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lst gaboonContinued from page 75his own bushing and to contain therecoil spring he created a plug perfectlymatching the slash cut and inserts fromthe rear of the slide.To disassemble the Gaboon you pullthe slide rearward until the takedownnotch is lined up with the slide lock,remove the slide lock while holding theslide and then ease the slide forward,being careful to grab the recoil springand spring guide as tension is released.After the slide is removed you pushthe recoil spring plug to the rear andout of the slide. This allows access tothe Gaboon’s barrel bushing which hasthree small holes permitting the bushingto be rotated with a pointed object incase it is too tight to turn by hand.engaged. What I am still getting used tois that since the slide cannot be locked Isometimes have to place my thumb onthe rear of slide when holstering. TheGaboon is available with or without theNeXt modification.The Gaboon also comes standardwith LST’s aluminum grips. They areavailable in a variety of colors and havethree ball-cut grooves running verticallyup the grip. I really liked these gripsand they fit flush with the S&A magwell.However, I’m addicted to CrimsonTrace laser grips. So I eventuallyreplaced them with the neat looking,digital camo grips Crimson Trace providesto Kimber. I liberated a set andwith apologies to Dustin and Kimber;they now reside on my Gaboon. Youcannot purchase these grips fromCrimson Trace but you can get themdirectly from Kimber.The result is a deadly and dependable pistol that,like the Gaboon viper, will lay in wait until calledupon to strike at some aggressive troll.It’s a comprehensive modificationdramatically changing the profile ofthe pistol and requires the meticulousconstruction of a new bushing and thetime consuming manufacture of a newplug. It also shortens the cycling distanceand time. To compensate for this,an 18-pound Commander spring andCommander spring guide are used for5" 1911s. You may be wondering if thisis a totally cosmetic alteration. It’s not.On two occasions I’ve seen a 1911barrel bushing rotate away from therecoil spring plug during firing. Theresult was the recoil spring and plugbeing ejected from the pistol. In bothinstances this was likely due to improperassembly, but in any case it happenedand it rendered the pistol inoperative. Itcannot happen with the Gaboon.The Gaboon is also easier to cram intoa holster. Though this advantage maybe slight, it does exist and is noticeable.Sharpening the muzzle profile of anyhandgun would do the same thing. If youhave ever tried to shove a square-nosedGlock into an inside the pants holster,you will appreciate the ease at which aGaboon goes to leather — or its den.And of course, “Life’s too short tocarry an ugly gun.”NeXtAnother modification incorporatedinto my Gaboon was the NeXt featuremade popular by Novak’s. By bevelingthe bottom edge of the slide just forwardof the thumb safety, the slide canbe manipulated (the pistol can be loadedor unloaded) while the thumb safety isThe other components making upa Gaboon read like a laundry list ofthe best 1911 parts you can find. Theslide is STI and the frame is from Caspianwith an S&A magwell and gripsafety. There’s an Ed Brown slide stop,ejector and extractor, a Grieder triggerset to your desired pull weight, Wolfesprings, a Kart barrel, commanderhammer and Novak Practical GripScrews. The Gaboon comes standardwith a carry bevel package, a Parkerizedfinish, Novak sights and a price tagof $1,895 — cheap. Other options toinclude different finishes are availablefor a few dollars more.Like his father, Dustin believes, morethan anything else, a fighting pistol hasto work every time you pull the trigger;function first, accuracy second. But reliabilityand accuracy can coexist and theydo in the Gaboon. According to Dustin,that is best accomplished with a barrelbushing and standard recoil managementas opposed to any of those fancy guiderodcontraptions. Dustin also showed mehow he cuts the chamber in a .45 ACP.Believe it or not, it’s not perfectly round!As I watched Dustin work thechamber on my Gaboon I asked him,“How do you know when you get itright?” He nonchalantly replied, “It’ssuch a minute alteration I doubt anythingless than a machine could tell it has beendone but it’s what allows an accurate1911 to feed anything you put in it. Dadshowed me how to do it ... it’s just feel.”Feel.Like back in the old days whencraftsmen passed down the secrets of88 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2010