Current Colt 1911s - Good/Not?

[tabs]

Originally Posted by jyl

Seems price is around $2,500 for these? Where do you look for this sort of spoon?

Hurry check your PM..

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

During WWII all kinds of companies made standard mil-spec guns. In fact, Springfield still has a 1911 model called "Mil-Spec" and that term exists because any company that had the tooling available then could build them to uniform specs for the US military. Aside from Colt, Springfield and Ithaca, companies like IBM, Smith Corona, John Deere and many others built small arms for the war effort.

You forgot UMC and Remington...GM Saginaw..Steering and gear plant..M1 carbines..

[tabs]

Originally Posted by KC911

As long as I can still hit the side of the barn, I'll stick with my Combat Commander .... it was $298 NIB .

The Diamonback .22 was mebbe 20 bucks more.

A good pair of Levis .... mebbe 10 .... and my ass wasn't draggin' either

And I will bet you knew Abe Lincoln when he was a kid.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Mine is like that too. I went with my mom to buy it for my dad for Xmas around 1977. $150 used. But she got one of the good ones. There are lemons out there.

That is why you shake em to see if they rattle.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by jyl

Jeff, I think you’ve a modern Colt, meaning one made in the past couple years? What did you think about its quality?

Boy, I wish I could remember when it was that I bought that one at Cabela's. I think I was still working, so at least six years ago, probably a couple more than that.

That means it's not a "new" Colt, made under CZ ownership. Things were changing so fast at Colt for awhile that I think it's important to know exactly who was in charge at the time. In light of that, I don't think mine can be used as a gauge to their current quality. Mine is a fantastic gun, probably the best 1911 I have ever owned. It's the only full sized example I still own, so maybe that says something about how I feel about it.

Originally Posted by tabs

And yet you shoot Shiloh's and Fahawkens instead of the real McCoy

Absolutely. While I do own original Ballards, High Walls, Hepburns, and Trap Doors, I sold my last original Sharps decades ago. The examples I had were far more "collectible" than "shootable", and I was into not just shooting, but doing my best to win matches in those days. My original Sharps were just too "shot out" to do that. I had the Ballard rebored from .40-63 to .45-70 (since it wasn't worth anywhere near what the Sharps were worth), and won a lot of matches with it. I'm a shooter, not a collector...

And, well, the Hawken is an original. Made by The Hawken Shop themselves, utilizing some of the original equipment from St. Louis to do so. Letters from the family attesting to their lineage and right to use the name, etc. For whatever that might be worth...

I guess one can argue that not many manufacturers from that period are still making firearms with an unbroken lineage going all the way back to their founders. The subject of discussion here (Colt) has been sold many times, bankrupt many times, and is no longer under the blue dome. Winchester has changed hands a few times and has moved, as has Remington, Marlin, and others. I think maybe Savage and S&W may qualify as "original", unbroken lineages, but I can't think of others offhand.

So, really, what is a "replica" vs a "continuation" these days? Collectors value them one way, shooters value them another. Interestingly, Shilo surpassed the production numbers of the original company many, many years ago. As has C. Sharps Arms, right across the street. And a C. Sharps manufactured High Wall is true to the original, whereas the new Winchester made rifles are significantly different, with no parts that can interchange.

Originally Posted by jyl

I GUESS that now that CZ owns Colt the quality has improved ..they are probably building some good stuff in their Custom Shop..but you are gona being paying the stroke for that hand fitted quality..check out GB on pricing..

Personally I wana get an 8 in Anaconda and if they bring it back a 8 inch Python.

I have heard good things about "new" Colt quality. Their infamous stumble with the new Python notwithstanding, it appears the infusion of cash from CZ has helped. I have yet to handle and fire anything of theirs in this new era, so I just can't offer my opinion yet.

I'm hoping for a 4" Python. In blue. Royal Blue. I would buy one tomorrow.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by tabs

And I will bet you knew Abe Lincoln when he was a kid.

His dad was a fine young man as a teen .... I called him Sonny-boy Lincoln! And I disremembered that 298 price .... that was for a M27 .... got it, the Combat Commander (280), and the Diamondback (315) in consecutive summers during college .... but that wasn't chump change back then either ... not for me .

[flipper35]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

I know that I love mine..

Mine is dead on out to 100 yards for sure. Haven't shot past that. It does take a few tries to hit a Gatorade cap at that range though. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

[jyl]

Thanks tabs for the PM, thanks everyone for the spoon porn pics. Now to find an FFL who will do a three day release for a reasonable price. Because, M114. Some FFLs are charging $100 to handle a transfer now. Others won’t do transfers unless you bought the gun from them.

[DSM]

I was a Manufacturing Engineer at Colt around 2012. Have the M45A1 CQBP and employee 1911. Both new never shot by me. Obviously range tested at Colt though. I'm not a gun guy but when working there said I have to buy some. Around that time the 308 LE901 was a new model. I bought one(low serial#) and custom laser engraved the onion dome in lower receiver. I created the vector file and took it with me. Its one of a kind. Still new also. When going thru range testing the range master had a fit. What the hell is this? General Keys said if I see this on gun trader your in big trouble. Good times!

[HardDrive]

I have a Kimber TLE II on my list. I had access to one for a while. Such a great pistol.

[jyl]

Been browsing around some bullseye forums and it looks like the other alternative is to buy a used bullseye 1911, built by a known bullseye pistolsmith, from a retiring shooter. It will be hand-fitted and accurized, match barrel, bullseye trigger, usually an optics rail; may have a test target; could be high or low round count depending if it was his or her primary or backup; will usually be 10-30 years old with attendant cosmetic wear. Seldom built on a Colt, often Caspian or similar parts. Typical price $1500-2500.

Example (test target at 50 ft): assuming that is a B2 target, the 10 ring is 0.9" diameter, so those groups are comfortably sub-1".

[jyl]

Well, I pulled the trigger (ha) on the pistol shown above.

Built by Tony Kidd (better known for his bullseye Beretta 92s for the Army Marksmanship Unit and now for 10-22 accuracy products), very low round count, shouldn't need anything to be a very competitive bullseye gun.

Background check queue in Oregon is 24,000 so I won't see it for months. A de facto "waiting period", which will keep paper targets safe.

My Colt itch remains to be scratched.

[tabs]

For that kind O dinero you coulda had Wislon, Brown or Nighthawk.

[tabs]

My latest Swiss friend



Exceptionally clean...usually Swiss stuff is in rather good shape..except that the swiss would tap their cleated boots against the butt to knock the snow off leaving chittering on the stock.

So for about the avg cost I got this one...rather hard to find one in this cond. U can look for a long time..
When I saw it my ears perked up, and then the bid was not commensurate with condition.

These are about the most accurate mil rifle ever made..

[jyl]

Originally Posted by tabs

For that kind O dinero you coulda had Wislon, Brown or Nighthawk.

Oh, it was much less than a production Wilson or Ed Brown.

Turns out those companies don't make what I want. Their 1911s are gorgeous but oriented to "action" shooting and any optics are the micro-dot type. I wanted a bullseye-specific 1911, tuned for light target loads, with a full-length optics rail for a tube dot.

This is a custom bullseye gun, hand-built specifically for the discipline by a known bullseye smith. Former head gunsmith of the AMU, head of the AMU R&D Dept, AMU Hall of Famer, etc. I should be able to contact him and get the gun's full history, build sheet, etc. And I won't feel bad if I screw on ergo grips and bondo . . .

EDIT

I realize I sound snooty, but I'm getting sucked deep into the bullseye culture . . . it turns out that scoring makes shooting interesting again, for me. Now to find somewhere that has light SWC loads in stock.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I have heard good things about "new" Colt quality. Their infamous stumble with the new Python notwithstanding, it appears the infusion of cash from CZ has helped. I have yet to handle and fire anything of theirs in this new era, so I just can't offer my opinion yet.

I'm hoping for a 4" Python. In blue. Royal Blue. I would buy one tomorrow.

I recently dry fired a new King Cobra. The double action trigger pull was outrageously smooth. My K-frame DA trigger feels blah in comparison.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

It has history. WW2, Korea, and Vietnam.

It’s been fired but in pretty good condition.

It has been fired, and guy who had it on his hip probably got shot at too.

That thing is the cat's ass.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by jyl

Oh, it was much less than a production Wilson or Ed Brown.

Turns out those companies don't make what I want. Their 1911s are gorgeous but oriented to "action" shooting and any optics are the micro-dot type. I wanted a bullseye-specific 1911, tuned for light target loads, with a full-length optics rail for a tube dot.

This is a custom bullseye gun, hand-built specifically for the discipline by a known bullseye smith. Former head gunsmith of the AMU, head of the AMU R&D Dept, AMU Hall of Famer, etc. I should be able to contact him and get the gun's full history, build sheet, etc. And I won't feel bad if I screw on ergo grips and bondo . . .

I get those things for the dinero you mentioned in your 1/30 post.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by tabs

I get those things for the dinero you mentioned in your 1/30 post.

You always find the deals!

[Tobra]

He is, The Master Buffeter after all