Jack Basham Custom 1911
Ran across this recently and it has been calling my name. Around here, in Cincinnati, there is an old-time cop, gunsmith and pistol instructor named Jack Basham.
Most of the kids have never heard of Jack. And that is because he predates most of them by at least 50 years. Having become a cop during the Jurassic period will age you out from the cool kids club. I know because I am starting to experience that feeling myself.
But back to Jack. He has seen, and done, just about everything a cop could do with a gun back in the day. So much so, he hung out his shingle for outside work. The target shooters and local competitors knew who he was. But generally outside of Cincinnati Police circles, he wasn’t a well known entity.
Jack is still with us and is “technically” still open. At least according to his FFL license, but we have all known for probably 20 years he spends more time on his Harley than answering a phone. Effectively impossible to get a hold of. That’s hold old gunsmiths go out. They tend to fade away.
Personally I haven’t seen Jack since about 2019 or so. Ran into him at a private gun range during a board meeting. He seemed like his life was going well and we chatted on and off for about an hour. Lost touch with after Covid.
So when ran across this at Shooter’s Supply, I had to save it. An old, local shooter in his 80’s is cleaning up his affairs and liquidating some of his collection. Most would see this pistol and turn their noses up at it. Use the word Fudd or some such nonsense. Even worse might break it up for parts.
But back in the days before the internet and national notoriety, local guys like Bill Wilson, Ed Brown, Armand Swenson, Frank Pachmayr and Jack Basham were local smiths who took care of local shooters.
No way, I was letting Jack’s gun slip through my fingers. Even if only for the chance to take some pics and post his name on the internet. Guess I’m getting sentimental in my old age…
Sincerely,
Marky
www.John1911.com
“Shooting Guns & Having Fun”
Areas of focus: Defense and National Security, Modern Light Weapons, Small Arms, Weapons Training.
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