, www.crimsontrace.com, (800) 442-2406;
Haugen Handgun Leather, www.haugenhandgunleather.com, (701) 255-0723.
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| The shorter version managed 2" to 2.5" or so, also at 25 yards. Stunning accuracy for this small gun. | One-inch groups were the norm at 25, unless His Editorship pulled a round, sometimes opening groups to around 1.5". | |
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| Terry cut a piece off one slide and welded it to the other. Can you imagine? | ||
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