COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
A .45-caliber Colt Single Action Army revolver features exquisite engraving and custom grip, both handcrafted by Connecticut-based Nutmeg Sports.
NO CNC MACHINES NEEDED HERE!
Nutmeg Sports prides itself on its custom Colt grips from raw materials, exquisite engraving. PHOTOS BY NUTMEG SPORTS
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or nearly two decades, Nutmeg Sports, LLC has been producing handcrafted, engraved and fully customized Colt grips from their shop in Tolland, Connecticut. “My father James Alaimo started our company in 1993. He had just finished his 20-year career with Colt Firearms and was ready to start out on his own,” explains Nutmeg Sports owner Emily Alaimo Cusson. “The Samuel Colt legacy was something that inspired my dad, and he wanted to take that inspiration and use that as the basis for Nutmeg Sports.” Alaimo’s goal was that any gun
sold by Nutmeg Sports would equal or surpass the quality standards of the Colt Custom Gun Shop. Whether customers were looking to spruce up an old Colt Single Action or they wanted to buy something brand new and fully customized, Alaimo aimed to provide the finest in engraved guns and ivory grips on the market. Following her father’s passing, Cusson is now at the helm and continues his legacy proudly. “My husband Tyler and I took over fully in 2016,” she explains. “However, he and I worked closely with my dad for about 15 years prior to that. In January of 2020, Tyler accepted a position
with Colt’s Historical Archives, and I started running things here at Nutmeg primarily on my own.” As a woman in an obviously maledominated industry, Cusson has had her share of awkward encounters with customers who “assume that I am the secretary.” “(They) are surprised by my knowledge and are also amazed to learn that I am the one in fact getting my hands dirty and crafting the grips myself,” she adds. “We don’t have a CNC machine, or any automatic equipment. I make each one of our grips from raw material and completely by hand.” Because everything is done by hand, americanshootingjournal.com 111
