Larry Vickers cutomized .45

T

tlhelmer

New member
I read the article about Larry Vickers customized .45 in the July/August 2001 American Handgunner. Read the article it is very interesting, but am I the only one that thinks 3880.00 is too much money to customize a pistol I have already paid 600.00 for.
Especially when I can pay between 550-700 for any number of top name brand semi-autos that are reliable and accurate right out of the box.:confused:
 
Like the article said, if you didn't see the value in all the labor he put into the gun, the price is outrageous. Also, I look at it like nice cars. Sure, you can get a Honda...100% reliable, safe, good workmanship, reliable straight off the showroom floor. But, if you want a hand built Bentley with all the bells and whistles, you have to pay for it...:cool:
 
If you have to hock your grandma's silverware to buy this type of high dollar pistol its not for you but if you can write a check for $4000 and not miss it then go for it! I will stick with my Springfield Loaded ($500), Colt CCO ($650) and Para Ordnance Limited ($700)
 
Yup. Larry's work isn't for everybody. If you have to think that the price of the gun is too high and not worth it, then it's not for you. There's a certain degree of pride in ownership when one begins to collect custom guns from various smiths.

A person can buy a Camero and drive fast. On the other hand, a person can buy a Vette and drive even faster. Then there's the Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini crowds.

How much is too much is an opinion. I've seen several examples of Larry's work and it is unsurpassed.
 
Mr. Vickers may be a wonderful gunsmith, but I'll have to win the Lotto before I'll pay his prices, and maybe not then. I'm not a collector. I own guns for one purpose -- to shoot. Clay pigeons, burglars, paper targets, whatever. If I paid four large for a gun I'd be afraid to dirty it.
 
It is a combat pistol for "real operators" according to the article. As a collector piece it is not all that attractive. I think Kimber makes the nicest looking pistol.
One of my biggest issues with the article is that you buy a Springfield Armory 1911-A1 and it needs that much work?
 
I am not disagreeing that $3800 is not a lot of money, BUT you can't compare a gun from a manufacturer to a custom 1911. Sure they may be reliable and accurate but not compared to one that has been hand fitted and finely tuned. Believe me when I say that your groups will tighten if you want them to or not. I don't have a total custom gun done by an indavidual smith but I do have a what you might call production custom from Wilson. I never knew that I could shoot a handgun so well. This is compared to Kimber's, SA, Para, Glock, Sig, H&K, S&W, etc... Maybe I am just lucky but it has made me a better and more confident shooter.
 
I didn't have a 'name' build my 1911 (Caspian, of course), but the few thousands I paid were worth it.

I've put over a thousand into an EAA Witness, a Glock M20, and my 1911.
All worth the money, 'cause money is just for making fancy guns, right?

If you don't get it then you're right it's too much.




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"ALL my handguns are customized handguns"
 
There isn't even a comparison when it comes to a Kimber and a Vickers gun. Not even close.

For starters, the Vickers gun will have absolutely NO tooling marks at all. Secondly, the parts are superior. Lastly, it'll shoot TIGHT groups.
 
I read the article and saw the gun and was awstruck. I thought the cost for the craftsmanship and workmanship that went in was quite reasonable. It obviously isn't a 'fancy' gun, but in my opinion, it is probably the most refined 1911 you can buy (not that other master 'smiths don't turn out similarly marvelous guns).

Collecting aside, folks who pay the freight for a Vickers do knowingly go in harms way and need a sidearm that is absolutely reliable and accurate. That's what Vickers provides. As ordinary citizens, most of us carrry for personal defense in relatively low risk situations, and very few of us (LEOs incxluded), regularly get into gunfights. Those who buy a Vickers and use it 'on duty' are probably a different breed of cat from the rest of us.

That being said, once you get past the basic functional attributes of any machine (ther reason you bougfht it), if you paid extra for any add-ons, extras' or 'features', the measure of the machine becomes the pleasure it gives you to operate it. Shooting a Vickers would give ME a great deal of pleasure, FWIW.

OTOH, I shoot Kimbers cause that's what I can afford, and they make me happy, too:D
 
There were tooling marks on the Vickers gun shown in the AH article, as well as other cosmetic defects. There was a thread on this at www.pistolsmith.com in which someone discussed how the pictured weapon didn't match the description in the article.
 
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The only thing that stops me from buying one is, $$$$$$$. How much is too much? That's all relative to what you can afford and what is it that you want. My dream car is a Lamborghini, but with my income that will remain a dream. I don't feel any better protected with my Wilson Combat than I do with my Sig, but that's not to say my Wilson CQB is not a nicer gun....It's all relative.
 
I never really questioned Mr. vickers abilities or skills. I just questioned the cost. At what point does the cost meet the return for the average user. I gathered from some of the responses that kimbers are not all looked upon as that point. The two tones CDP look great. part of my problem with 1911's is that i bought a Springfield Armory 1911-A1 loaded. I had many malfunctions mostly FTF's so I purchased some Chip MCcormick mags. During my Dept. Off-duty gun quals I had three FTF's and that ruined my confidence in the gun. I contacted several smiths on the internet and was looking at spending 600 - 1000 to make it reliable. That would have put the cost at 1200-1600 for the gun and the smithing.
I still like the idea and mystique of the 1911, but I have determined that I cannot afford a reliable 1911. I stuck with my modern semi-auto pistols.
Please do not take this as a flame on 1911's.
 
Way too much unless he made everything by hand (I don't read gun rags anymore) including slide, frame, and barrel. For that price I can buy an fully automatic weapon, or 2 Rock River or Bushmaster tactical carbines a Wilson custom .45, a Benelli Shotgun, magazines and plenty of ammo for all and still have money to spare-infinitly better than paying that much for a secondary weapon.
 
All this talk about is it worth it or not is not really relevant. Mr. Vickers has a business at the price point that he chooses to charge. If the price is too high he won't have customers.

But he does have customers. Over a 4 year waiting list at this point.

For certain people (including me) his price is worth it - well worth it. Larry's customer list tells the story (Wilson, Hackathorn, Heinie, et all have bought his guns). When other top smiths consider it a value I'd consider that a vote that he's doing something very right. His experience as an "operator" is borne out in his guns - no-nonsense defensive (or even offensive) pieces. You don't go to Larry for a damascus slide foo-foo gun.

FWIW I shoot the heck out of mine. I won't own a gun I don't shoot.

So don't worry about the price point. If it's not for you that's OK. No judgement is implied or necessary. Just decide what's worth it to you and get on with life.

FWIW it appears the writer of the AH story really confused a full custom with gun featured in the story. If you read it carefully you'll see distinctions between the description of a full custom and the featured gun. Overhyped writing IMO.

My experience with Larry is that he is highly knowledgable and really works hard to understand what I want in a gun and to deliver it. And he stands behind his work 100%. I can't really ask for more.

Jim
 
Don't know about Vickers but after a poor experience
with a Northern Virginia member of the A.P.G. I am glad
that Kimber has developed a straight from the factory pistol that works well.
 
For about $4,000 you get a pistol that is totally reliable, ergonomically almost perfect and is accurate enough to hit a fly at 25 yards. Oh, and a craftmanship that is almost art. Just what every SF soldier needs :rolleyes: Sidearms are a backup that is very rarely if ever used in real life if they have effective primary weapon and I assume real SF soldier carries effective weapon.

My 2 cousins used a beatup S&W model 10 while in Vietnam and one actually used it to save his life... twice (he didn't have an effective primary weapon while in Vietnam). I wonder if a Vicker 45 would have made him a better soldier.

A Vicker pistol is one of those "nice to have but not essential" for a soldier... just like a 24k Rolex Submariner watch would be.
 
For the life of me, I can't understand why people would bash somebody's pricing. If one cannot comprehend that Mr. Vickers already has a 4-5 year backlog on orders, there's no shortage of people willing to pay his asking price. If you think it's outrageously high, so be it but move on.

Some people are willing to pay top dollar for various luxuries in life. Does that make them a better person then you? Of course not but if they have the means, why not?

People that can only afford to buy a $50 gun might look at people that buy HK's, Kimbers, SIGs as being crazy.

FWIW, SF Operators can choose any sidearm they please. A vast majority choose the 1911 platform as a base gun.

What people spend and charge for goods is their right as an American. It’s also your right not to buy the goods. It’s also courtesy not to mock those that charge those high prices or those that spend that kind of money.

How many people that own a Vickers, Heinie, Morris, Garthwaite, Wickman, etc guns do you see complaining that they’re junk? How many here have actually held and fired one?
 
I read part of that article too. My take was completely different. IMO, AH went out of their way to constanly remind the reader that the pistolsmith was an active duty Green Beret. I came away with the impression that that is the big selling point, so you can say "Hey, look at my .45, it's customized by a Special Forces soldier." I guess that gives some shooters a feeling of connection with the Army's elite fighting force. Now maybe Mr. Vickers puts together a fine gun, and if so, that's great. But if I were to spend a lot of bucks on a custom 1911, I really could care less if the pistolsmith is SF or a housewife from Topeka. I only care about the craftsmanship. I can certainly say I would rather have two (or at that price, probably three) Wilson CQB's than one Vickers.
 
I can certainly say I would rather have two (or at that price, probably three) Wilson CQB's than one Vickers.
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rock_jock

That's your opinion and I can certainly respect that. Personally, I went the opposite route. I own 3 Wilsons and 4 Les Baers but in the last year, turned my attention to custom 1911's.

My tastes have become very particular and I want my 1911 built my way with parts I want. Does it come with a price? Of course but worth every penny.

Some things I've learned during my short life, never judge an individual by their appearance and never knock an individual's preference in firearms.
 
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