detonics "Are they back in business?

[xkimberman]

Is detonics back in business are will they be in the near furture?

[OD*]

http://www.detonicsusa.com/

[stans]

And expensive too!!!

[John]

And I do not trust their president.

[DSgt31]

Who knows? I have seen articles with "production" models, and that (Combat Handguns) some magazines state that the Detonics is currently under production. I had a Detonics Combatmaster some 22 years ago and it was a POS. It would not function, the slide cracked around the recoil spring tunnel, and it was a boat anchor. As our great American pistolero Jeff Cooper might opine "it is an ingenious solution to a non existent problem." One would be better served with a Colt Officers, or a smaller Kimber or Springfield Armory. I just don't trust Detonics.

DSgt 31 :cool:

"May God protect those, whom in mortal peril, remember the FRONT SIGHT"

[T-TAC]

They are building a semi Custom gun at under $1000. With no MIM parts.
The company seems to be trying to bring a good product to market.
John can you elaborate on why you don't trust their president?

[RickB]

I've put a few rounds through a new one, and it is a pretty nice piece. If there were no other compact 1911s on the market, as back in the days when the original Detonics was operating, they'd have a big hit on their hands (when they had no competition, how come they weren't a big hit???). But, with competition from Kimber, Springfield, Colt, et al., I don't know if they can make it. I have an original, Seattle address Combat Master, for which I paid little more than half what a new one costs. While the new ones appear to be good guns (I was able to shoot only 30 rounds, so I can't draw too many conclusions), I don't know if they are priced realistically. You can go to the auction sites and find minty Combat Master Mk. V and Mk. VI models, from the mid-'80s, for $500-$650.
Cooper was actually fond of the Combat Master, feeling its heavy weight - for a compact pistol - was more than made up for by its sturdy 1911 lineage and interchangeability of parts.
My original gun has been fickle at times, but it's gone the last 800 rounds without a failure to feed, and with two failures to eject; I've found that I have to grip the gun slightly differently from a full-size 1911, or my thumb rides the slide enough to induce failures. Arguing that you don't want a bellygun that requires special treatment may be valid, but I've been shooting my gun in IDPA matches, drawn from concealment, and the gun has been impressive, when I do my part.

[Herknav]

And I do not trust their president.

John,

No flame intended. I just wondered if you could elaborate on this. I have only dealt with him once and he seemed to be a straight up guy.

Cheers,
Herknav

[John]

Well, that was years ago, he was running a holster business. So I decided to order from him a holster, a belt and a mag pouch. Well, the package arrived, and the holster didn't fit the gun, too tight. But that can be solved. If you could see the holster, it was so awful, machine marks every where, the stitching was at 1 mm from the edge of the leather in one area and about 6-7 on another, the leather was so thick that even its maker could not manipulate it properly, so the belt loops wavy and thick around the opening. There were areas where there was no stitching at all, just holes on the leather. Overall, the worst holster I've ever got.

Here are some pictures to understand what I mean.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/sv1cec/Pict1570.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/sv1cec/Pict1571.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/sv1cec/Pict1572.jpg

As you can see from the pictures, the holster has never been used.

The mag pouch was equally ugly, with the same stitching issues and the belt loop was formed from the same leather, the pouch was made, just flipped backwards and stitched with a line of stitches.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/sv1cec/Pict1574.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/sv1cec/Pict1575.jpg

At least this one was used, as cushioning material, when I want to grab something, like a slide, in my vise. So, no, that's not how it arrived to me.

As for the belt, that was the worst piece of leather I've seen, stitched by someone who was (probably) drunk etc. My Siberian Husky teared it to pieces very happily.

Mind you these were not cheap, if I remember correctly, I've paid something like 150$ for these, plus shipping. I emailed Mr. Ahern and asked for another set or a refund, and he told me that this is the way he does them and there was nothing he could do about it.

I have kept the holster in my "junk box", as a testimony to how dishonest a person can be.

[Herknav]

John,

That's a shame. I'm sorry that happened to you.

[John]

What can you do? At those days, there was no way you could get information about a product, like today (the forums etc). So I got caught by Mr. Ahern.

[Yoshi]

That would be enough to keep me from doing business with him.
Like my old man always says, " fool me once-shame on you , fool me twice-shame on me"

[Whirlwind06]

Back in the 80's Aherns was writing a series of books called the "survivalist"
basically a post-nuke USA setting. The protagonist's weapon of choice was 2 Detonics combat masters. I started reading these when I was like 16 or 17.

I had a lot of experience shooting long arms, growing up in the hills of Pennsylvania but very little with hand guns. The protagonist carried his 1911's in a double shoulder holster rig with hammers down on loaded chambers, with the grip safeties disabled. That made me think that the 1911 was not a very safe gun to be toting around, and the idea of cocking the triggers to fire seemed awkward at best.

So when I was old enough to buy my own handgun I didn't even think of buying a 1911. I opted for a S&W 6906 DA 9mm, with a bobbed hammer (no hammer cocking for me!) It wasn't until just recently that I bought my first 1911 which I now love. So in a way Aherns gave me the opinion that the 1911 is unsafe, that took 20+ years to unlearn.

[Colorado Osprey]

Didn't the lead engineer and designer for Detonics go to Schutzen Pistol Works over ar Olympic Arms?

Thats the scoop I got.

[John]

Back in the 80's Aherns was writing a series of books called the "survivalist"
basically a post-nuke USA setting. The protagonist's weapon of choice was 2 Detonics combat masters. I started reading these when I was like 16 or 17.

I had a lot of experience shooting long arms, growing up in the hills of Pennsylvania but very little with hand guns. The protagonist carried his 1911's in a double shoulder holster rig with hammers down on loaded chambers, with the grip safeties disabled. That made me think that the 1911 was not a very safe gun to be toting around, and the idea of cocking the triggers to fire seemed awkward at best.

So when I was old enough to buy my own handgun I didn't even think of buying a 1911. I opted for a S&W 6906 DA 9mm, with a bobbed hammer (no hammer cocking for me!) It wasn't until just recently that I bought my first 1911 which I now love. So in a way Aherns gave me the opinion that the 1911 is unsafe, that took 20+ years to unlearn.
Somehow, I believe Jerry's experience with handguns, was the same as my experience with rocket science. Superfluous to say the least.

[Herknav]

For the record, Combat Masters never had a grip safety, so it wasn't tied down or disabled.

CO Osprey - Yes, Richard Niemer was over at Oly last I heard. I'm not sure exactly what position he held with the original company.

[dakota1911]

I agree with RickB. I carried one back in the 80's as backup for my main carry, a Colt 1911 Govt. They were about the only game in town for a small gun that would use the full size Colt clips. In 1980 dollars they were quite pricey. I was always satisfied with it back then, never had any problems, and still have it and shoot it every now and then.

Today, however, there are so many other choices in new small .45s. The new Detonics company is going to have to have a solid product with good customer support and maybe even something a little extra to set themselves apart. Although I always keep and eye out for a good price on one of the early ones with no sights or one in .451 Detonics caliber, neither is high on my "want to buy" list, and I have no interest in buying a new one right now.

Customers also have many choices in used "other pistols". I have seen a slightly used Colt Defender 90 for about $500 and bought a barely used Glock-36 with 3rd clip for $420. I would have got the Colt (to have two Defenders), but it was gone when I went back the next day. I have found these deals at ranges that teach concealed carry courses and have a gun shop associated with them.