Clark Concealed Carry Revolver

I had just finished my last case yesterday when the cell phone in my pocket rang. Although I carry my phone with me for family emergencies, I give out the number jealously. Answering a phone in cases involves having a nurse reach under my gown to retrieve it and hold it to my ear before it stops ringing. One ring and concentration is broken. One slip and sterility is broken.

On the other end of the line was Renee at Clark Custom. "Xavier, Jimbo has your gun ready," she said cheerfully. The docs were were discussing a weekend of golf versus shooting, but were keeping an eye on my conversation, wondering if all was well at home. I struggled to keep the conversation generic, to conceal the purpose of the call from their inquisitive ears.

I couldn't recall what time Clarks closed on Friday. I had to ask though, I knew they were closed on Saturday. "Fine, go ahead and give forty milligrams of lasix, and I'm on my way," I replied. A confused Renee agreed. As I excused myself, Dr. Ferguson asked if everything was OK. "Yeah, I need to take off though," I replied.

"You shooting in the matches this weekend Xav?" called Dr. Antonopoulos as I waved good day. I gave him a thumbs up and a shrug.

As soon as I entered the parking lot, I called Clarks back. "Renee, what time do you close today?" I asked.

"Lasix? What's lasix?"

"Don't worry about it," I replied, "What's your closing time?"

"Four o'clock."

"I'm on my way," I said.

"Be careful, drive safely," Renee said. "You know we will hold it for you if you don't make it in time."

"Thanks Renee. See you in a bit."

Pine bark littered the blacktop as I pulled off the exit into the logging town of Princeton Louisiana. At least I didn't miss my exit, I thought. As I wound along the long drive into the Clark family property, I saw a familiar face working on a rusty lawn tractor underneath his garage. In the rural South, people still wave at passing motorists. Jerry Miculek looked up from his work on the tractor to wave at me. I waved back and continued down Shootout Lane to the nondescript cinder block building where top tier competition guns are built and shipped all over the world. The cow bell rang as I entered the door.

"Matt, I think you might have something for me," I said to the man behind the display counter of guns. Matt still works at Clarks, even though he could have retired years ago. He called out for Jimbo, who was working in the busy shop beyond the counter. Shortly afterwards, Jim Clark Jr. appeared, his magnifying lenses perched above his ball cap, and a metal flecked apron protecting his clothing.

"Glad you're here," said Jim. He reached among the cardboard boxes stacked on a shelf behind the counter, and pulled out one with my name on it. As he opened it, I saw the gun I had been waiting for. In July of 2009, I collected my Colt Commander after a Clark Meltdown, and I dropped off the stainless Smith & Wesson 649 that rested in the box. I picked the revolver up, opened the cylinder, and checked it's condition, even though I knew it was empty.

The gunsmiths at Clark Custom had deftly removed every sharp edge on the Bodyguard frame and cylinder, then bead blasted the result. It felt good. The Uncle Mike's rubber grip still fit the gun perfectly. "We figured you would want the trigger polished," said Jim, as I ran my fnger along it's mirror surface. He was right. A polished trigger face allows the shooter's finger to slide across it on the long double action trigger pull of a revolver. The result is greater accuracy as the muzzle of the gun is not pulled off target.

"Thanks Jim." I replied. "Mind if I dry fire it?" Jim gave the go ahead and I aligned the sights and pulled the trigger. It was silky smooth but still at what felt to be stock weight. Perfect.

Jim was waiting for me to examine the front sight. Last July, he was experimenting with dovetailing a Trijicon shotgun sight onto a J frame revolver. He had proudly displayed his work to me as I picked up my newly melted Colt. The dovetail was perfect, with a paper thin distance between the barrel and sight base to compensate for heat while shooting. The rear sight notch was opened up to accommodate the big glowing front dot.

"I've got to ask Jim, because I know of several people ready to send you guns for this mod....... Are you ready to make it a staple modification?"

Jim smiled. "Much as I'd like to, I don't see how I can," he replied. "We have a one year waiting time on comp guns right now, and I just don't see how we can accomplish it. Besides, with these scandium frames........"

I started to point out that my revolver was stainless, but Jim knew that. He was talking about working difficult metal in the future, and trying to turn a profit on precision hand work. "So it's a one-off then?" I asked, just to make certain.

"Unless someone wants to wait a year and pay more," Jim replied, never one to close an open door or turn away work. I asked how much I owed him. "One bead blast finished Meltdown, one XS Trijicon sight furnished and installed..... $362.64," came the reply. I pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check. Years ago, I had purchased the 649 as a practice weapon to decease wear and tear on my aluminum framed Model 38. I had bought it used for a price in the neighborhood of $230. I now held it as a bespoke one-off custom gun with less than six hundred dollars invested.

Today will be a great day at the range.

Clark Custom Carry Piece

I'm starting to become anxious to receive the call to drive over to Shoot Out Lane and pick up my Smith & Wesson Model 649. Back in July 2009, I dropped it off with Jim Clark for some remodeling. I purchased the little snubbie a few years back from CDNN. I think I paid about $230 for it. It looked like it had hit the concrete a few times, but the crown was good, and it shot reliably and as accurately as I could muster from any snubbie.

The plan was to give the gun a Meltdown treatment and a bead blast finish. Then, a tritium XS shotgun front sight would be dovetailed onto the muzzle. The rear notch would be hogged out to match the front sight. The lone example that Jim had to show me had the topstrap checkered ala a Model 27. I liked that too. I'm thinking I will stick with the Uncle Mike's grips.

I'm wishing now that I had weighed the gun to see how much metal is removed in the Meltdown. Perhaps when I pick it up, a reader can help me with that.....

200 More

I took the Clark Custom Commander out this afternoon and fired another 200 trouble-free rounds through it. Not even a hiccup. The matte hard chrome makes presentation from a holster slick as hog snot, and clean-up afterwards is a breeze. This pistol is nearing the top of my favorites list.

For those who are wondering, it's a Colt Combat Commander, a Series 70 gun with the lightened slide. The hammer has been replaced with a Nowlin Speed Demon, and the trigger is a McCormick. Thumb safety is a single sided Ed Brown tactical, and the mainspring housing is an aluminum SW1911 checkered unit. The rear sight is likely a Safariland, while the front is a serrated ramp with an orange insert. The grips are cocobolo from Fusion. The pistol has been melted by Clark's and hard chromed. All else is bone stock Colt. If anything, such as the slide stop looks custom, it's because Clark Custom melted it.

Thanks, Doc, for letting me shoot a bit at your place.

Shooting the Clark Commander

It was a gorgeous day to be at the range. The skies were blue with puffy cotton clouds, and a cool breeze whisked the sweat away. Frieda had not been back to the range since we last shot, although she had been doing a lot of dry fire practice. Truthfully, I had not made it to the range as much as I should have. The heat and humidity just kept me away. Today was a new day though, and I wanted to put some copper jacketed lead through my new pistol. I brought along my Ruger MKII fishing gun, and my Clark Meltdown Colt Commander, fresh from Jim Clark's hands. Frieda had her Ruger MKII, and Little Darling was along for the ride.

First off, the Clark Commander shot well. As usual, it was more accurate than myself, and it was totally reliable. Over the course of the afternoon, I put 200 rounds through it with no failures. I ran drills of one, then two shots using a flash sight picture. The pistol pointed naturally, and came to sights without error. I rotated between the Commander and my MKII to prevent myself from getting too comfortable.

Frieda was excited to get back to the range. She had brought along a box of Blazer ammunition. I grimaced at the sight. Call me a nut, but I just prefer the copper washed Federal bulk pack stuff. Frieda did not need my assistance though. She was able to load her own magazines, and when a cold range was called, she set her target out at ten yards.

Her first couple of magazines were shot low, and I had to talk to her again about the human sympathetic grip. As we coil our index finger, the remaining three fingers of the hand tend to tighten. When holding a pistol, this can make the muzzle drop. I reminded Frieda to take a firm grip on the gun with her right hand. If our fingers are already tightly grasping an object, the sympathetic grip is minimized when we use our index finger. Frieda listened, and applied my suggestion. She found herself shooting in the red again immediately.

After Frieda got a couple hundred rounds downrange, she began to have occasional stovepipe jams. I would have to clear her pistol for her, and I attributed the problem to the Blazer ammunition. I was still shooting just fine with Federal. Its my belief that Blazer may have a reduced charge in some rounds, and less consistency from round to round. A pistol depends on the recoil impulse to eject the spent brass from the gun. When the recoil impulse is reduced because the ammunition is loaded lighter, the bolt doesn't move as quickly and ejection problems can occur. I have not performed my Ruger magazine modification on Frieda's mags. That could have played a role as well. Frieda persevered though, and resolved to buy Federal ammunition next time.

Frieda and Little Darling kept looking at my target and comparing their shooting with mine. This is a natural thing for anyone to do, and it is one of the reasons I do not shoot when I am teaching a novice. It is also a reason why I will work on drills that impair my accuracy when shooting with someone who has established competence and needs to push themselves a bit more. Frieda noticed that I was working on flash sighting. She remembered me talking about it with her, and asked me why I was shooting that way.

"The person most likely to survive a gunfight unscathed is not necessarily the person who is the most accurate," I told her. "Almost invariably the person who is shot first will be the person who comes out on the short end of the stick. Shooting accurately is important. Shooting accurately enough, fast enough is more important. You can train for target shooting, or you can train to survive a lethal encounter. Proficiency at target shooting teaches you to use a gun in a certain manner. Under the stress of unexpected violence, we will revert back to the way we trained ourselves to shoot. I want to be the guy who gets shots on target first, not the guy who does it most accurately. I just need to be accurate enough."

The Clark Meltdown Colt Commander

Back in 2006, I went to a gun show with a Kahr K40 to trade off. The Kahr had been a good and reliable gun, but it was a bit heavy, and I had moved away from the .40S&W cartridge. It was time. I ended up trading the Kahr for a Colt Combat Commander that had been modified with a ramp front sight with an orange insert, a fixed rear sight, and a flare cut into the ejection port. It was the perfect pistol to continue modifying.

The next couple of years saw a trigger replacement, a Nowlin hammer installation, a Ed Brown thumb safety, and an aluminum mainspring housing. The Pachmayr grips were exchanged for cocobolo. The pistol was a good gun, reliable, and accurate. It carried well. It did not really bother me that it was a rather homely pistol, it made up for the difference at the range. Still, I just felt it deserved better.

At the same time, I had always wanted a pistol that encapsulated Clark Custom's signature modification, the Clark Meltdown. Because the Commander was finished in electroless nickel, the refinishing costs would include stripping off the e-nickel. Not exorbitant, but more expensive than usual. So I waited. A year went by, and the pistol still shot unfailingly. Another year went by. The pistol never failed.

Finally, I made the drive to Shootout Lane, and discussed the pistol with Jim Clark Jr. I did not want to upset the applecart on a great pistol, so we decided to just melt the Commander and hard chrome the result. The pistol had no need for a trigger job, tightening, or accurizing, and Jim did not try to sell me anything I did not need. We agreed to replace the front sight insert after the hard chrome was completed. I left my pistol in Clark's competent hands, confident that I would be pleased when I saw it again. That was February.

Yesterday, as I was closing up my last case, my cell phone rang. My Commander was ready. I made another trip to Shootout Lane and received a familiar friend with a beautiful facelift. There are some that call the Clark Meltdown the revenge of the belt sander. If that is the case, the sander is in the hands of an artist. Jim and I had discussed leaving the original bushing in the gun. I did not want to upset a reliable and accurate barrel fit. The fit of the pistol was exactly as I remembered, but every sharp edge had been removed. The rear of the slide had been rounded. No a corner remained. It had the feel of a well used bar of Ivory soap. Flawless hard chrome covered everything, including the steel low profile base plate of the Wilson magazine. Jim had even cleaned up my roughly done insetting of the slide release pin. The pistol was beautiful.

I caught up with the fellows who massage pistols in Princeton Louisiana, and I needed to inquire about one thing in particular. In Louisiana, a person with a CCW has a duty to inform an officer of the law who engages them on official business, of the presence of their firearm. I had heard rumors that law abiding licensed concealed carriers were having their handguns confiscated by the Shreveport police at traffic stops. I was informed the rumors were not only true, but the weapons had not been returned, and the mayor had the balls to say his officers could do whatever they liked. Attorneys have been hired, and court dates are pending. Hopefully, the Shreveport police department will become reacquainted with the US Constitution, as well as the Louisiana constitution soon.

While we were talking, Jim broke out a revolver he was working on for a customer. He was installing an XS Tritium shotgun bead in a dovetail he had milled into the barrel of a J frame revolver. He had widened the notch in the rear of the top strap to accommodate it in the sight picture. The set-up was sweet. He had serrated the top of the barrel to reduce glare. Jim informed me the modification was still experimental, but he expected it to work well.

I just happened to have my Smith & Wesson Model 649 out in the car. Several years ago, I had seen a pair of 44 magnum snubbies that Jim had melted and set up as a brace of bear protection for a friend who was traveling through the Yukon. I left my little 649 with Jim to be melted with a bead blast finish, and to receive a new front sight if the XS Tritium sight modification works out well. Another Clark gun coming up.........

FWIW, Jim also had a well worn but complete and original 1918 M1911 in his used gun case for $1000 even. If anyone is interested, give him a ring.....

Ring ring Ring ring

I received a call from Renee at Clark Custom telling me my Commander is ready to be picked up.

Pick it up tomorrow, hit the range with Frieda on Thursday........

Ugly Gun Sunday

I usually give Clark guns a pass in the ugly arena. I figure if the thing runs like a Clark gun, then it can't be ugly no matter what it looks like. This gun though, I couldn't let pass.

Clark Meltdown

I have finally garnered the time to take a trip back to Princeton Louisiana with one of my Commanders. My plan for the pistol is a mild Clark Meltdown with a refinish in hard chrome. I say mild because I do not want the big bushing or the full length guide rod that generally comes in the Meltdown. My preference for a fighting 1911 is the original bushing and guide rod.

I remember the last time I was at Clark's with the pistol. Jim Clark Jr. looked it over, said he could do it no problem, and then checked the chamber and dry fired the pistol a couple of times.

"Who did this trigger job?" he asked.

That kind of open ended question from a gunsmith is always dangerous. "I did," I replied.

"That's good....." was Jim's response.

Last night I took off the cocobolo grips for storage at home while the pistol was being worked on. I screwed on some old Pachmayr rubber grips instead. I also pressed out the orange insert in the front sight and placed it in a zip lock baggie with the grips for secure storage.

Other than the trigger and reliability work, a lot of small details have been performed on this pistol to make it unique. The port has been lightly flared. The slide stop pin has been inset. The mainspring housing has been switched out in favor of a flat aluminum checkered one. The hammer is a Nowlin Speed Demon, which works great with the stubby Commander grip safety to eliminate hammerbite. Lastly, the sights have been swapped for a ramped front sight and a rear sight that predates the Yost Retro unit but resembles it closely.

It's raining this morning, but as I load up the Jeep, I'm looking forward to a drive back to Shootout Lane.

Clark Pin Model

Available at Cabelas:
Colt 1911 Series 70 "Clark Pin Model"

Cal./Gauge: .45 ACP
Barrel(s): 6"
Weight: 41 OZ.
Sights/Scope: Bo Mar Adjustable Rear


Jim Clark Custom "Bowling Pin" 1911A1 .45 Auto. This is a highly customized Colt Series 70 Government Model. Custom built from the ground up by the legendary Jim Clark the obverse of the slide is marked “Clark Bowling Pin Model,” and, as the name implies, was made for bowling pin matches popular in the 1970’s involving quick draw and shooting at actual bowling pins.
Price: $999.00

Kind of hard to believe, but a very fair deal on a great bowling pin gun.

Clark Heavy Slide at J&G Sales

J&G Sales has a Clark Custom Heavy Slide 1911 up for grabs.

"This is a Colt Government MK IV Series 70 1911 semi auto pistol chambered in 45ACP. This pistol has a Bomar rail with adjustable sights, and has "Clark Heavy Slide" engraved on the slide. Also features a stippled grip frame with a blued trigger shoe. In very good plus condition."

These pistols normally sell for around $1700 fresh from Clark's. J&G is wanting $1,295.

Clark Meltdown, E-Nickel and Time

Clark Custom, the Princeton Louisiana purveyor of fine firearms, offers a carry gun modification that is unique. It's a radical dehorning called the Clark Meltdown. Some have likened pistols with this treatment to a worn down bar of soap, others describe it as the revenge of the belt sander.

Although the Meltdown is primarily applied to 1911 pistols, one of the slickest braces of handguns I have ever seen was two Smith & Wesson 629 revolvers that had been through the process.

A couple of years ago I purchased a Colt Commander that I am considering taking to Clarks for a Meltdown and a refinish in electoless nickel. I looked over the pistol again tonight, and I'm still ambivalent about it. I may simply have a new coating of e-nickel or hard chrome applied.

I like the idea of e-nickel on the gun. I know that hard chrome wears harder, but the original finish was e-nickel, and the warmth of the tone appeals to me. I has been two years since I purchased this gun and began to modify it to my tastes. It is stone reliable with a great trigger. An original Combat Commander with a lightened slide, but without a firing pin safety. I figure it's about time it is a finished gun.

Clark 50th Anniversay 1911

In 2001 Clark Custom celebrated their 50th anniversary in the gun business. Towards that end, they offered a 50 gun limited edition 1911 with a Damascus slide on a Capsian frame. The pistol received the full meltdown treatment, along with a flurry of enhancements. Reportedly, 37 of these pistols, known as the Millenium Meltdown, were built by Jim Clark Sr. before he died on January 7, 2000. This pistol, #21, is one of them.

Features include:
Caspian full size 1911 frame
Clark .45ACP Ramped Match barrel
Caspian Government Length stainless steel Damascus slide
Lo mounted Caspian rear sight
Across dovetail fiber optic front sight
Caspian Damascus hammer
Front and rear slide cocking serrations
20 LPI Machine Checkering
King ambidextrous extended thumb safety
King Palm Swell beavertail grip safety
King Black long lite trigger
Clark's Big Bushing and Reverse plug
S&A Double Diamond Checkered Laminate grips
S&A floral engraved hex head grip screws
Clark's famous Meltdown dehorn job
Accuracy & Trigger job
Lower is hard chromed.

I have been fortunate enough to handle one, and view several of these guns. They are unique.

Year 2000 Retail Price, $3,795.00
Buy it now for $7,000.00.

Clark Limited Gun

Want a Colt 1911 that will shoot like a house on fire? Not particularly worried about the latest trends as long as the gun will put ten holes within two and a half inches of each other at fifty yards, guaranteed? Find beauty in the way a gun shoots, not how it looks? If that's you, here's your gun.

This IPSC/USPSA Limited gun 'smithed by Clark Custom has features not available in their standard package. The 20 LPI checkering on the front strap and triggerguard immediately stands out, as does the Slide Guide.

The Slide Guide is unique to Clark guns. It involves involves welding a quarter inch extension to the front of the dust cover and placing a slight bevel on the underside of the slide's recoil tunnel. The extension is tapped for two set screws. By adjusting the screws, all horizontal and vertical movement of the slide is eliminated when the pistol is in battery. When the slide cycles, the slide to frame fit loosens up as the set screws exert less pressure on the underside of the recoil tunnel. The set screws allow tuning of the slide to frame fit at lock-up, and eliminate the need for a break-in period.

The base pistol for this particular handgun was a Colt XSE "enhanced" Government Model. Clark apparently no longer sells their Limited guns on a Colt base, although they will still convert a customer's Colt with the standard USPSA/IPSC Limited package for $1065. The checkering and ambi safety are extra. So is the match barrel in this gun. At the starting bid of $1,595, it's a fair deal.

Now I'll be honest....... I do favor 1911s with "classic" profiles. I don't really care for the looks of the King's beavertail grip safety that Jim Clark uses. The extended slide stop turns me off. The oversized magazine release button leaves me cold. I would probably opt for a traditional fitting of the slide and frame rather than the Slide Guide. But then, I do not compete in USPSA/IPSC. If you do, and you want a gun that is pure function in your hands, then his one would be tough to beat.

Clark Longslide on Gun Broker

Another Clark Longslide .38 special Bullseye gun is up for bids on gun Broker.

"Original Jim Clark Sr. 38 Spl Midrange longslide 1911. Very good condition, all original blueing, but no box or paperwork with it. This pistol is dated 7 68 on the bottom of the slide. This gun has Bo-Mar target sights, Clark sharktooth grip treatment on the front strap & comes with 1 Colt 38spl midrange clip. Slide is marked Clark Longslide .38 Shreveport, LA"

This dedicated target pistol has a huge Bomar rear sight grafted onto the extended USGI slide, with an undercut front sight. The trigger is drilled out for an overtravel screw, and it bears an extended thumb safetry with retro cool checkered walnut palmswell grips. Clark's signature "tiger tooth" stippling adorns the front strap. No doubt this pistol will shoot like a house on fire. At $775.00, the reserve is not met with the current bid.

Clark Combat LW Commander on Gun Broker

On Gun Broker is a very nice 1977 Clark Combat Commander. In actuality, this pistol is a Lightweight Commander, one of the original aluminum framed pistols. At one time, Clark Custom had a modification package, the Combat package, that was applied to this pistol. The package consisted of an adjustable Smith & Wesson revolver sight grafted onto the slide, paired with a ramped front sight with an orange serrated insert. The ejection port was skillfully lowered, "tiger tooth" stippling was applied to the front strap, and a match trigger was installed. The original Colt barrel was accurized and the entire pistol was "tightened up."

Even though fixed sights are de rigueur on a carry gun today, back "in the day," the addition of a S&W rear sight was a hallmark of a custom 1911. This pristine Colt Commander was built by James Clark Sr. as a carry gun. Sadly, it doesn't seem as though it was ever carried, and it has reportedly only been shot by the master gunsmith himself.

I am fortunate enough to own a Clark Combat 1911 myself, and I would love to make this piece of gunsmithing history an addition to my collection. Sadly, at $2,500.00 with an unmet reserve, it is out of my league. I'd probably stuff it in a holster and shoot the snot out of it at Shootout Lane anyway.

Clark .38 Special Long Slide

On Auction Arms is a Clark .38 special long slide Wadcutter gun. This pistol is a M1911A1 that was converted in 1968 by J.E. Clark Sr. into a premium Bullseye gun.

Jim Clark Sr. was not only a pioneering gunsmith, but he was a world class Bullseye shooter, breaking 2600 his third year in competition, only the fifth man to ever do so....... with a borrowed gun. A decade later, he became one of four men to break 2650. Needless to say, this pistol is a bullseye gun built by a man who knew Bullseye shooting.

If one looks closely at the flat of the slide, just beneath the rear of the front sight, a variance in the metal peeks through the blue finish. This is the weld that Jim Clark placed to join two US GI slides together, in order to fabricate a longer slide to house a six inch barrel.

Once welded, the slide was milled on each side to smooth out the surface and to remove the factory rollmarks. The resulting flat top slide serrations are reminiscent of serration variations that were to appear on factory guns years later.

Other modifications abound on this gun. The front strap is stippled with Clark's signature "tiger tooth" texture. The trigger is drilled and tapped to accept an over travel screw. A Bomar adjustable rib sight is attached to the top of the slide. No doubt though, the real magic is inside the gun, in the fitting and the conversion to .38 specials.

I would like to own this piece of gunsmithing history, but at a starting bid of $1,450.00, I'm out of the running. If it was at a local gun shop, I would trade off several guns to get it though..........

Clark 1911 on Gun Broker

Jim Clark Custom Colt 1911 A1 .45 Automatic. This Colt Commercial .45 Auto dates to manufacture of 1966, and was sent by the owner (a local physician) to be personally customized by the late famous Gunsmith Jim Clark Senior within a few months of production. Modifications include stipling and sighting system, as well as Jim Clark Sr's superb internal refitting. The gun was fired very little, and the firearm retains 99% of the original Colt factory finish, and has been marked with Jim Clark Sr's proofs under the slide. This is an exceptional opportunity to own a "real" Jim Clark Sr custom handgun.

I like to keep up with Clark Custom 1911s on the auction sites. This one has some period Bianchi grips and a Buy It Now price of $2,850.00

Clark or Kimber?

The question over at the 1911 Forum from new member joaquin read:

Hello everyone, registered specifically to ask for help in deciding what my first 1911 will be. I practically know squat about the model, I'll probably be doing most of my study here in this forum so kindly bear with me. I have narrowed my options to 2 choices:

1. A brand new Kimber Gold Match II.

2. A 15 year old Colt Government Clark Custom Hardball (Keithville) being offered by a friend.

The Colt is in pretty good shape and is being sold to me at half the price of the brand new Kimber. I really don't know much about either of the two models, but these choices came about because the Gold Match is claimed to be Kimber's finest production pistol, while the Colt came along my way by chance. You are giving advice to a 1911 dummy so please be frank and direct so I won't be lost in 1911 jargon, I don't mind a baptism of fire.

Truth be told, I didn't know whether a troll was on board or not. The answer seemed all too obvious. A no brainer. Luckily the responses were 100% in favor of the Clark gun. Even the lone Kimber advocate eventually gave a qualified reversal of opinion. I finally responded myself. My response:

On one hand we have an expensive production pistol that came off the assembly line in Yonkers. The price of said gun is X

On the other hand we have a Colt that took a trip to Princeton or Keithville Louisiana and was worked over by a Bullseye gunsmith firm that has been modifying 1911s for Bullseye competition shooting for the past 58 years, and which produces the best Bullseye 1911s in the world. Said pistol costs X/2.

The Colt is not just a Colt. It is a Clark gun. The Clark gun is a competition gun. The Kimber is a production gun. That is a huge difference.

Clark Custom was founded by Jim Clark Sr. in 1950. Their work is exacting, innovative, and deceptively simple in appearance. They remain the only shop to give an accuracy guarantee of 2.5 inches with a 10 shot group at 50 yards, including flyers and the first shot. They will build your Bullseye 1911 to any specification you desire. If you desire something that will not allow you to compete, they will advise you of the issue. At Clark Custom, they know the regulations, because they compete themselves. A Clark Bullseye gun based on a Colt 1911 will start at about $1600. They hold their value well. They disappear from the used market quickly at $1200 years later. Clark offers three different Bullseye packages, plus bespoke work, so it is difficult to say just which package you are considering. I can say that in my area the going rate for a lightly used Clark Bullseye pistol built on a Colt ranges from $1200 to $1500.

The standard Clark Hardball package includes:
Accuracy job
Trigger Job with match aluminum trigger (4 pound pull
Bo-Mar Adjustable rear sight / Clark Hardball front sight
Reliability package.
Stippled front strap.
Function and machine rest test with target supplied.
Accuracy guarantee 2.5" - 10 shot group at 50 yards

I will say this.....If you buy the Clark gun, and if you can shoot well enough it will take you to the top of the Bullseye ranks. It will still be shooting accurately, punching out single holes at 25 yards when the Kimber is choked up with powder. I would expect the Kimber to be ammunition sensitive, shooting best with a particular load, and sometimes refusing to feed others. The Clark gun can be expected to feed and shoot anything you shove in the magazine, as long as it says .45ACP on the bottom. If you, as a shooter, can outshoot the Kimber's capabilities, the Clark gun will allow you to do it.......With the Kimber's favorite ammunition, in the Kimber's backyard, while wearing a Kimber T-shirt.

If you have a problem with the Clark gun, you can send it to Jim Clark in Princeton Louisiana, and he will make it right. Period. He doesn't care if you are the third owner of one of his Daddy's guns. If the pistol has his name on it, he will make it right. He does not want any pistol with his name on it representing his company poorly. When you call up Clark Custom, there is about a 50% chance that Jim Clark himself will answer the phone. You will not be talking to some sales rep or complaint representative. You will be talking to the man who will make things happen for you, or one of his best friends if Jim happens to be out of town.

To me, this question is a no brainer.........Buy the Clark gun. When someone asks which 1911 to buy, I usually inquire as to what they intend to use the gun for. In this instance I do not need to. You have presented two choices only. One is cubic zirconia, the other is a diamond. Buy the Clark gun.
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Treat me with benign neglect." Ashton R. O'Dwyer, Jr. NOLA 2005
Xavier's Blog
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This morning, joaquin posted photos. Good buy joaquin!

Another J.E. Clark Sr. Gun Up For Bids

This 1911 on Auction Arms is another example of a very nice Jim Clark Sr. pistol. Strictly a target gun, it was converted to a long slide pistol by cutting and welding two separate slides together. After the addition of a six inch barrel a Bomar sight rib was installed. Underneath the wrap around grips is the barbed wire style stippling that old man Clark was famous for.

Story has it that while traveling in Arkansas, Jim Clark Sr. visited an army Surplus store. There, he found a barrel of GI surplus slides that had been cut in two by Uncle Sam when they were demilled. He purchased the lot for ten cents each. When he arrived home, Jim Clark Sr. built the first long slide 1911. The rest is history.

This Jim Clark Sr. long slide 1911 is up to $800 in the bidding. Somebody is going to win a piece of gunsmithing history.

Jim Clark Sr. M1911A1 on GunBroker

For the reader who asked, yes, it's a Clark gun. Clark Custom was originally located in Keithville Louisiana. This pistol is an Ithaca M1911A1 with a Clark Slide Guide installed. It has a Bomar rear sight with an undercut front sight. The front strap stippling is typical of a Jim Clark Sr. gun, as are the period grips.

It's a deceptively simple looking pistol, with it's plain Jane trigger, GI thumb safety and GI grip safety, but if Jim Clark Sr. welded up the barrel and installed it, you can bet your britches it will shoot as advertised. If it doesn't, his son will stand by it.

As far as I'm concerned, at $900 it's a deal. I would pay that in a heartbeat if I saw it on a gun store shelf.

Here's a link to my Clark gun, here's a link to it's innards.