Thoughts on this firearm....Colt Commander 9mm auto

[Baz]

I was given this firearm by my Mom. It belonged to my late step-father. He was in the Coast Guard so not sure if this was given to him during his service or not. He had other firearms but they were rifles and shotguns....not hand guns.

I have never fired it but a buddy of mine is a member of a local range and said he'd take me with him so I'm looking forward to becoming 'more familiar' with this firearm.

I was going to call Colt and try to find out when it was manufactured....and am also curious about the particular style of it - if it is a certain type model or not.

I looked online and didn't see any others with the black and stainless steel combination along with the black colored hand grips.

Any input is welcome....tia!

[targa911S]

don't bother calling Colt. They are a bunch of A holes and will want $200 for a letter on that gun. You can go to proof house.com and put in the numbers and get the year of manufacture. from that site I find it was made in 1952 and is a combat commander vs the commander 9mm commercial. You will like shooting a 9mm. I may be wrong but the slide may have been chrome plated at some time..
Colt did not do chrome. They did nickel, but the whole gun would have been done. Tabs can weigh in with more as he is a Colt guy.

[Baz]

Wow.....thanks for all the info, David!

Looks to be in pretty good shape for being manufactured in 1952.

Thanks again!

[flatbutt]

Nice piece! I wonder why they labeled it "automatic"?

[Seahawk]

What a nice piece, Baz.

I have my fathers Colt Commander in .45 he took to Korea and Vietnam.

Treasure that baby!

[id10t]

Nice collectible (if chroming didn't ruin value) and range toy, but for defense I'd want something more than a full size single stack 9mm

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by Baz

Wow.....thanks for all the info, David!

Looks to be in pretty good shape for being manufactured in 1952.

Thanks again!

Hell I was made in 1951 and I’m still kicking.

[manbridge 74]

Colt put “automatic” on a lot of pistols.

I thought these were fussy about what ammo they liked to keep from jamming. Find the kind it likes.

A nice piece for sure.

[Rick Lee]

I recently got my dad's Series 70 Commander in .45 too. It's a good shooter and the best of the five or six Commanders I've owned. But my newer 1911s crush it. My Dan Wesson makes it feel like a junk gun.

[manbridge 74]

True but the 1911 was designed as combat weapon with a looser fit.

Can the Dan Wesson pistol pass the pull from being buried in mud but still fire test?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Can the Dan Wesson pistol pass the pull from being buried in mud but still fire test?

Dunno. but I'm sure a Colt can't. They're the most overrated brand in the world with horrendous quality control. At least with modern Colts. When you get a good one, it is indeed great. But they are few and far between.

[manbridge 74]

Well I’ve never owned one and the mud thing is an exaggeration but I thought they were more forgiving of dirt/debris.

[targa911S]

you have a DW 1911? Man that is at the best made 1911 on the market. The Ithaca 1911 is nice as well, but the DW is just really well made. Tool steel, fine grade machining make the slide feel like it's on ball bearings. worth the big price tag. Coonan is nice as well.

[Rick Lee]

A Glock will absolutely take that kind of abuse and still run like a top.

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Colt put “automatic” on a lot of pistols.

I thought these were fussy about what ammo they liked to keep from jamming. Find the kind it likes.

A nice piece for sure.

you may be thinking of a Walther. They are REAL picky....

[Jeff Higgins]

Great little gun you've got yourself, Baz. The great thing about it is that you can simply have fun shooting it. Forget about collectability, stopping power, whether it will feed modern hollow points or not (it probably won't). None of that nit picking matters. Just find the cheapest full metal jacket round nose ammo you can get and have some fun. It will feed that stuff all day long without a hitch, and it's about the cheapest caliber of any centerfire pistol to shoot. It will be an enjoyable way to remember your step father, just relaxing at the range, shooting his old gun.

[Wetwork]

The CG went from the 1911 in .45ACP, to the M9 Beretta in 9mm, to the Sig 229 in .40cal. (with hollow points 'cause we could). The Coasties in theater still use the Beretta for commonality with the other kids.-WW

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I recently got my dad's Series 70 Commander in .45 too. It's a good shooter and the best of the five or six Commanders I've owned. But my newer 1911s crush it. My Dan Wesson makes it feel like a junk gun.

As you know, I'm a pretty big fan of the old Peacemaker. I've got a pretty good sized bucket full of them... With all generations covered, I have a pretty ready, pretty graphic, "hands-on" demonstration of their ebbing flow of quality. I'll have to say, with these guns at hand, the very newest - like two to three years old - are the best of the lot.

With that lineup for an example, I went out on a limb (and against my better judgement) and bought one of their new 1911 Competition pistols. I've run the gammut of their 1911's over the years and, suffice to say, my experience mirrors yours - and I became a Springfield and Kimber man. I wasn't expecting much.

Well, after a year or so of ownership, the new Colt is now the only full size 1911 left in the house. I still have a Kimber Ultra Carry, the small Officer's Model size version, but the full size Kimbers, Springfields, and one Ruger all found new homes. The new Colt is simply that good.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by targa911S

you have a DW 1911? Man that is at the best made 1911 on the market. The Ithaca 1911 is nice as well, but the DW is just really well made. Tool steel, fine grade machining make the slide feel like it's on ball bearings. worth the big price tag. Coonan is nice as well.

every pistol I picked up since having gotten used to my DW, makes the others feel like an agricultural pos in my hands.

And it was my first pistol, It basically ruined me for all other pistols..

[tabs]

The grips on that commander are original.