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

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!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1512912692.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1512912692.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1512912692.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1512912692.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1512912692.JPG

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.

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

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

Thanks again!

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

What a nice piece, Baz.

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

Treasure that baby!

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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..

The grips on that commander are original.

Hey THANKS to all who provided input......very helpful to someone like me who doesn't know as much.

I'll pass this info on to my Mom, who will appreciate it as well.

Now....where's the best place to buy ammo?

Here's some from Walmart for example:
Remington UMC Pistol and Revolver Cartridge, 9mm Luger, 115 Gr. MC, 250-Pack

250 rounds for $68.92.

Couple gun shops here I could check as well....

Thanks again! ;)

And I went out to shop for a Colt Comp. based on your post about yours. First one I tried at the store had a lazy plunger spring, which made the thumb safety not snap into or out of position fully. This was a NIB gun. I could not believe such a gun got past quality control. It was a POS. Instead I grabbed a new SIG Nickel Nitron 1911 at that store and it's been a fantastic shooter. Still, my Dan Wesson Valor makes it feel like a Jennings or Raven Arms Sat. night special. I'll put my DW up against any boutique 1911 that costs 2-3x as much. Still, when you get a good Colt, they're great. Hold onto it.

Field Strip, clean & lube...buy an extra magazine

That's really a shame. I wish Colt would find a way to quit crapping in their mess kit. I think we all have high hopes for better quality and consistency from them, what with their reorganization, reunification, and new leadership. They have got to be the most up and down - mostly down - firearms company in history. When they do get it right, it's glorious. They do have the distinction of having introduced the two most copied handguns of all time - it's just a shame that the copies are generally better. I guess I just got lucky. All three of my newest generation Peacemakers are superb - but I guess the Custom Shop tries a little harder.

Best place to buy ammo is subjective but I like SGAMMO.COM

I second sgammo but last week they didn't have .45 in stock so i bought 9mm instead... Last hurrah for online purchase in CA.

Nice gun Baz. These https://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=26 guys can tell you everything you want to know. They get a bit obsessive of course. Anyone would think it was a Porsche forum :D

Thanks guys! I just bought ammo and will get a spare magazine next. You're right Bill....those guys on that forum are not unlike us P-car owners!

SmileWavy

I have also had good luck with them.

I probably won't buy any more ammunition until I move out of California or the background check for ammo is declared unconstitutional.

I suspect the piece pictured will be happier with 124 than 115 food

We've discussed Commanders a few times over the years....I got lucky back in '80. Just FYI Baz....by then, the all steel versions (more weight for recoil control in .45 ACP like mine) were referred to as Combat Commamders, and the alloy versions (lighter) were simply Commanders....don't let it get you confused....your Commander is all steel I do believe....Tabs will correct me if I'm wrong :). Mine is a keeper....never any issues with quality ammo...ever. In my baby Ruger (9mm)..
I've used the Remimgton/UMC ammo exclusively...I buy the boxes of 50 when they are priced around 8-9 bucks...

Enjoy your Colt....there may be better spoons out there....but mine don't suck either....something about them...I dunno...can't explain it...:)

I thought the alloy frame ones are called Lightweight Commanders. I had one very briefly and was told it would not make a good range gun, was not designed to run a lot of rounds through it, though would be a nice carry gun. I traded it for something else before I got around to shooting it, though.

I believe the newer alloy frame Commanders are Lightweight Commanders, while steel are Combat Commanders. I had an alloy framed Commander from the '70's, the serial number had an LWC prefix, and I believe they were commonly called lightweight Commanders, but not named such by the factory. 1911's are cool and fun. An old design that is still relevant today. Very often copied, and while there are lesser and greater quality options than Colt's production, Colt will be the yardstick against which they are measured. Baz, if it (your new to you Colt) frustrates you, it will have monetary value beyond its utility, and can be used to fund its replacement. If it's a keeper, well then there really is no replacement.

Here's a Frankenstein build I just did, which has become a money pit, and I so regret it.

http://www.fototime.com/2AE7F52BB8FDF02/standard.jpg

I think it's running right now, but I'd have been better off starting with a beater Mil-Spec and having a pro mod it for me. I did that years ago and foolishly sold the gun. I miss it so much, I thought I could recreate it. But I got that SA Mil-Spec for $160 11 years ago, just missing its barrel. So I should have known I'd never be able to redo it for what I originally had into that gun. Anyway, it's a cool gun, just an expensive, PITA process.

Here's my Dan Wesson Valor, which is just amazing.
http://www.fototime.com/6474E6397D393A2/standard.jpg

And here's the SIG I impulse bought when shopping for a Colt Competition.
http://www.fototime.com/3805C77B174D98D/standard.jpg

Pretty sure it's an aluminum frame. The first Colt Commanders (like Baz's) were all aluminum frame in 9mm. I believe Colt initially produced them to bid on a .mil contract/T&E that required/specified a lightweight pistol in 9mm.
IIRC, they (.mil) were looking for a possible alternative to the standard (heavy) M1911 for issuing to higher-ups/officers.

Methinks you are correct...some dumbazz was using my PPOT account earlier :)...

I "think" this is how it goes:

First Commanders were Al frame in 9mm.
Then came (Al frame) Commanders in .45 and .38 Super.
Then came "Combat Commanders" with steel frames.
Once those were introduced, the Al frame Commanders became "Lightweight Commanders" to differentiate the two.


These days "Commander" typically just means any full-size frame 1911 with a 4.25" barrel. Some manufacturers have shortened that down to 4" even.

Man, that guy gets around! He's hacked my account several times! :D

Hey thanks again for the additional conversation....very enlightening!

FWIW, there's some info on the CC on Wiki that might be of interest too....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Commander

100 years old...eats anything, goes bang every time...perfect..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1513040302.jpg