Dane Burns Custom Pistols?

[jearne]

I am having Dane build me a custom pistol, the Grey Ghost, and I was just wondering if anyone on here has a Burns Custom Pistol?
Is so I would like to know what you think about it.
If anyone wants to check these packages out go to
www.burnscustom.com !

All comments are welcome!

 

[OF]

Ooohhhhh! That's the one I want...I have to come over and try it out to give my full evaluation. See you in a couple years!

- Gabe

 

[Alaska Roy]

Dane Burns - Custom Builders etc

I just was reading some of his stuff on a gunsmith board and he sounds competent. Dunno?
Why Dane Burns as opposed to the big name 1911 smiths like Clark, Ed Brown, Cylinder & Slide, Les Bauer, etc?
I've always been curious why some people would pay up to $3000.00 for a custom 1911, Thanks

 

[Cedric]

Go to the custom forum

on Pistolsmith.com, and you'll find LOTS of stuff on Dane Burns' pistols, pictures up the whazoo, and tons of input from Dane himself.

He frequents the forum regularly, and everything I've read about him is that he does exceptional work.

Good luck!

C.

BTW: The grey ghost is a beauty, huh? I drool over it everytime I see a picture.

 

[eerw]

Pistolsmith.com is was started by Dane and Peter Loron...So it is a good vehicle for which Dane to show his guns...There are a lot of threads and photos of his stuff there...if that helps you.

 

[CastleBravo]

Dane Burns - Custom Builders etc
I just was reading some of his stuff on a gunsmith board and he sounds competent. Dunno?
Why Dane Burns as opposed to the big name 1911 smiths like Clark, Ed Brown, Cylinder & Slide, Les Bauer, etc?
I've always been curious why some people would pay up to $3000.00 for a custom 1911, Thanks

You are comparing apples and oranges, that's why. Dane Burns is a one-man shop that gives you EXACTLY what you ask for. Clark, Ed Brown, Les Baer, C&S and the like are companies that produce a high-end product line. Nothing wrong with that, but you don't deal with a customer service department or some other B.S. when you have a question or issue with your BCP -- you talk to Dane Burns, because Dane Burns IS BCP.

Dane Burns worked on my Delta Elite and did an AWESOME job. Shoots sub-1" groups at 25 yards and is so reliable I think I could cycle small rocks through it. Don't be put off by the prices of his super-high-end packages; they are neat, but he will gladly do much more basic tweaking to make your 1911 run like a champ.

 

[viper]

From everything I've heard, Dane does absolutely superlative work, but he is VERY expensive. Then again, if this is a gun you are going to carry and thus bet your life on, $3,500 to $4,000 on a full custom gun(which is what you will probably pay with Dane, all in), is a bargain if you ever come face to face with the elephant.

 

[ajacobs]

You are comparing apples and oranges, that's why. Dane Burns is a one-man shop that gives you EXACTLY what you ask for. Clark, Ed Brown, Les Baer, C&S and the like are companies that produce a high-end product line. Nothing wrong with that, but you don't deal with a customer service department or some other B.S. when you have a question or issue with your BCP -- you talk to Dane Burns, because Dane Burns IS BCP

While I have not dealt closly with some of the shops you mention, I feel you are misleading when it comes to Cylinder and Slide. Not only was my gun built by bill himself but he often answers the phone and called me at home several times to make suggestions and bounce ideas. Why they are too big now to be a one man shop as they used to be, it is still a single smith working on your gun.

 

[WESHOOT2]

I ACTUALLY DREAM

Of a DB 1911 in 9x23, but I want a ghost-ring rear/optic-fiber rod front just like my other $4,000 custom 1911, and I want it NP3'ed, too.
If you don't understand you need to spend more money LOL.

 

[Alaska Roy]

Different Strokes -Etc

I know where ya stand Weshoot, I felt the same exact feeling of awe with my first custom Clark. But Clark Custom Guns had won every pistol match from NRA to Combat Pistol League back when, then there were the serious LEO types that swore the Clark work had saved their butts. Nowdays the same can be said for C&S, Brown, etc.
Truth be told here, 1911s ain't rocket science. Browning designed a gun that anyone with a basic mechanical apptitude can detail strip or assemble best of grade parts into a match winner. The 1911 is like a Harley, build it to your individual tastes, from mild to wild with over the counter or mail ordered custom or factory parts including frames and slides.
Call me old fashioned but i still think a handlapped military NM Drake or Colt slide on the old pre-Gold Cup Colt NM frame beats all the current crop of cast kits.
Talking 1911s to other members of The Church of 1911..grin

 

[CastleBravo]

There is a difference between dealing with 1 guy and a bunch of guys. Period. That said, alot of the companies/multi-person shops are great in their own right. My point isn't to put anybody down, just that my experience with BCP has been really, really good.

There seems to be a mistaken notion out there that somebody like Dane Burns will only do $3,000 handmade artisan pieces with a 12 month waiting list. There is a RANGE of things you can have done to your 1911. If you only want the FUNCTION of a high-end custom piece you will pay ALOT less... and not wait nearly as long. $1,000 + base gun isn't cheap, but it sure isn't $4,000, either.

I'm biased as all get-out, but for a good reason: Dane Burns delivered the goods.

http://www.geocities.com/mr_motorhead/deltabcp.html

 

[RickB]

A friend of mine just took delivery of a BCP a couple of months ago, after an eighteen month wait. The gun is pictured in the "Gilbert gun" thread at pistolsmith.com. I have shot it very little, but it is a well-made gun. Dane is local to me, and when I thought I could afford a custom pistol, I called Dane. He invited me over to his place, fed me, showed me a half-dozen personal and customer guns (let me snap away with his Swenson!), showed me around his shop, etc. He definitely will do work other than full-house custom guns, but you'll have to be prepared to wait. He has definite ideas about how to properly set-up a 1911, but he's quick to point out, "It's your gun".

 

[mikey357]

As a couple earlier posters have mentioned, Dane has DEFINITE IDEAS about what makes the "Ideal" 1911...his perspective is that a gun is a hard-use tool, one that MUST function EVERY TIME...can't say I disagree!!! He IS opinionated...but he will tell you why he will or won't perform certain mods, and why he prefers certain components or modifications over others.
EVERYTHING done to a BCP pistol is done with the idea of enhancing the gun's utility to the end user and enhancing it's reliability.
I attended a one-day 1911 'smithing seminar given by Dane earlier this year...easily worth two or three times the cost(don't let Dane hear that-!), it was easy to see why his backlog is growing...the man is a PERFECTIONIST...I must say, if someone is working on MY weapon, that's probably a GOOD thing!!!....mikey357

 

[jearne]

I am extremely glad I went with Dane to build my first custom gun. Everything I've ever read or heard about Dane has been extremely good, not just good but extremely good! To be honest I haven't heard anything negative about him or his work! A good friend of mine and myself are convinced he is one of the best smith's working today. Depending on what you want the price will vary, they seem to range from 800-4000. His most expensive is a Best Grade Gun, where he actually builds the gun from selected hi-quality parts from the ground up to your specs. Other packages are based on Kimbers, Colts and Springfields. Extra little cool add-ons can run the price up but you do get exactly what you want. You get what you pay for!
I'll let you guys know how it shoots!

 

[Spackler]

I don't know Dane, but the best evidence I've seen that he'll build it the way you want it is, he actually agreed to put Novak sights on CastleBravo's cherised Delta!

 

[CastleBravo]

Actually, the Novak sights were there before Dane got the gun.

IIRC Dane doesn't like Novaks because he bumped a gun with them up against a corner and a chunk came off the sights.

Mine seem to be holding up OK and I prefer the sight picture.

 

[Casey]

Hello all.

I would like to second (or third, I lost track) the notion that you don't need to have Dane create a multi-thousand dollar gun. I contacted him and we talked about him working on converting a Colt from 38 Super to 9x23 Win.

Dane had certain things that he felt very strongly about (the extractor, for instance), but for a very reasonable amount he made the conversion. The pistol, when I got it back, worked flawlessly. I haven't had a single problem with it, not a single misfeed or failure to fire, from the first round to the last (well over 5000), both factory and rather warm reloads.

In addition to the reliability, the accuracy is unbelievable.

I would strongly recommend Dane to anyone who is interested in having work done to his/her 1911. Especially if it is a conversion to 9x23 Win.

Casey

 

[John Forsyth]

There is the old addage that you pay for what you get. Well, it is true. Dane knows his business, and that is custom 1911's. I have a couple by Brian Bilby. Brian thought that Dane was pretty good. Good enough for me.

While I have never had Dane do a pistol for me, I have talked to him several times about miscellaneous things. I do not think you will be disappointed if you let Dane do the work you want.

And yes, I want a Grey Ghost in 9X23.

 

[Mute]

While Dane will certainly do a best grade pistol, which will be expensive, his prices aren't any more expensive than any smith that is doing work at that level and cheaper than a few of them.

If you're looking to get a customized work gun and don't need every bell and whistle, you'll be able to get away with a gun that isn't any more expensive than getting a good Les Baer or Wilson pistol. In fact, I believe that to be true of many of the top pistolsmiths in this country.

 

[kalibear45]

Two words: "The Wave"