Last week I spied a vintage COLT bullseye pistol in the used case of an LGS. Built on a commercial 1957 Government Model, it has all of the typical 1960's features: fitted slide, trigger job, barrel/bushing, hand stippled front strap and a full Bo-Mar rib. I have no interest in shooting competitively though I am intrigued by this old school classic. Unlike modern Ed Brown, Nighthawk or Wilson offerings, I feel this pistol possess a certain "cool factor" unavailable in a modern custom. I'm going to take a much closer look today with a 5X loupe to determine if there are any visible fractures in the receiver or slide. And while I'm hoping to discover the name of one of the old school maters stamped on the bottom of the slide, I suspect this will not be the case. I will update if I'm able to make a deal.

Hope that works out for you. I admit to being intrigued by those old school guns too. About 20 years ago, I came across an older, 1964, Colt at a gun show. From the barrel/slide/frame fit and trigger I knew it was something special. Sure enough, it was stamped on the bottom of the slide "J. E. Clark,'66". Still have that old gun.

It sounds like a great reference point to have in the library for the next time you want a 1911 customized to suit.

I owned a Clark .38 Special bullseye gun. It was 2 tone and Clark could make you extra magazines I believe altered from .38 Supers. My friend still has the single best target he's ever shot with a center fire, hanging in his gun room with that pistol. The old school 1911s which always made my motor run were military built for competitions like Camp Perry. Mostly hard ball guns fitted up tight, sporting either a rib or the old school triangle rear sight. Bomars came later for target work. Oh how I adore black iron target sights.

^^^ Just out of curiosity, do you know if King's ever made iron sights for those pistols, or were they more a revolver-oriented buisness?

Not sure if Kings ever produced a target rear for the 1911 so you'll have to search the web for that. The Bomars became the predominant sights for target and action shooters for a long time. Their site ribs are high quality. I had a Power Grand Master rib on a PPC gun but still didnt like it as much as the Bomar. I believe Kensight now makes the original Bomars. They have a sweet line of metallics.

Thanks. I seem to remember Jan Libourel (may retirement be treating him well) writing about getting adjustable sights from an S&W revolver on a custom 1911. He was one of the last great fans of the King outfit, and I always kinda wondered if they ever made anything for the 1911.

I have King-Tappan sights on my Commander. Kind of wish I had them on more autos.