Notes: Built for Dan Wesson by CZ-USA, the Commander Classic Bobtail is an accurized and customized Colt Commander-type weapon. The frame and slide are made from stainless steel, but the weapon is not too heavy. The slide top is rounded, with fixed 3-dot tritium inlay sights. The barrel is forged in one piece and is match grade, as is the bushing. The grip safety is extended and has a "memory groove," which is sort of a bump on the grip safety which makes sure the grip safety engages. The front strap is checkered at 20 lpi, and the grip plates are wooden and checkered in a diamond cocobolo pattern. Flat surfaces are hand-polished, while rounded surfaces are bead-blasted to give a contrasting effect. There are no sharp edges. The ejection port is enlarged and flared. The manual thumb safety is extended, as is the magazine catch, and the slide stop specially shaped for easy manipulation. It is on the whole considered an excellent pistol, like all Dan Wesson designs.

The Concealed Carry Officer (CCO) is a development of the Commander Classic Bobtail designed as an even more concealable weapon, and also designed as something fancier that military officers might actually be proud to carry. Like a classic CCO-type pistol, the Dan Wesson CCO uses a Commander-length slide with a 4.3-inch barrel on top of a smaller frame. The grip plates are of high-quality wood with a special stippled "Shadow" pattern and a "DW" logo on each side; the frontstrap is textured in a proprietary "Chain Link" pattern for gripping, and the backstrap is checkered. The frame is aluminum; the rest is stainless steel. The trigger housing is undercut to encourage a proper, high grip on the frame. The slide and frame are coated in a matte black Duty finish. Sights are low-profile and dovetailed in, with tritium inlays. The trigger has a shortened pull length for faster follow-up shots. Two types of magazines are sold for the CCO – a flush-fit 7-round magazine, and a 6-round magazine with a rubber shoe on the bottom that has a finger stop.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This pistol does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: Based on a Series 70-style M-1911, the Pointman Seven features almost all-stainless steel construction and several caliber choices, though the standard (and most numerous) version is chambered for .45 ACP. The barrel is match-quality and cold-forged, with a one-piece 5-inch match barrel and bushing. The micrometer-adjustable rear sights are by Bo-Mar, with a dovetailed front sight blade. The rounded surfaces are given a bead-blasted finish, while the flat surfaces are hand-polished. The grip plates, and backstrap are checkered, with a bump on the grip safety. The front and rear of the Pointman Seven’s slide have cocking grooves, and the magazine well is beveled to aid in loading. The ejection port is lowered and flared and the feed ramp is hand-polished to aid in positive extraction. The hammer is also a loop-type match-quality unit. The trigger is one of the few non-steel parts, being of polished, skeletonized aluminum. The magazine catch is extended. The .45 ACP model can be had in the additional finish of desert tan, but not the other calibers.

The Pointman Nine is based on the Pointman Seven, but chambered for 9mm Parabellum. It also has some extra features, such as a checkered frontstrap, and the front sight has a fiberoptic inlay. The top of the slide has Clark-style aiming rib, like that of the RZ-10.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Pointman Nine is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is an older Dan Wesson design that was revived by CZ-USA due to popular demand. Also known as the Razorback 1911, the RZ-10 gets that "Razorback" moniker from its serrated Clark-style aiming rib that extends down the top of the slide between the sights. The sights themselves consist of a rear low-profile combat sight that is dovetailed in and a low-profile front sight blade that is also dovetailed in. The finish is stainless steel (as is the construction) with checkered cocobolo grip panels. The barrel is match-quality and 5 inches long.

The RZ-10 Sportsman is similar in basic construction and finish, but the rear sight is micrometer adjustable and the front sight has a fiberoptic inlay. The grips plates are textured rubber, and the frontstrap and backstrap are checkered. The grip is slightly shorter allowing for a magazine capacity of only 8 rounds, but the magazines have a short rubber extension with a finger stop on it. It is otherwise identical to the standard RZ-10 for game purposes.

Notes: The Single-Stack Custom (SSC) is a competition-grade pistol built under the CZ-USA auspices, and is currently Dan Wesson’s only pistol built for .40 Smith & Wesson. The SSC is designed from the outset for competition (specifically IPSC competition), and features a match-grade barrel, a fiberoptic front sight, stainless steel construction, ambidextrous controls, and a beveled magazine well for quick reloading. The grip plates are Shark Skin Grips, a texture designed for a sure grip and often added to the pistols used by US special operations personnel to their pistols. The grip safety has a bump on it for positive engagement. The hammer is a loop-type hammer. The SSC is heavy and thus keeps barrel jump to a minimum.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The SSC does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: The Valor is a return to what is more-or-less a basic, quality 1911-type pistol – but it is still better than the average 1911-type pistol out there. Constructed entirely of stainless steel, the Valor is finished in a matte black ceramic-based finish called a "Duty Coat," and it is practically indestructible. The slim-line gray grip panels use 25 lpi checkering, as to the frontstrap and backstrap. The grip safety has a grooved bump to ensure positive engagement. The trigger guard is "undercut" – it is slightly raised and higher than normal to encourage a high, correct grip on the Valor. The rear sights are low-profile and adjustable, and the front and rear sights have tritium inlays. The hammer is of the loop-type. The 5-inch barrel is match-quality.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Valor does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: These two pistols, virtually identical except for caliber, are small pocket pistols noted for their good workmanship and clean lines. They are single-action pistols finished in chrome or black Teflon, with laminated wood grips. They are fairly heavy for their size, which contributes to recoil control.

Notes: Detonics is known for its pocket pistols, and the Combat Master series is perhaps their most powerful. The Mark I has a matte blued finish, the Mark IV has a polished blue finish, the Mark V has a matte stainless steel finish, and the Mark VI has a polished stainless steel finish. The magazine well is beveled to facilitate loading, and operations such as cocking and extraction has been improved to make them easier and produce less stoppages.

.451 Detonics Magnum is a fairly rare loading for the Combat Master; the round was never loaded commercially in large numbers. It is basically a hopped-up .45 ACP round, but the two are not interchangeable. Though the .45 ACP round can be fired though a .451 Detonics Magnum-chambered pistol, this is a dangerous practice for both the shooter and pistol, and is greatly discouraged; the .451 Detonics Magnum round will not fit into a .45 ACP-chambered weapon, though it can use the same magazines. There were very few Combat Masters chambered for the .451 Detonics Magnum, and the weapon quickly disappeared from the market in the early 1990’s.

The Combat Master completely disappeared for about 5 years, but by 2005, it had reappeared. The new one comes in different calibers and is made only in matte stainless steel, with a new slide shape that is flattened on top to facilitate snap shooting, and the rear sight positioned about an inch forward than is normal for pistols. The hammer is spurred, with the spur higher than normal to make thumb-cocking easier and to keep it from biting the hand of the shooter.

In addition, a special, full-sized version of the Combat Master was also built; this version is known as the Model 9-11-01. As the name would indicate, it is meant to serve as Detonics’ memorial to the tragedy of 9-11, and the rosewood grip plates carry memorial engraving to 9-11 as well as the Detonics logo. As a full-sized version of the new version of the Combat Master, the 9-11-01 has a full 5-inch barrel as well as the typical features of the Combat Master. The pistol (except for the grip plates) is made entirely of machined and hand-finished stainless steel.

It should be noted that, for mechanical and reliability reasons, the new versions of the Combat Master uses proprietary magazines. Magazines from other pistols will fit and even lock in, but won’t feed in the new Combat Master.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The new versions of the Combat Master do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: An American design, the Detonics Super Combat is intended to be used as a backup or holdout gun. The 9mmP cartridge is used since it has more punch than the .380ACP.

Notes: Also known as the Scoremaster Target (a term later applied to a single pistol instead of the entire line of Scoremasters), this is a heavy M-1911 variant designed primarily for target shooting, with Pachmayr grips and stainless steel construction. The grip safety is also extended, the trigger mechanism improved, the manual safety/slide catch extended, and Millett micro-adjustable sights were installed in place of the standard rear sights. As with the Combat Master, the caliber of .451 Detonics was offered for a short time (1991-92), but the production run was small and this chambering comparatively quite rare.

A relatively new version of the Scoremaster is the Scoremaster Target. It is very similar to the standard Scoremaster, but is equipped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail under the dust cover, a match-quality 5-inch barrel, an MMC micrometer-adjustable rear sight and blade front (both dovetailed in), and a Commander-type hammer. Construction is almost entirely of stainless steel, with rosewood grip plates, and no stampings.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Scoremaster Target is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: The Servicemaster is essentially Detonics’ version of the Commander-style M-1911, having a 4.25-inch barrel and a matte combat finish. However, the Servicemaster also has a match-quality coned barrel, dovetailed front and rear sights to allow them to be replaced with others (standard sights are fixed wide combat sights), a beveled magazine well, a polished feed ramp, and a tuned trigger. There was also a Servicemaster II variant built, with a stainless steel finish, but otherwise identical. Like the Scoremaster, the Servicemaster was chambered for a short time for the .451 Detonics Magnum round.

Like other Detonics pistols, the Servicemaster disappeared until Detonics reorganized in the early 2000s. The new Servicemaster is a bit heavier than the old Servicemaster, the new Servicemaster boasts most of the features of the old Servicemaster, plus a design which makes it easier to field strip and disassemble, a lowered and scalloped ejection port (the old Servicemaster could suffer from stovepipes and tended to damage the brass on the way out of the pistol), is made largely from stainless steel, has 3-dot-type dovetailed sights, a chamber-loaded indicator, and a stronger extractor. It also uses a slightly heavier barrel. A "compact" version of the new Servicemaster is also made; it has the same barrel length, but is built on a compact frame instead of the full-size frame of the standard Servicemaster. The sights are also of a lower-profile design. For game purposes, it shoots like the standard new Servicemaster.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The new versions of the Servicemaster are not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This new Detonics pistol is sort of a strange looking combination of the full-length slide and barrel of the Scoremaster, along with the highly-abbreviated grip of the Combat Master. The Streetmaster has most of the typical features of the new Detonics pistols: a cone-shaped barrel requiring no bushing, a lowered and scalloped ejection port, a polished feed ramp and improved extractor to increase reliability, a chamber loaded indicator, and a beveled magazine well opening. The Streetmaster uses a 5-inch barrel with fixed 3-dot-type low-profile combat sights. Construction is almost entirely of stainless steel, with checkered rosewood grip plates. The Streetmaster is designed for easy stripping and maintenance.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Streetmaster does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: The Bren Ten was the product of a rather short-lived firearms company – Dornaus & Dixon of Huntington, California. The Bren Ten was essentially a Czech CZ-75 rechambered for the (then New) 10mm Colt round (also called the 10mm Auto, and at that point just out of wildcat status). The Bren Ten might have been a success (it was a rather good, though not exceptional firearm) since it had the marketing hook of firing a then-new and rare round, but Dornaus & Dixon badly underestimated customer interest, production costs, and their own growth and production capacity. Production quantities were spotty, Bren Ten deliveries were often late or never materialized, magazines for customers were always in short supply, and Dornaus & Dixon tried to produce too many varieties at once. In addition, the initial batch of 10mm ammunition was loaded too hot by Norma due to a manufacturing mistake, leading to cracked parts on the Bren Ten that were incorrectly attributed to the pistol’s design. It all led to a storm that meant manufacture of the Bren Ten lasted only from 1983-85, with only 1500 Bren Tens being built during this time, and Dornaus & Dixon going out of business. (Our armorer at 24^th ID in the Army had one, and he loved it.)

The CZ-75 base of the Bren Ten was further modified to use a Browning action more reminiscent of the HP-35 High-Power. As stated above, several versions were built: the Standard Model with a 5-inch barrel, the Military & Police, a Standard with a matte black finish; the Pocket Master, with a 4-inch barrel (a few were also built with 3.75-inch barrels); the Dual-Master, essentially a Pocket Master with interchangeable parts allowing the Dual-Master to fire 10mm or .45 ACP ammunition; the Marksman Model, the same as the Dual-Master but with the longer Standard barrel, a Commemorative Model based on the Military & Police (to commemorate the initial release of the Bren Ten, and with a glossy blue finish and laser-cut engravings inlaid with 22-karet gold), and a Special Forces model (an M&P with a different finish).

Despite the failure of Dornaus & Dixon, many companies realized the Bren Ten was an excellent design, and deserved another go. A Huntington Beach company, Peregrine Industries, was formed in 1991 with the intention of bringing back the Bren Ten as the Peregrine Falcon pistol. Unfortunately, Peregrine failed before it could manufacture a single pistol. Then, at the 2008 SHOT Show, Vltor Weapons Systems announced its intention to being back the Bren Ten, this time as the Fortis pistol, with chambeings in both .45 ACP and 10mm Colt, and with various sizes, versions, and finishes. The Fortis has yet to materialize as of the time I write this (early July 2009), but a long note on Vltor’s web site says that they still intend to produce the Fortis, though they don't give an exact date when this will occur.

Notes: Though introduced at the 2008 SHOT Show, the DoubleStar 1911 (as it is commonly known) is not found on their web site and though a price is quoted by various sources, it is apparently not for sale as of the time I write this (28 May 09). The name is also not yet finalized; though commonly referred to as the "DoubleStar 1911," examples shown at the SHOT Show were simply marked "DoubleStar 45 ACP" on the slide. Despite this, the specifications have been given to several prominent firearms magazines and web sites. It is DoubleStar’s first handgun design; DoubleStar is far better known for its AR-15/M-16 clones.

The DoubleStar 1911 is made totally of steel except for its grip plates and aluminum trigger. The frame and slide are forged instead of being cast steel. The finish has matte black Parkerization, and the dust cover has a MIL-STD-1913 rail milled into it. The barrel is a National Match 5-inch stainless steel barrel, and of much higher quality than the typical 1911 clone. The sights are of the 3-dot type, using white dots, with the rear sight being a Novak low-profile combat sight. The trigger is a match Greider trigger, and the grip safety is an Ed Brown Memory Grip safety. The grips themselves may be Ergo grips, Stryder grips, checkered plastic, fancy walnut (checkered or smooth), or exotic smooth wood). The magazine well is beveled for quick reloading, and the trigger guard may be rounded or squared-off. Magazines made for the DoubleStar 1911 have a hard rubber shoe at the bottom with a finger stop. DoubleStar says the intent of all these options is to provide a high-quality 1911 that is as customizable as possible without breaking the buyer’s bank account.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The DoubleStar 1911 is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is basically Ed Brown’s version of an M-1911; however, it is of course a much better-constructed weapon than the M-1911. It first appeared in 1975, and is a full-sized 1911-type weapon. The parts are forged instead of being stamped and hand-fitted for better functioning. The sides of the slide are finished to a bright, almost mirror finish, though the top of the slide is given a dull finish to avoid glare when sighting, and top of the slide is also flat instead of rounded like a standard M-1911. Furthermore, the rear of the slide is given 50 lpi serrations to further cut glare and give the rear Bo-Mar adjustable sight more of a "grabbing" surface. (The front sight is a dovetailed cross sight.) The frame is also hand-polished, but not to the degree that the sides of the slide are, creating an interesting contrast. The frontstrap and mainspring housing use 30 lpi checkering to ensure a positive grip, and the grip plates are also checkered and are of the Cocobolo type. The ejection port is lowered and flared, and the feed ramp is polished with a hand-fitted ejector and extractor. The thumb safety is ambidextrous. The hammer is of the Commander loop-type, and the trigger breaks clean and crisp due to the mechanism of the Classic Custom. The trigger itself is of the 3-hole skeletonized type. The Classic Custom is a 1911 done one better.

Notes: The "Bobtail" in the name refers to the butt; by relocating the retaining pin for the mainspring housing, Ed Brown was able to create a round-butt M-1911A1 that sits more comfortably in the hand. The original purpose of the commander Bobtail was to test conversions to various types of ammunition; the Commander Bobtail thus comes in several different calibers and will digest just about any sort of ammunition.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist, except for a few copies handmade by Ed Brown after the November Nuclear Strikes for friends; none of these are chambered for .400 CorBon or .357 SiG due to the rarity of the ammunition (he didn’t want his friends and family to be caught short in an emergency).

Notes: This is a variant of Ed Brown’s various bobtail designs. Like most of Ed Brown’s designs, the Executive Carry has an extended beavertail grip safety, uses fine 25 LPI checkering on the grip panels, backstrap, and frontstrap, has a matte finish for low glare, dehorned sharp edges, a lowered and flared ejection port for more reliable extraction, and an extended safety (with an ambidextrous safety optional). The feed ramp is polished, and the extractor and ejector are tuned to provide even more positive extraction and feeding of rounds. The sights are Novak Lo-Mount sights which are dovetailed to allow them to be changed, or slightly adjusted if necessary. The hammer is Commander-style, and the sear is a pateneted Ed Brown Perfection sear, which gives the Executive Carry a light, crisp trigger pull. The trigger itself is a skeletonized (three-hole) long trigger. The magazine well is beveled to aid in quick loading. The pistol is made from steel (except for the trigger and hammer, which are aluminum alloy), with the slide having a matte stainless steel, matte black, or matte blued finish, and the frame having a matte stainless steel or matte blued finish. The fit and finish are excellent. Author Dave Anderson said that shooting the Executive Carry actually got a bit boring, since it is so accurate and he didn’t have to do a lot of work to fire consistent, accurate, tight groups.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This pistol does not exist.

Notes: Big brother to the Executive Carry, the Executive Target is a full-sized 1911-type pistol. The finish for the Executive Target may be all-blued, all-stainless, or a stainless frame with a blued slide. The Executive Target is designed for hard use, with a titanium firing pin and a heavy-duty firing pin spring. Like most Ed Brown 1911s, the Executive Target has a forged instead of stamped slide and frame, and most of the components are hand-fitted and finished. The frontstrap and mainspring housing have 25 lpi checkering, and the grip plates are checkered Cocobolo. The weapon is matte finished, and the entire pistol is dehorned of sharp edges, making concealed drawing easier. The ejection port is lowered and flared, the feed ramp polished, and the extractor and ejector tuned and hand-fitted. The barrel and bushing are match grade. The thumb safety is ambidextrous, and the grip safety has a small bump to make sure it disengages. The rear sight is an adjustable Bo-Mar sight; the front is a cross sight dovetailed into the slide. The top of the frame is flattened and grooved at 40 lpi to cut down glare and haze when sighting. The magazine well is beveled for easier loading.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This pistol does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is another one of those "tuned" .45 ACP M-1911 clones. The Kobra is basically an M-1911A1 built to close tolerances and designed to shoot accurately. The Kobra has a match-grade stainless steel barrel and a blued slide, with a stainless steel frame and grips with a pattern called "snakeskin." It has a loop hammer and sights that will not snag.

Twilight 2000 Notes: As with the Commander Bobtail, the only existing copies of this weapon were handmade by Ed Brown for friends, family, and other close associates.

Notes: A rather fanciful name for an otherwise basically ordinary rimfire pistol, the Accelerator Pistol is designed for high-velocity rimfire rounds. The grip is made from polymer, the barrel and frame of stainless steel, and the rib carrying the sights above the slide is of high-strength aluminum. This rib does not move with the slide, and incorporates a Weaver-type base which will mount most telescopic sights. The Accelerator Pistol is a single-action weapon with an internal hammer and both a firing pin safety and manual safety. If bought from the manufacturer, a cable lock is included.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This pistol does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is a highly modified M-1911A1 designed by Springfield Arms for the FBI's regional Special Weapons and Tactics (SWT) teams. It is a match-quality pistol with many custom features that can be tuned to the individual user's needs. Improvements include a match barrel, custom-fitted slide, Tritium low-light sights, a match trigger, ambidextrous safety, and a beveled magazine well. The finish is very tough and resistant to corrosion, as well as self-lubricating.

Notes: Felk Firearms is an interesting company; they are a subsidiary of Felk Industries, which is actually an Australian company, though Felk Firearms is based in Virginia in the US. Felk’s pistols themselves are in fact built by subcontractor in Spain, though sold exclusively through the Virginia-based subsidiary. I decided to put the MTF-450 under US Pistols due to their headquarters and distribution from Virginia.

Felk pistols themselves are similar to the Glock series, with a similar operation, polymer frame, and steel slides. Appearance is different, however, being more rounded and somewhat more ergonomic. They are also extremely safe weapons, with automatic firing pin safeties, automatic striker safeties, DAO operation, and a pivoting-blade type of manual safety. Unusual in a budget pistol, the trigger is adjustable for pull weight. All of the MTF series are essentially identical, since they may be changed in caliber simply by changing the magazine, barrel, and slide. The barrels are all 3.5 inches long. Sights are typically fixed and simple notch-and-blade types.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Having begun trading in 1998, Felk pistols do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is a US-made near-copy of a handgun that FIE used to import from Italy – the Titan II. It is considered a backup pistol, but is larger than most backup pistols at over 17 centimeters long. The SSP is characterized by its plethora of safety features – including a grip safety, magazine safety, firing pin safety, hammer safety, and manual safety switch that locks the trigger. The pistol is made of a light alloy frame with the rest of the metal parts made of steel, but has hardwood grip plates. The rear sights are adjustable for windage; the front sight is a simple blade. The sights themselves are some of the best used on a backup weapon.