Ed Brown's is one of the most famous names when it comes to U.S. guns, and in particular Colt 1911s. Ed Brown began his part-time gunsmithing business in 1968 under the name "Brown's Gun Shop". For 20 years, in the evenings and on weekends, he honed his skills and experience while during the day he worked as a CNC programmer and CAD/CAM designer.
He began shooting IPSC and Bianchi Cup in 1980, with great results. Frustrated by the poor quality of the 1911 parts he had to work with, Ed Brown envisioned a full line of quality aftermarket parts. On March 30, 1988, this vision became reality when he quit his job to launch his own parts business. Within months, the world's largest firearms parts distributor, Brownell's, added Ed Brown's 1911 parts to their catalog.
Parts production began to take off, and his gunsmithing career peaked in 1991, when he was awarded "Pistolsmith of the Year" by is fellow Guild members, a prestigious honor that, at the time, was awarded only to those who had shown the highest degree of honesty and craftsmanship in their work. That same year, Ed announced that he would focus exclusively on parts manufacturing.
After more than 50 years, Ed Brown's name continues to be pivotal not only in the field of 1911 pistols, but also in more modern pistols such as the Smith & Wesson Military & Police series, which has been re-designed and transformed into the Fueled models.
The overhaul covers both polymer- and metal-framed models.
Fueled, the Smith & Wesson M&P overhauled by Ed Brown
Based on the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0, the heart of the Fueled Series M&P pistols is the fitting of Ed Brown's Accuracy Rail. The steel rails on which the slide of many pistols rides are embedded or screwed into the polymer or alloy frame, and this element often has tolerances that, while perfectly acceptable for a mass-produced gun, have some play, and this affects accuracy. To install the Accuracy Rail block the original rails are removed and replaced with a manually adjusted part, for a perfect fit between the barrel and slide. A custom slide is then fitted, ready for mini-reflex optics direct mounting and milled in some areas to lighten it without reducing its strength. The third main element of the Fueled M&P is the 416 stainless steel fluted barrel with ½x28 muzzle threads protected by a checkered thread cap. The barrel is available in Black Nitride or multi-colored finish.
A redesigned and re-engineered custom extractor mates perfectly with the slide, ensuring the best possible reliability. Even the slide backplate, which is polymer in the standard gun, is replaced by an aluminum one with custom serrations. The sights of the Fueled M&P pistols consist of a drift-adjustable rear notch and a TruGlo front sight with tritium luminescent dot, both in suppressor ready height so as not to interfere with any silencer screwed onto the muzzle. The trigger assembly has been redesigned to provide the user with a lighter and crisper release, but without affecting the gun's safety, which is also guaranteed by the trigger-integrated safety.
The magwell is aluminum, designed by Ed Brown for maximum ease of use and fast reloads, in competition or during actual firefighting. The magazines have aluminum basepads that make them easier to handle and more durable if dropped. The steel pins that secure the moving parts inside the frame are also replaced with custom turned ones, which ensure the most precise operation and disassembly.
The price of the Smith & Wesson M&P in the Fueled version ranges from about $2,150 to $2,800, depending on the finish. All pistols in the Fueled series are made to order and require a $500 deposit, therefore it will be very difficult to see one in a gun shop window.
Ed Brown Fueled Series M&P in video
To learn more you can visit the Ed Brown's website.
