Thread: Been a long row to hoe...

I've been a gunsmith for the past 20-ish yrs, starting my apprentice back in '92. Along the way, I have repaired, literally, thousands of guns; built National, as well as several State and local shooters' pistols. I have always been the guy who 'just built and fixed' guns and competed along side my brothers in arms. Recently, I submitted a few photo's to one of the gunsmith magazines I subscribe to, for their "Readers Submission" section. (I thought it would be neat to have one of my guns pictures in a National magazine) To my surprise, below is the reply email I got:


"On Feb 10, 2017, at 8:56 AM, info@acesandeightsfirearms.com wrote:

Here are a few pics of one of my recent builds. My 01 FFL, of course, only
allows builds for myself. So, this is one I shoot IDPA, USPSA and IPSC
matches with.

Stealth Arms 80% frame
Caspian bare slide (all cuts done in my shop)
Bar Sto barrels (9mm and .38 Super)
9mm for IDPA and .38 Super for USPSA and IPSC
Mixture of Ed Brown, Bill Wilson, C&S internals.

Everything was 100% gunsmith fit parts...no drop-in stuff.

Richard Tague
Aces and Eights Firearms
Cowden, Il.



Hi Richard

Awesome gun!

I would actually like to make this into a article for Guns and Gunsmiths magazine, rather than just put the photos in the image gallery.

To do that, can you please write a short article for the magazine? A couple of short paragraphs about each of the photos explaining what you are doing, the brand of parts used, any special tools etc.?

If you’d rather not, that’s OK too.

Gary Howes
Gun Club of America
321 Second St, Napa CA 94559"

Hopefully this will bring me a few more clients! I will retire from my 'real job' in about 5 1/2 yrs, with intents on 'smithing full time, as long as God will allow. ((Although, I may be careful for I 'wish for', too.))

Here's the pics, in case anyone cares to see them:

Pair of bare Stealth Arms 80% frames


In the mill, fitting for the fully ramped Bar Sto barrel.


Hand filed 30 lines per inch rear of the Caspian slide.




"Business End", showing the Bar Sto bull barrel.


Fully assembled, pre cerakote finish.


Post Graphite Black cerakote.