The Special Forces model incorporates Ed Brown's own slide and hand-fitted match-grade barrel, plus a solid-steel bushing.

Slide-to-frame fit is surface-ground, with final lapping done by hand. The feed ramp is polished for reliability, and the extractor and ejector are hand-fit. The ejection port is lowered and flared for improved ejection. The barrel is Brown's own premium match-grade barrel--hand-fitted, with solid-steel bushing for accuracy.

Ed Brown will tell you he fits barrels like they're supposed to be fitted. He doesn't round off the edges of the barrel lugs and other mating surfaces to make them appear smooth when in reality all they are is loose.

The lug-to-frame-cut fit and barrel sleeve-to-slide mating on our review sample Special Forces pistol were so closely gauged that when I first got it, I could gently ease the slide forward until it would hold just a hair's breadth from full battery, where just a feather touch from a finger would seat it the rest of the way (of course, the slide's forward momentum during firing overcame this without notice). After about 100 rounds, this slight "snugness" disappeared, leaving no looseness or play.

Brown's Hardcore components for the Special Forces model are CNC machined from bar stock, and they're finished, polished and hand-fitted to the frame and slide with extreme attention to detail. Specific accessory components on the Special Forces model include Brown's memory-groove beavertail grip safety; its high, deep grip reduces felt recoil and improves pointing. The gun comes standard with a Brown extended, single-side tactical thumb safety. An ambidextrous tactical thumb safety is an optional accessory.

(Left) The pistol comes with a single-sided thumb safety; an ambidextrous tactical thumb safety is available as an option. (Right) The frontstrap and backstrap feature Ed Brown's ChainLink pattern for a sure grip. The magazine release has 40-lpi checkering.

The Special Forces hammer is an open spur Commander type. It is slotted and chamfered and mated precisely by hand with Brown's Perfection sear and disconnector. Ed Brown is the only M1911 maker who fully machines each of these critical parts from high-quality alloy bar stock steel, making for a long-lasting, light trigger pull with a crisp break. The trigger is a classic three-hole-style long aluminum trigger with overtravel adjustment. (Cont.)