laststandonzombieisland

There has been no shortage of “250th Anniversary” special edition firearm models released so far this year. Savage has them. Auto-Ordnance. Heck, Ruger has a whole series of them in five flavors, while Henry has three. 

Spoiler alert: all are pretty ho-hum, being standard models with the addition of a little extra laser-etched scroll or Cerakote splash. Nothing really stands out.

Well, except for what Cabot did, which is something altogether special.

They took a 4-pound British cannonball recovered from Lake Champlain in the 1950s– almost surely from the 1776 Battle of Valcour on said lake– and transformed it into Damascus carbon steel billets. Then, from that salvaged vintage ore, they precision-crafted triggers for a small run of 50 custom “America 250” series 1911s.

“Once an instrument of British military power during the struggle for independence, this relic has been reborn as a symbol of American freedom,” says Cabot of the guns.

The cannonball’s iron was meticulously refined by master blacksmith Ray Rybar before being hand-forged into Damascus steel by renowned artisan Robert Eggerling.

The slide is machined from 100 percent American-made billet stainless steel. It features intricate engravings centered around the Great Seal of the United States and the American bald eagle—symbols of strength, freedom, and independence since the nation’s founding. The frame is crafted from 4140 carbon steel and finished using Cabot’s proprietary Fire and Ice process, creating rich red-brown tones that complement white American holly grips engraved with excerpts from the Declaration of Independence. Together with high-polished blue PVD components and the Damascus steel trigger, the pistol reflects the red, white, and blue of the American flag.

From what I understand, all 50 have already been spoken for.