Colt 1911 - relative quality?

UncleWalther

UncleWalther

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How does the fit and finish, or just overall quality, of Colt 1911s compare to the other big names on the market (i.e. Kimber, STI, Springfield, etc)?

Thanks!
 
Depends on what model year? ALL of the companies are getting worse. 20 years ago, Colt was a nice gun and worth the money. The 2007 model I looked at s**ked big time. You're better off with another name brand for a 2007-8 model plus they are usually cheaper, too.
 
Older Colts..series 70...are very nice guns.
The Series 80's sucked a** in terms of fit and finish.
The newer guns seem quite a bit better, but for the same money (or less), the units from STI, Kimber, etc., are still a better deal IMHO.
 
Blanket statements about Series 70 and Series 80 Colts cannot be made. Why? My Series 70 Government was beautiful but it never ran well. It spent a lot of time with good gunsmiths and it was still a POS. On the other hand, my Series 80 Gold Cup has been flawless. Regards, Richard:)
 
I use to own a number of 1911's, mostly Springfield Armory (Mil-Spec & Loaded) They were great, but I was really turned off by the IMBEL BRAZIL, and the 2-piece barrel (WTF???).

Now, I own two beautiful Colt 1911's, and their absolutly flawless, accurate, amazing finish, well fitted, etc. Both are Government Models, a blued series 70 repro, and a stainless XSE. Not too expensive either, just as much as a Springfield, but superiour quality if you ask me. My two Colt's are MINT with their mirror-like finished, and have never had any failures after 1000+ rounds each :)

M590A1006.jpg

XSEGOVERNMENT021.jpg
 
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richardoldfield said:
Blanket statements about Series 70 and Series 80 Colts cannot be made. Why? My Series 70 Government was beautiful but it never ran well. It spent a lot of time with good gunsmiths and it was still a POS. On the other hand, my Series 80 Gold Cup has been flawless. Regards, Richard:)
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Agreed. I have a stainless steel Series 80. The finish is superb and the fit is pretty good as well, albeit, the slide to frame fit is loose when compared to today's production 1911's because rattles when shaken but it runs like a clock and is very accurate.
 
The old Old OLD colts were spectacular for fit and finish.

Some of the Colt 1911 pistols, as in PRE 1911 A1, and POST WAR [ and that would be WW 1 ] were better finished on the inside, than recent Colt Gold Cups are on the outside.

These days, there are better choices out there.
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LAZ 1
 
Lazerus2000 said:
The old Old OLD colts were spectacular for fit and finish.

Some of the Colt 1911 pistols, as in PRE 1911 A1, and POST WAR [ and that would be WW 1 ] were better finished on the inside, than recent Colt Gold Cups are on the outside.

These days, there are better choices out there.
[;{(
LAZ 1
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The WWI Colts have a finish to die for. Yes, as I always say, I wish I owned this one. Regards, Richard:)

WWICanadianDoctors1911Colt-1.jpg
 
Some Colts....

richardoldfield said:
Blanket statements about Series 70 and Series 80 Colts cannot be made. Why? My Series 70 Government was beautiful but it never ran well. It spent a lot of time with good gunsmiths and it was still a POS. On the other hand, my Series 80 Gold Cup has been flawless. Regards, Richard:)
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Richard knows his stuff.

Paulinski said:
I like my Colts I think every 1911 fan should have at least one in their collection.
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Paul nails it for me.

BTW, Pietro Beretta..... nice Colts! :cool:
 
My series 80 stainless has a very nice finish. Its had some work but is very tight and smooth and functions perfectly. Its also extremely accurate.
 
I used to have a recent production Series 80 Government Model. The gun was reliable, accurate and had an excellent trigger. However, the fit and finish left much to be desired. From my experience, this is typical of newer Colts. Just about every new production Colt that I've ever examined had at least a couple of immediately apparent cosmetic flaws.
 
richardoldfield said:
The WWI Colts have a finish to die for. Yes, as I always say, I wish I owned this one. Regards, Richard:)

WWICanadianDoctors1911Colt-1.jpg
Click to expand...

The recent Colt WW1 repro with the black oxide finish looks good and locks tight, however the slide rollmarks are pressed in and look flimsy and uneven (like if they were pressed in butter). It has very sharp edges on the frame and slide. Nice gun but originals look and feel better. Not worth what they want for them IMHO.

hb
 
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