May – The American Flair 1911
We approached our May 2023 pistol with, ahem, daring flair. This month’s GotM Club team includes Master Engraver Lee Griffith for the third straight year. Never afraid to shoot for a technical breakthrough, we asked Lee to engrave a gun in reverse order! What does that even mean? We asked Lee if he could flip the entire process on its head and engrave American Flair after it was finished—in black, no less.
It is a daring approach in which the engraver has zero room for error. Traditional engraving is performed on bare metal, then finished afterward. This process—let’s call it inverse engraving—requires long, graceful cuts made by hand, without one slip. Lee must roll the flare cuts, vary them by width at the perfect angles, and accomplish it all with unprecedented precision and with intense focus and patience. The result is a visually powerful pistol with intense contrasts that would not otherwise be possible. The attention to detail required for Lee to successfully complete these pistols by hand is akin to walking a tightrope.
Americans are mavericks and the American Flair 1911 is our homage to those who welcome risk, knowing it is an essential ingredient for extraordinary results. The Government-size Cabot American Flair is built from premium stainless steel and chambered in .45 ACP.
