The Big DOG - Directed Operation Group
This is the firearm selected by the Connecticut State Police Tactical Unit (SPTU) after a rigorous testing program. When all was said and done, the Directed Operations Group (DOG) pistol came out on top. When a half railed version was asked for and delivered, the SPTU Operators named it the Big DOG, due to its proprietary extreme duty slide, frame and features. This pistol was designed from the ground up to be a true extreme duty gun.
When we started this project we looked at the standard railed frames available and didn’t like what we saw, so we created our own. Our frame starts out life as a forging, not a casting like some others, that is machined and paired to its slide. Our own match barrel and extreme duty barrel bushing are paired to that unit to form the base of the pistol. To this we added our single, monolithic, full length guide rod. Our guide rod is not a threaded rod screwed into a flange. Next comes the extractor and ejector. As anyone who shoots knows, these two items are key in feeding ammunition and extraction of empty shell casings. Both are extreme duty pieces that have to have both the correct levels of strength and durability required for this type of application.
The rest of the gun is pretty simple. We use a fully hardened fire control system that is EDM’d from machine tool steel that has correct geometry and alignment into the frame we designed. Add in a solid trigger, hard setting wide thumb safety for the gloved hand and your gun will start to come together.
Since this was a from the ground up build, we tossed out the concept of fine 30 line per inch checkering. Anyone who has ever been in a life threatening situation can tell you that being able to feel and control the pistol is of great concern. So, when 20 LPI checkering wasn’t enough to work with a gloved hand, we made it even more course. 15 LPI checkering looks like a pyramid with the tops machined off. It is aggressive but not uncomfortable. To this we wanted grips that were equally aggressive. With that, the Shredders name was born.
Cocking serrations and top of slide serrations: cocking serrations usually are beautiful and finely cut. Not this gun, we wanted extreme….and we made them that way. These cocking serrations are sharp and will definitely let you know you’ve got a handful of pistol. They serve a purpose on my gun and meet their challenge easily. As for the top of the slide, we machine the top flat with serrations to give a flat surface for the slide to ride on as the pistol is being charged via the rear sight against the shield.
The original sights were manufactured by YoBo, and since we can no longer acquire this particular sight, we decided to manufacture our own version of an extreme duty sight. And while it is not photographed here, you will be seeing it soon on our website. The design changes are simple but in the same vein as the gun. Instead of one set screw, the new sights will have two (2) 8-40 set screws with a single tritium. The front cocking edge of the sight will be more severe to enable a more positive charging of the pistol up against objects. Add in some other neat design features and we’ll have something more extreme than usual.
For durability we applied an IonBond Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) to the exterior of the gun after receiving a working matte blast finish. The IonBond is an extremely durable surface coating that works magnificently at keeping the gun looking as good as it shoots.
This gun is Large! Technically it is about 10%+/- overall larger than a standard 1911 of similar construction. The added size is the slide, frame and bushing. However, it still needed to fit into standard Safariland holsters which are police industry standard. What does that mean for the shooter? Control and comfort! You will find this pistol to be extremely soft shooting and comfortable and most of all, accurate and reliable! This is an extreme duty gun…..but you don’t have to be a member of a Military or Law Enforcement organization to own one!