Checking out the All Mighty L.A.R. Grizzly

Utah-based L.A.R. Manufacturing specialized in making some serious .50 caliber rifles, but they also bestowed upon the world a big, beautiful pistol with a lot of interesting properties.

Formed in West Jordan, Utah, in 1968, L.A.R. busied itself with bolt-action rifles and upper receiver assemblies for AR-15 style carbines until SHOT Show 1983, when they appeared in Dallas with eight different caliber conversion units for M1911 pistols and a gun they tentatively called the Grizzly Winchester Magnum, or GWM. Designed by L.A.R. owner Heinz Augat and Perry Arnett, who held accurizing patents for M1911 style handguns, the Grizzly was something special.

Using a 6.5-inch extended barrel and muzzle brake style bushing, the standard GWM hit the market in 1984 as the Grizzly Mark I. With a larger grip, heavier slide, 27-pound recoil spring, and other improvements, the gun was designed to use the powerful .45 Winchester Magnum, a round that had been introduced with the ill-fated NAACO Brigadier then later popularized by the Wildey gas-action pistol. Using a slightly longer case than the more draft horse-like .45 ACP, which generated a velocity of about 800 fps with a 230-grain bullet, the .45 Win Mag could make the same sized bullet hit up to 1,400 fps, transforming it into a racehorse that carried a saddle load of energy along for the ride. L.A.R. maintained at the time (1983) that the Grizzly was the only production .45 Win Mag semi-auto handgun on the market.