One of the most highly regarded gunsmiths who took the art of competition worthy 1911s was Jim Clark Senior. Googling his name reveals that not only was he a Master Gunsmith but that he was also a very serious and successful pistol shot in his own right:
Quote:
JIM CLARK shot NRA Bullseye Pistol competition for twenty-eight years, finally retiring from competition in 1975. Clark won the National Pistol Championship in 1958 and is the only civilian ever to accomplish this feat. He won the National civilian title five times. He was the fifth man in the U.S. to break 2600 and the fourth to break 2650. But his accomplishments don't end there. He has been fully active in the pistolsmith business since 1950, well known as one of the true innovators of pistol accurizing.
In 1985, the American Pistolsmiths Guild awarded Clark a trophy proclaiming him American Pistolsmith of the Year. Bagging double brass rings as the best pistol shooter in the country and its top pistolsmith is a unique coup: accomplished by James Edwin Clark and by no other known human being. I would say it serves as more than adequate excuse to feel a bit chesty about things.
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One thing that Jim Clark specializes in was turning government sized 1911s into long slides. It’s been said that just after WWII he found several 55 gallon barrels in a surplus store that were full of cut up slides. His technique was to (using a special jig) was to weld a new slide end onto an existing slide, then refinish it. I don’t even remember where I bought my Jim Clark Sr. Longslide that is chambered in .38 Special Wadcutter. The rear sight needs to be straightened - somehow it got bent; other then that it shoots flawlessly. I don’t like to call a gun a “tack driver” he’ll I’d like to challenge anyone to actually shoot and hit tacks with their “tack drivers!”
Here’s my Jim Clark Sr. .38 Special Longslide; one other “good” thing is the gun came with two Colt Factory .38 Special magazines; they are hard to find and run around $150-$250 if you can find them!
