The Gun to Win The Cup Doug Koenig’s Bianchi Open Gun
by John Scoutten
Every artist needs a brush, every surgeon a scalpel, and every champion shooter must have a precision-made firearm designed for whatever shooting discipline they pursue.
In the case of the Doug Koenig and his body of work at The NRA Action pistol championship, the Bianchi Cup, his 14 victories have not come easy and not without a very special pistol.
The champion’s gun starts life as a Smith and Wesson Performance Center 1911 DK in .38 Super. The DK is Doug’s Signature model. From there, gunsmith George Heuning goes to work taking a top of the line 1911 and making it exactly what Doug needs to win at the richest handgun match in the country.
The factory barrel is replaced with a Kart precision model that has passed Doug’s series of accuracy tests in his barrel jig. The match-winning barrel this year is only two weeks old. The frame is drilled to accept the custom made shroud and wings that Doug created himself.
The Gilmore base pad is trimmed down to Doug’s exact specification, providing just the right amount of support for prone position shooting. The hammer is Koenig’s signature model and the grip safety has a pronounced shape, to make sure Doug can break each and every shot in at least the ten ring.
This year, only ten of Doug's 192 shots for record were scored as 10s. All the rest were scored Xs, inside the 4-inch X-Ring. The trigger is a flat face solid aluminum piece, forward set and matched exactly to the champion's index finger.
The trigger guard is squared off, and there is additional texturing on the under side. The Leupold LG35 red dot rides on top. All of it goes to the line on a Safariland model 14 open division speed holster.
This is a one-of-a-kind competition package, built for the win.
