Campfires, Fitzes & Good Friends
Here’s Lucky’s gun on top of the book Fitzgerald wrote.
Nothing’s better than sitting around a good fire, talking, debating, cogitating and even ruminating about guns. As you and your amigos bare your souls as to what turns your crank, spewing exactly what it is your heart desires, miraculous things can happen. Your opinion can change mid-sentence upon hearing someone else’s holy grail gun.
And, if you listen closely enough, you can learn something. And just maybe, you’ll even be surprised by what you know. This last scenario happened to a friend of mine. For anonymity’s sake, let’s call him Lucky.
While sitting around the fire pit, amongst the glowing embers of a late-night fire, Lucky was doing this very thing — talking guns during an elk hunt. A good friend of Lucky’s, who we’ll call John, started describing some guns he’d recently taken possession of from a 94-year-old friend we’ll call Bill.
Bill wanted to go shooting one last time, as he was in poor health and realized it would probably be his last trip to the range. After shooting, Bill gave John two guns. Bill explained to John the guns were given to him by his father, complete with notes stating their history.
John started describing the guns when Lucky said, “Holy hell, those are ‘Fitz’ guns!”
John asked Lucky how he knew about “Fitz Specials?”
Lucky boldly stated, “Anyone who knows anything about guns knows what a ‘Fitz’ is!”
Of the two guns, one was a Colt New Service .45 Colt, and the other was a Police Positive .38 Special, both customized by Fitz himself. There was a note to Bill’s father explaining the details. Bill wrote a note to John explaining the history of the guns when he gifted them to him.
John gifted Lucky the .45 Colt New Service and kept the Police Positive for himself. What a wonderful track record and story on some fabulous guns.
The Rest of the Story
Seems Bill’s father was Colt’s accountant from 1910 to 1946 and was buddies with Fitz. This was getting interesting …
John Henry Fitzgerald was a man who wore many hats during his lifetime, being a policeman, competitive shooter, gunsmith, author, expert witness and Colt employee from 1918 to 1944. During his tenure, he became most famous for his customizing large-frame Colt revolvers to make them more conducive to concealed carry. A man far ahead of his time and not afraid of what others thought, he modified guns, making them more user-friendly for those who chose to carry them concealed for self-defense.
Lucky even got a vintage holster in the deal.
The Conversion
Fitz started the conversion by cutting the barrel to 2” or less, bobbing the hammer spur, shortening and/or rounding the butt, shortening the ejector rod, and, lastly, removing the front of the trigger guard. It’s this last conversion that raises eyebrows the most with today’s shooters.
The guns were obviously made for concealment and smooth drawing, hence the lack of any sharp or protruding parts to catch on clothing. The “opened” trigger guard allowed a gloved hand to enter the trigger guard quickly.
Colt offered “official” versions of the “Fitz Special,” coming with its own box. This wasn’t to say Fitz didn’t do side work for close friends who wanted their guns converted.
Some famous people owned Fitz Specials, most notably Colonels Charles Askins and Rex Applegate. Askins stated, “The Fitz special was the grandest defense gun I have ever had … it was a whiz for the intended purpose.” Noted gangster Clyde Barrow of Bonnie & Clyde infamy carried a Fitz Special, fetching more than $48,000 at auction in 2014. Because Fitzgerald modified the guns himself at the Colt factory, it’s unclear how many guns he modified as factory records did not document all conversions he performed.
More recently, on the show “Blue Bloods,” Tom Selleck carries his father’s Fitz Special, a .38 Special Police Positive, as his duty gun.
Garage Guns?
John stated Bill’s dad told Bill that Fitzgerald also made what was called “garage gun Fitz Specials.” They were nicknamed garage guns because they were usually made in Fitz’s garage as the owner visited with him, bringing him his own Colt to be converted.
Much like car mechanics today, favors are granted to close friends, as they work on cars. A bottle of spirits may be opened to pass the time and liven up conversation as stories are told, and the conversion takes place during the work.
Back at the Fire …
John was so impressed that Lucky knew about Fitz guns he gave one to him, as he is the only person who ever knew what it was. The gun is a genuine “garage gun” converted by Fitzgerald, in his garage, but to my mind, that only adds to the coolness factor — tenfold. It is the gun pictured in the story. And there’s a note from Fitzgerald stating their history.
This just goes to show you never know what can happen around the campfire and why it pays to know your guns.
