Oops I did it again ~ "New Detonics" 1911 Combat Master

[melensdad]

Of the many dozens of Detonics pistols I own, none of them are from the Arizona factory. I simply collect the original Seattle guns.

Consequently I've never owned a "New Detonics" gun. The company "New Detonics" took over the original Seattle, WA based Detonics company in 1987 as billionaire Bruce McCaw, McCaw Cellular bought the firm and moved it to Prescott Arizona, partnering up with Robbie Barkman, inventor of the ROBAR gun finish (still a good finish but lost out in popularity to DIY spray paint type finishes like Duracoat).

For those with a keen eye, you'll notice they changed the slide design, added a small beavertail and otherwise moderned up the gun a bit. Not sure what I need this one for, its got some holster wear and an "idiot scratch" on the slide" but it was under $500 and I just couldn't let it go.

​

 

[Johnny C]

Where do you find these?
I am looking for one but have never seen one.
I want to hold one (and pet it) before I buy it.

Johnny C

 

[melensdad]

Where do you find these?
I am looking for one but have never seen one....

I'm pretty well known among the Detonics collectors so when guns are going to be traded/sold its not uncommon for people to contact me for valuation/appraisal estimates. So I get a lot that way. I also hunt them down on Gunbroker and other auction sites. I also have a network of friends and acquaintances, who, when they see one, contacts me to see if it is a model in which I may have any interest.

Realize they are pretty rare. The original factory guns were only produced for about 10 years. They were very expensive back then (roughly $1000 back in the late 1970's) and consequently they were only made in reasonably small numbers. In the oddball calibers like 9mm, 38 Super and 451 Det Magnum, there are only a few hundred known to exist.

In 45acp there are several thousand floating around, most owned as family heirlooms. Many of the stainless guns are still carried daily by people who know about compact 1911 pistols.

 

[sparkyfender]

Nice! Congrats!

And yes, I've also wondered where you find all of these Detonics.

I've haunted local gun stores for years, and have yet to run across even one to examine.....

I did, at one time, run across one of their odd 9mm non 1911 type pistols. Forget what they are called. ?? I've never heard much good about that gun, and I didn't buy it. Maybe I made a mistake.

What is your opinion of those guns?

 

[ghitch75]

melensdad how many do you have now?

 

[melensdad]

melensdad how many do you have now?

Honestly I don't know. I have one of the largest Detonics collections in the world, that is pretty well established. I know of at least one collection of CombatMasters that is larger than mine. Within my collection I have very few duplicates, for example I have 9 different 9mm CombatMasters. Of those 9 I have 4 that are the MC (Military Combat) finish. But of those, 2 have arched mainsprings, 2 have flat mainsprings. Of those, I have 1 each with walnut grips and 1 each with rubber Pachmeryr grips. So I have 4 guns nearly identical but each slightly different and all factory original. Further, one of those 4 appears to be badly damaged but it actually has a bad forging so that makes it even more of an oddity.

I've got a blued steel gun that is such an early production gun that other collectors I know have never seen one like it because it doesn't use the trademark captured recoil assembly but rather uses a paper-clip!

Generally I look to build 'sets' by both caliber and model. For example, the MK V guns came in 9, 38 Super, 45acp and 451 Detonics. I have all but the 451 in the MK V variant. So that is an incomplete set.

But by looking at a caliber, say 38 Super, I have those in MC, MK V, MK VI, MK VII and an ultra rare MC/MKVII hybrid (maybe 1 of 1?)

I also have some real oddities like one of only 6 known to exist with British proof stamps. It comes from a batch of pistols sent to England, 6 of which were returned to the US for repair. While they were back here in the US, England passed its gun ban and the rest of them were destroyed. I have a few "executive" variants where the gun was made for a factory exec to his specs and was never catalogued. I've also got the most highly engraved stainless Combat Master ever done.

But the answer to your question, I can't tell you how many I have, I honestly don't know.

Nice! Congrats!

And yes, I've also wondered where you find all of these Detonics.

I've haunted local gun stores for years, and have yet to run across even one to examine.....

I did, at one time, run across one of their odd 9mm non 1911 type pistols. Forget what they are called. ?? I've never heard much good about that gun, and I didn't buy it. Maybe I made a mistake.

What is your opinion of those guns?

Some people like them. I think they are miserable and with poor ergonomics. From the collectors standpoing, one of those in 380 has some value because very few were ever produced in that caliber, the 9mm variants are cheap and common. I'd pass on one if it was priced higher than $350. Actually I'd pass on them all the time. But if I wanted one, I wouldn't pay much for it.

 

[sgreen3]

Very nice, I like it. Never shot one though

 

[melensdad]

Very nice, I like it. Never shot one though

They are somewhat odd to shoot. The grip frame is so short your little finger hangs off the end. I find it easiest to curl it under the base of the magazine. No less than Col. Jeff Cooper has proclaimed them to be the softest recoiling 1911 ever designed, despite their small size. He credits the captured recoil spring assembly for softening the recoil.

FWIW, I typically bring 1 or 2 to the INGO shoots that I attend for people to try.

 

[gunman41mag]

That is an awesome price for a DETONICS

 

[Fordtough25]

I don't see a need for the word oops in any part of this thread!

 

[Bowman78]

nice

looks prettty good!!! wish i could find a gem like that!!!!!

 

[sparkyfender]

Honestly I don't know. I have one of the largest Detonics collections in the world, that is pretty well established. I know of at least one collection of CombatMasters that is larger than mine. Within my collection I have very few duplicates, for example I have 9 different 9mm CombatMasters. Of those 9 I have 4 that are the MC (Military Combat) finish. But of those, 2 have arched mainsprings, 2 have flat mainsprings. Of those, I have 1 each with walnut grips and 1 each with rubber Pachmeryr grips. So I have 4 guns nearly identical but each slightly different and all factory original. Further, one of those 4 appears to be badly damaged but it actually has a bad forging so that makes it even more of an oddity.

I've got a blued steel gun that is such an early production gun that other collectors I know have never seen one like it because it doesn't use the trademark captured recoil assembly but rather uses a paper-clip!

Generally I look to build 'sets' by both caliber and model. For example, the MK V guns came in 9, 38 Super, 45acp and 451 Detonics. I have all but the 451 in the MK V variant. So that is an incomplete set.

But by looking at a caliber, say 38 Super, I have those in MC, MK V, MK VI, MK VII and an ultra rare MC/MKVII hybrid (maybe 1 of 1?)

I also have some real oddities like one of only 6 known to exist with British proof stamps. It comes from a batch of pistols sent to England, 6 of which were returned to the US for repair. While they were back here in the US, England passed its gun ban and the rest of them were destroyed. I have a few "executive" variants where the gun was made for a factory exec to his specs and was never catalogued. I've also got the most highly engraved stainless Combat Master ever done.

But the answer to your question, I can't tell you how many I have, I honestly don't know.




Some people like them. I think they are miserable and with poor ergonomics. From the collectors standpoing, one of those in 380 has some value because very few were ever produced in that caliber, the 9mm variants are cheap and common. I'd pass on one if it was priced higher than $350. Actually I'd pass on them all the time. But if I wanted one, I wouldn't pay much for it.

Thank you, sir!

 

[drgnrobo]

Nice score on a great pistol ,looks awesome .

 

[flatlander]

Nice. I remember trading a HK 91 around 1984 for a Combat Master I think. It was a good little shooter. Don't remember what I traded/ sold it for. IIRC the original magazines follower stuck out the bottom of the mag a fuzz when fully loaded and was a minor bother. It would be nice to shoot one again. Maybe I'll look you up when I get home.

Bob

 

[melensdad]

. . . IIRC the original magazines follower stuck out the bottom of the mag a fuzz when fully loaded and was a minor bother. . .

Yes, when fully loaded, there is a tab that sticks out the bottom of the magazine to indicate its loaded, but as soon as you rack the slide and put one in the chamber the tab retracts.

You can see that tab in this photo of another of my guns, this gun's magazine has the square tab but some had rounded tabs.

 

[PINski1015]

Have you shot one in 451 detonics magnum or is that caliber to hard to find?

 

[melensdad]

Have you shot one in 451 detonics magnum or is that caliber to hard to find?

I have not shot a CombatMaster in 451 Det Mag. I own, a brand new, unfired, CombatMaster in 451. Its worth too much to shoot.

I'm not sure how many models were made in 451 Det Mag. I believe, but can't confirm, that only the MK VI guns were made in 451 Det Mag for production. Its likely some custom models or sets were also made in that caliber. Finding a CombatMaster in 451 Det Mag is a very rare thing.

 

[gunman41mag]

i sold my combat master & i traded my pocket 9 for a para ordnance carry 12 LDA, but I won't get rid of my SCOREMASTER, it'll out shoot most 1911

 

[melensdad]

My Scoremaster is scary accurate.

 

[rugertoter]

Looks like a nice 1911, but how does it shoot?