September 2017
Col. Rex Applegate
Rex Applegate
Col. Applegate’s Fitz Special
Rex Applegate, Instructor of Deadly Skills
click links above
William E. Fairbairn
Martial arts badass and Shanghai cop who trained SAS and Marine Raiders in WWII
click link above
Restoration of a Colt Model 1905 Military .45
The story of this beautiful Colt 1905 is over a hundred years in the making and while no one knows the story of the first half-century, the second half is pretty amazing.
A family heirloom lost for decades, only recently recovered during renovations to the family home. The Colt was found wrapped in newspaper and stashed amongst the rafters.
A Perfect 1905 Military .45
We don’t come across many Colt Model 1905’s these days and there has been fewer showing-up the last five years. To be expected with total production numbers under sixty-three-hundred.
We estimate there are fewer than fifteen-hundred remaining today so we’re happy whenever we have a chance to see one, let-alone bring one back from inconsequence.
A Jewel in the Rough
When the piece first arrived, we found it shown a bit worse in the client’s photos than in actuality. Though the grips were rotting to the point of disintegration, the slide lock missing, bluing mostly gone with the usual bangs and dents, the metal was surprisingly devoid of pitting or rust, the nomenclature mostly intact and a bore in very good condition. A gem of a barn find.
As in all pin-off restorations, each component of this Colt has been meticulously restored by hand in a process which lasted just over four months.
We believe the efforts are proven in the results.
Options and Pricing
Colt Fitz Special
We love creating Fitz’s, out of anything we can get our hands on, Colt’s, Smiths, Beretta’s, even Webley’s.
These were the in-the-day gunfighter pieces, carried and used by some pretty intense guys. ~
Charles Askins
William Fairbairn
Rex Applegate
A MOB GUNS 1934 Colt Fitzgerald “Fitz” Special
Pin-off restoration refinished in rust blue with Cabochon accents, fitted with period elephant ivory.
For the record I would like to say that never in my life have I heard nor read of a single incident of accidental discharge involving a Fitz design. Nonetheless, I have read a lot of hyperbole on the potentially serious safety concerns of carrying a Fitz from the on-line firearm “academia”.
Some pretty serious guys.
For more than a dozen years I’ve carried Fitz’s of every design and can attest to this:
- Any firearm has the potential of unintended consequences in untrained hands.
- That the accidental discharging of a Fitz while holstering is not a real-world concern and not worth the mention.
- And finally, bending of the guard rendering the piece inoperable is a work of over-imagination, fiction, fantasy…
Simply put, these are all “answers” in search of a “problem”.
In my experience, locating LEGO bricks beneath bare feet in the middle of the night poses a much higher risk.
~GM
Fitz Half Shoulder Holster
A beautiful rendition of the S.D. Myres Detective Wonder Holster, circa 1930.
Handcrafted by Karla Van Horne of Purdy Gear, Mrs. Van Horne does superb work which is well worth the wait.
Features a re-enforced frame which allows this leather half-shoulder holster to carry the piece high and muzzle up.
Handsome, functional, over-the-top cool.
(Smith shown is not a MOB GUN)
