thought on Colt 1911s

[Armed Aviator]

I've read much Here on TGO about brands such as Springfield and Kimber but not much on Colt 1911s of which I own two, a Stainless Mark IV and an Officer's Mark IV.

Opinions please

[E4 No More]

I traded mine in for an Ed Brown. The Colt's finish and fit just sucked.

[Guest RangeMstr]

I traded mine in for an Ed Brown. The Colt's finish and fit just sucked.

+1. Traded my Gold Cup off for a Kimber Tactical HD. The only Colt I own now is a nearly antique Colt .380 Government with the electroless nickel finish. IMHO the newer stuff from Colt really suffers from fit and finish troubles. Definitely not the Colt of old.

[Steelharp]

I know it's trite, but the "If it's not a pony, it's a phony" line has some merit. Long after the Kimber's have turned back into the metal dust from which they were glued, your Colt's will still be rocking.

[Westwindmike]

I have a mid 70's Colt Gold Cup. It's still working well for me after 35 years. It doesn't look new anymore, but still shoots better than me.

[gregintenn]

LOL! Colt has only been making them for 100 years. What would they know about 1911s?

[gregintenn]

I will agree their fit and finish isn't what it once was.

[Guest jackdm3]

Makes me wonder what their Centennial models will look like.

[Guest Straight Shooter]

The hands down best, most reliable & accurate 1911 I ever owned or fired, was my first Colt Series 70, bought it NIB in 1981 for $350 with 2 mags and a holster. I shot the fool outta this gun for over 10 years, I put at least 20,000 rounds thru it. Super accurate, and I learned to shoot handguns on this pistol. In the VERY early nineties, I bought a Kimber Classic, LOOONG before anyone ever heard of Kimber. Some at the time called it an "off-brand gun". Never liked it. NOWHERE near as accurate or reliable as my first Colt. The thing literally came apart on me twice during two matches and I got rid of her after that. Been Glock-ing ever since. Anyway, for well over a decade now, Ive gotten a real kick at all the crap they are doing to the 1911, and what these "smiths" are charging for work. VERY little is justified IMO. If a 1911 is produced correctly at the factory, there should be little else to do to it, besides sights, trigger and grips, if neeeded. One of the BIGGEST kicks I get out of the "fitting" of parts, is the barrel bushing. The old Colt Accurizor bushing, with the fingers, have always worked well for me. Last I looked awhile back, they were $5. But, SUPPOSEDLY, they would "break at the worst moment" and leave you with a broken weapon. So,you outta go spend $100 to get a "fitted" bushing. HOGWASH.

I see NIB Series 70's on GunBroker all the time, one day I think Ill treat myself to another, and Ill make damn sure its got the old Accurizor bushing in it!

[gregintenn]

I like mine!

[Jasongar8]

Colt makes a nice 1911. But I dont think they are any better than a Springfield or a Kimber. And IMO no where near as nice as a Brown, Wilson, or Nighthawk. People will pay more for a gun just because it says Colt on the side. Name recognition has sold just as many guns for Colt as quality has.

[eapking]

Do yourself a favor and do some homework on 1911's at this site: 1911Forum - Powered by vBulletin

I spent about 2-3 months there before getting my first one.

[Guest dougmcfalls]

I have a series 90 that is a good, basic, solid 1911. I picked it up used on the cheap. I dropped it off at the gunsmith's and had him go through it. It has good night sights and a crisp 4 lb trigger. It's 100% reliable and I have a total of $600 in the pistol.

I have a colt defender that I carry most of the time. It has crimson trace laser grips, Night Sights, A clean, crisp 4 lb trigger. It's very accurate and reliable as well.

I'm very happy with my colts.

[leroy]

Colt makes a nice 1911. But I dont think they are any better than a Springfield or a Kimber. And IMO no where near as nice as a Brown, Wilson, or Nighthawk. People will pay more for a gun just because it says Colt on the side. Name recognition has sold just as many guns for Colt as quality has.

I will grant that this is true. A comparison of a colt to kimber and springfield is a fair comparison. The comparison of a colt to a nighthawk, clark, ed brown is not an apples to apples comparison. Colt always looses that one; it is a comparison of a standard model with a custom gun. You should (...and do...) get more with the custom.

Having said that, everyone should remember that colt defined (...and, in fact, was...) the 1911 from the time it was designed in 1911 up thru the eighties when kimber and springfield showed up. Lesser companies tried (...and failed...) to take some of the colt market, but couldn’t. There was a time when the Colt was the ultimate feed material for all customs. The essex, springfield, and other lesser parts were a far second.

The old colt 1911 is a great pistol and will, in the vast majority of cases, outshoot its owner (...at least all mine have...). The moral of this little story, don’t bash the colt, it defined the 1911 for 70 years. It was, after all, the only fitting replacement for that greatest colt of them all, the Single Action Army. The first cartridge US military sidearm.

By the way; the reason that all these "new" 1911's are so good is that machining technology is light years advanced from what it was when the colt was king. That's why a kimber, springfield, para, …you name it... can be compared to and thought superior to the originals. The same is true with the AR business. CNC machining has revolutionized the small parts business bringing tolerances that could only de dreamed about years ago.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[Jasongar8]

The moral of this little story, don’t bash the colt, it defined the 1911 for 70 years.

I wasnt bashing Colt. I was stating somthing that I believe is true, that the Colt name sells just as many guns as their quality does.

[Guest HvyMtl]

I like'em, and if you dont want yours feel free to send em to me.

Seriously, tho, the gun rush of -08-09 did impact fit and finish of Colts, and I dare say, many other brands, as they were trying to push out as many firearms in response as possible.

The next two pistols on my list to buy are Colt New Agent, and Colt Defender.

[leroy]

I wasnt bashing Colt. I was stating somthing that I believe is true, that the Colt name sells just as many guns as their quality does.

I fully agree. No foul intended. The name Smith and Wesson sold tons of revolvers (...some of them to me...). Old time quality and name recognition sold the Smith; just as it did the Colt (...some of them to me, too...). It is the ultimate combination for the consumer. Quality and name recognition.

Name recognition doesn’t mean as much today due to the CNC manufacturing thing. Not as much hand built stuff today. It was the norm years ago. The Nighthawk, Ed Brown, other custom builders are standing on the shoulders of what Colt and Smith originally did. They are using the technology of better parts manufacture along with hand fitting to produce their products. Takes less effort and gives a better product. That aint a bad thing for the consumer who is willing to pay for it.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[roverboy]

I've never owned one but the ones I've shot were tops. My uncle had a Gold Cup that was super accurate.