Dear Kings River, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate you on a fine built 1911. I am a fan of the 45ACP and 1911 builds. Over the past decade I have become serious about finding the best of the best. I no longer need to buy handguns, so for me to purchase a new handgun, it better stand out in my collection.  Well, you did it, Scott, who I have worked with at another high end custom 1911 builder in the past knows me and said, you must see this one. I believe you call it a level 3 build. Well, the price knocked me on the flour till I took a closer look. Perfection is a word that should not be used often. The gun was perfect, the fit and finish above any of my existing guns. The extravagant engraving could only be done by a master craftsmen, and the trigger (my shooting buddies call me a trigger snob) was perfect. I could go into details and specs, but I will leave that up to the sales guys. Bottom line, I would buy again. That says it all.

I wanted to drop you a quick note and say ‘hello’.  I came across Kings River originally when I was looking through Gunbroker at some Nighthawks and Wilson’s.  I’ll mention that I am also an FFL (07), and do some Gunbroker sales, but in this instance, I was looking for something to add to my personal collection. When I saw Kings River, it did ring a bell, i.e., I had come across your name on some previous occasion.  In any case, it must have stayed with me since this time around I was quite curious to do some research on Kings River Custom and see what you were all about. 

I read through your website and scoured the internet for whatever content I could find on customer reviews and your own produced content.   What I could find all seemed unanimous in opinion, that you guys were turning out some of the most amazing 1911’s anywhere at any price.  There is a school of thought about being an early adopter, a wait-and-see attitude of, “I’ll hold off until they have the kinks worked out”, but I didn’t see it that way. 

Quite the contrary, based on the pedigree of the partners and based on the premise that the early guns you turned out needed to be as close to perfect as humanly possible I took the opposite side of the argument.  I’ve no reserve whatsoever that your quality will ever waiver and that each gun will truly represent the soul of the company but seriously, who starts a business and tries to make splash in a crowded market by introducing a second-tier product? 

Maybe a long story short, but I am now the proud owner of 3 Kings River Custom 1911’s.  Two Level One’s in Stainless and a Phoenix Fighting Gun (PFG).  They are brilliant, as much a joy to hold and admire as to shoot.  A devoted fan of Wilson Combat and Nighthawk Custom for many years, I wrestled with whether drawing comparisons to their best work would be sufficient praise.  My guess is you were aiming even higher than that; I would say then, “Well done”. 

I’ll be following to see how the company progresses and what you’ll be coming out with in the future.  Oh and in case you were wondering, “Why 2 Level One’s in Stainless?”  I was going back and forth between both of them, I like stainless guns, and ended up buying the one with the Mammoth Ivory grips.  The next day I bought the other one, there was something about getting a serial number below a hundred that I couldn’t resist!  The PFG, also below that hundred mark , I figured would just make a great carry gun.  In for penny,  in for a pound as they say. 

Thanks for all the hard work that is so obviously displayed in the final product and keep up the great work!

July 29, 2024

Review Of Kings River Custom Phoenix Fighting Gun Serial Number KRC00095

I ordered a PFG on June 28, 2024 in stainless with an ambi safety and ironwood grips.

The order started with an email to the Company requesting a quote. The response

was the following day and in a few emails we had worked out the particulars and

the build was underway.

I received the pistol on July 26, 2024, I was pleasantly surprised with the lead time.

The pistol arrived in a range bag, that at first glance appeared too small. However,

after further evaluation the range bag is sufficient to carry the pistol and maybe

another gun. It will not hold any ammo or accessories. Included with the gun in

the range bag is a bushing wrench, a silicon cloth and three magazines. I have

never heard of the magazine manufacture but they appear to be high quality.

Upon a visual inspection of the pistol I was taken by the stunning aesthetics. The fit and

finish are impeccable. The pistol feels good in my hand, and is very well

balanced. I ran three mags through the gun. The sights are true. The trigger has

little take up and a crisp break, I would estimate a 4 pound pull. The recoil was

very manageable and the operation was smooth. The pistol has features not seen

on other guns, such as a mag well with a rounded butt and areas polished like the

barrel crown and the feed ramp.

Comparing the pistol with other high end 1911s, I was not disappointed. The PFG is

comparable in fit/finish and performance to guns costing thousands of dollars

more. I am thrilled with my purchase and plan to acquire others models.