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What do you know about Bob Day?

6K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Austin Behlert 
#1 ·
One of the "old school" smiths from the past, to be sure. I've read a fair amount about him, but have never met him, nor examined examples of his work. Seems I heard something some time ago about him having passed. Any truth to this? TIA.
 
#5 ·
I met Bob Day a few years back when I was hanging around San Antonio quite a bit. I bought two of his conversions, along with a bullseye type pistol he'd built from Nagel's Gun Shop. I found out that Bob had his own gun shop way across town, so I went over and looked him up. We had a nice visit, and he actually bought the bullseye pistol from me, as he recognized it as a pistol he'd built for an old friend years past. I was more interested in his 10X conversions, so he got me some original instructions and boxes for the 5" and 6" versions I had. He also told me that he had "over 100" of the unfinished units in his shop, but short of me getting down on my knees, he wouldn't sell me one! Apparently there was some kind of lawsuit over them, and he said that maybe his heirs would be able to do something with them.
He showed me his carry pistol, a LW Colt Commander .38 Super, with S&W sights, and went back to his desk and his Pearl Light!
Allan
 
#6 ·
He must have straightened out those legal difficulties.
For several months before his death he was selling 30-X conversions again, I know a local guy who bought one.
He made a few changes from the 70s model, the main one being to use ACE magazines instead of an insert in a .45 tube.
 
#7 ·
A friend of mine bought a Bob Day .38 Super Government Model back in the 1980's. It had a S&W K-frame rear sight, red ramp front, a stippled mainspring housing, and some reliability/accuracy/trigger work.

It was a nice pistol. The cosmetics were nothing to write home about, but that seems par for the course with military armorers. It functioned and shot well. He's still got it.

Rosco
 
#8 ·
I met Bob Day in 1963 at Lackland AFB. I was working at the Lackland range, and got to spend quite a bit of time in the armory were Bob used to work on the AF Pistol Team guns.

I wasn't supposed to be hanging around there, but I managed to be nosey enough to watch and ask questions.

He taught me a lot about fitting 1911's, (all of which I forgot). I remember watching him squeezing slides, welding barrel hoods, and lower lugs, etc.

I was only a kid at the time, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have taken pictures!!

Probably would have gotten court martialed too!

Lou

It was nice to be around in those days..
Lou
 
#10 ·
Bob Day

Funny you should mention my old friend Bob Day. At the National Pistol Matches at Camp Perry Ohio in the 70s I beleive Bob had the building next to me on commercial row doing gunsmithing. He was a real character in that he sat and talked to shooters during the day and worked all night. At two in the morning I would hear him hammering away and Id yell for gods sake Bob go to bed. We slept in the buildings in those days and with screen windows you could hear everything. He must have slept a couple hours during the day tho. I bought a number of his conversions. He was a descent guy
 
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