Cabot, Pennsylvania– April 2024– In 2019, Cabot acquired some of the original suspension cable wire from the storied Golden Gate Bridge. If you know anything about Cabot, you know that as soon as we lay hands on rare steel, we’re burning the midnight oil, working to turn it into museum-grade 1911 pistols.
This time was no different.
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Over the last several years, we’ve collaborated with American metal artist and Mosaic Damascus steel genius, Robert Eggerling. The task: transform this historic material into museum-grade Damascus steel.
Eggerling has previously crafted some pretty masterful Damascus patterns for Cabot, but our wildest expectations were exceeded with the steel used to create these California pistols. After stripping the heavy coating from the pencil-thick cable bundles, Robert—somehow—forged unique billets of Mosaic Damascus that contain images of the Golden Gate Bridge within the steel!
Each slide of The California features two Golden Gate bridges, deliberately positioned where you would expect front and rear cocking serrations. To maximize the visual aesthetic, we employed a monolithic slide design to allow for maximum exposure to the exquisite Mosaic Damascus. In our attempt to push the boundaries of finishing possibilities, we employed a never-before-used selective etching process to create a deep etch of the bridge at the place of rear cocking serrations, the top of the slide, and the trigger.
The California pistols could easily have been ruined by this technique. We risked it because deep etching was expected to yield an uncommon, sculpted appearance that would be a perfect complement to the hand-polished, 2-micron mirror finish for the remaining aspects of the slide. We think you’ll agree, the reward was well worth the risk.
Each aspect of this Damascus dazzles with an exquisite variance of colors and presents a collage of individual designs, resembling Beeple mosaic photo art, only with Golden Gate steel as the medium. It is truly extraordinary. All four limited edition pistols feature a custom serial number ranging from GOLDENGATE1 to GOLDENGATE4. To top it all off, we crafted the front sights from solid 14k gold—a small but striking homage to the California gold rush—complete with 14K CABOT engraved along the sights’ top edges.
For these full-size pistols chambered in .45 ACP, we knew the proud owners would want a display and storage case every bit as unique as their prized California 1911. Master Furniture Maker, Steven Parker, absolutely crushed it.
The cases are handmade from ancient Redwood, with painstakingly hand-rubbed finishes adorned with polished brass fittings and hardware. The interiors are equally stunning. Steel cable from the bridge is fitted into the custom-designed Freedom Fit tray, which also features ultra-soft black suede along the interior edges that gently secure the California so its beauty can be appreciated from every angle.
Meticulously handcrafted from the same practically indestructible steel used to build one of the most iconic structures in America, we are certain these limited-edition California 1911 pistols will find a place of honor in four cherished collections.
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