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Bill
Laughridge / Cylinder and Slide
American
Handgunner
2005 Tactical Annual
Cylinder
and Slide has built an enviable reputation for
custom gunsmithing, top quality parts and
custom-built guns for every aspect of the sport.
And while Cylinder and Slide is a pretty
serious organization these days, at the heart of
it is Bill Laughridge, a gentleman of the first
order.
How
do I know that?
Simple.
Many years ago, I decided to spiff-up a
Browning Hi-Power I was shooting in competition.
While the accuracy and handling of the gun
was allowing me to hold my meager own in our
informal shoots, the microscopic thumb safety of
that original patter pistol was costing me points.
I sent away for one of Cylinder and Slide's
big ambi-safeties, and then spent a few hours
scratching my head trying to figure out how that
sucker was going to fit into that pistol.
Long
story short, I called Cylinder and Slide, and Bill
himself walked me through installing that part.
While I have no idea what he was making on
the part, I'm sure his hour on the phone ate it
all up, and more.
The whole time he was patient, polite, and
unhurried; he even asked me to call him back when
I was done, so he could be sure it'd work out for
me!
I can't think of a better reference.
Bill
and Cylinder and Slide have long been associated
with the Browning Hi-Power, and for good reason;
while largely ignored by the custom gunsmiths of
the world, Laughridge has been building parts for
the venerable design for many years, and custom
guns based on it, as well.
And although he does work on revolvers and
other autos, as Bill puts it, "I certainly
have a soft spot in my heart for the
Hi-Power."
Bill's
favorite carry guns are, not surprisingly, the two
mini-guns he lovingly constructs from the 1911 and
Browning Hi-Power, the Adventurer and Pathfinder,
respectively.
Each is abbreviated both fore-and-aft as
well as in height, with an extreme emphasis on
reliability.
"I think it may still be the smallest
reliable 1911 on the market," Bill says of
the
Adventurer.
"Notice I said RELIABLE," he
adds.
In
case you haven't gathered it yet, Cylinder and
Slide specializes in functional guns you can bet
your life on, and the Pathfinder and Adventurer,
although small in size, have to keep up the family
tradition.
Even with their cut-down frames and
magazines, the guns run, and that's quite the
trick.
Bar-Sto barrels and extensive hand-fitting
keep the bullets going where they're pointed,
while Cylinder and Slide's own firing system parts
and Bill's loving touch ensure crisp triggers.
Novak sights top off these little gems, so
sighting is also state of the art.
Not
many custom gunsmiths will tackle cutting-down
pistols as Bill and his crew have done, and faster
still get them to run at 100 percent.
The Pathfinder and Adventurer represent the
epitome of the mini-gun:
reliable, carry friendly and accurate.
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