Retribution – A 1911 Project With A Story

In 2005 while I was in basic training I started writing a story. It was a typical dark fantasy/horror/thriller that prominently featured monsters and vampires and werewolves and demons…you know, all the stuff you typically find in young adult novels brimming with angst and misguided lust. The original version never really sat well with me. I liked the setting though.

Years later I would revisit the idea from a much different angle. In the current version which I have been working on for several years now, the main character is a human that has been granted the gift of immortality in exchange for his service as a Law Keeper. It is the job of Law Keepers to maintain the balance and secrecy between the supernatural and the mundane. Humans aren’t supposed to be made aware of the presence of the supernatural and the supernatural are not allowed to run amok taking advantage of human ignorance. To keep the supernatural in line, the Council of Deities has assigned Law Keepers the task of policing the supernatural and managing the perceptions of mundane humans.

In the story, the main character, Robben Bishop, is trained to do the job of a Law Keeper by a retired Law Keeper named Jasper Reed. Jasper, also granted immortality, began service as a Law Keeper in 1880. Jasper’s weapon of choice for dealing with supernatural beings that got out of line was a nickel Colt Single Action Army with buffalo horn grips chambered in .45 Colt. When Robben takes up the role of Law Keeper he chooses a 1911 as his sidearm of choice.

When I started writing the story I modeled the gun Robben carries after my own Springfield 1911A1 Loaded. As I kept working on it though, I realized that Robben would emulate his mentor a little bit more and decided it would be his special project to build a pistol worthy of taking over the moniker given to Jasper Reed’s Peacemaker: Retribution.

I have been looking and trying to decide how I want to go about making this gun come to life, and I think I have a pretty good idea.

Chambering

I have discussed this with some of my friends on more than one occasion. I have gotten the suggestion that I use a 10mm. I have gotten the suggestion that I forego the 1911 in favor of a beefier revolver chambered in 454 Casull or 500 Smith & Wesson Magnum. The suggestion of the FK Brno in the 7.5FK came up more than once. Back when they were still around (yeah, this will tell you how long I’ve been working on this) the suggestion of the Coonan 1911 in .357 Magnum was brought to the table in one discussion. Ultimately though, I decided the best gun for dealing ith werewolves and Vampires and all sorts of boogeymen would be the 1911 chambered for .460 Rowland.

The Rowland gives a 1911 magnum capability without having to reinvent the entire thing. The casing is slightly longer than the case of a .45ACP so it won’t chamber in a gun it wasn’t meant to be used in, but aside from that bit of case length, the dimensions remain the same. The ballistic output of the Rowland is perfect for the application in the story.

Details

Jasper’s Peacemaker was nickel with buffalo horn grips. Robben’s 1911 will be stainless with a combination for brushed/blasted and polished areas to give some contrast. The safety, trigger, pins, hammer, and other small detail pieces will all be finished in a blue, just like on the peacemaker.

Internally, the frame will be cut for a Lippard Military Link. This is something a friend of mine shared with me and the concept is interesting. The link pocket is opened up and a link with wide ears is used to connect the barrel to the frame. The ears stabilize the barrel better and prevent the wear caused by the bullet torquing the barrel when it contacts the rifling. It was found over time that barrel bushing wears on one side because of this movement and the Lippard link helps to prevent this wear and maintain accuracy. I figure it will be exceptionally helpful in a gun with a more powerful round being put through it. The conversion barrel will also be fit with a Lippard bushing to help reduce wear and maintain accuracy.

Many of the extra things that will be done are special modifications that will be made by a gunsmith that specializes in such things. Things like serrations on the top and rear of the slide, blending of the parts together for a nice smooth feel in the hand, and undercutting the trigger guard to allow for a higher grip.

As of right now I plan to do the build using a Caspian frame and slide. I have never heard anything bad about Caspian’s products. I like the fact that they offer a 1911 frame with the magwell already machined into it so I won’t have to add another part to the build. I feel the better quality I start with, the happier I will be with the end result.

Once the work is done I will post a follow up article featuring the finished gun. From the humble beginnings as a somewhat custom Springfield Armory 1911 to a fully custom overpowered match gun, this project has evolved along with the story and I look forward to finally bringing this project to life.