Colt 1911 Series 80 Stainless Duo - Range Report

Shazam

Shazam

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Report on my two Colt 1911 "100 Years of service" series 80's (Government and Commander) .

The two had come back from the gunsmith with the following:
  • Ed Brown beavertail grip safeties ambi thumb safeties
  • stainless steel flat mainspring housings
  • Novak trijicon night sights
  • full guide rods and skeleton hammers
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Using brand new Chip McCormick 8 rnd mags. Factory 45ACP 230 grain.

The break-in period was supposed to be about 250 rounds each.. It could have been the mags but there were some minor FTF's - probably mag related - I heard Wilson Combat mags are better.

I love the 1911 and will fix the minor teething pains - These are both brand new so I was expecting some "break-in" - Regardless they were smooth and accurate.

They have to go in for trigger jobs. Perhaps new springs. - but these are like Harley's to me - they are original and high maintenance.

I have been spoiled by GLOCKS. But the 1911 is Single Action cant be beat!

More to follow...
 
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Too bad about the issues, I'd be disappointed to spending the time and money for non working pistol. But hey, getting there is half the fun right? I can't wait till my Gold Cup 80 gets approved!
 
That's unfortunate. I have an enhanced series 80 mkiv, I bought of the ee, added kensight adjustable rear, trijicon night fronts, Ed brown grip safety and dlask skeleton trigger. Hasn't failed to feed with the factory 7rnd mags before and after mods. Even hornady fpd hollowpoints.
 
I don't believe the "needs to be broken in" excuse. if those were the only mods you had done to the guns....they shouldn't have anything to do with the feeding.

you didn't change the barrel, recoil spring, or extractor or anything, didn't modify the feed ramp at all or have the slide to frame fit tightened? how did it feed before the mods?

is it a 3 point jam you're having? the bullet gets wedged at the mag, the roll over point of the barrel, and the underside of the barrel hood?

if thats the problem and if you can give it a tap on the back of the slide to un jam it then it's not too bad. if you can't un jam it with a slight tap on the back of the slide it's a bit worse.

usually polishing the breech face, underside of the barrel hood, and very gently breaking the sharp edge of the roll over point of the barrel (make sure you don't make the feed ramp deeper into the barrel giving less support to the casing)

your extractor might be too tight if the round won't slide up under it. once again, if you give it a slight tap on the back of the slide and the round feeds, then it's not bad. just needs less tension on the extractor (a little bit)

the extractor might have a sharp edge or a burr that digs into the casing. the round should slide under the extractor with ease and stay there even if you turn the slide around and shake it gently.

bad magazines can also add to the problem.

good luck. once you get all the bugs worked out 1911's can be 100% reliable. don't believe the people that say 1911's are unreliable. they just need more user knowledge about how they work
 
When a round fails to feed... carefully remove it and examine it and the feed ramp and breech, any dents or gouges on the bullet and copper deposits on the feed ramp/breech can tell you a lot about what is wrong. I re-barreled an old 1911 and it took two trips to the range to get it to feed,had to remove some metal from the lower lip where the bullet was jamming.
Don't panic once you tweek your guns they will work fine.
 
Well this is still very much a work in progress.

I appreciate the tips - I believe its just a lack of user knowledge on my part :(
Im switching over from Glock and Im used to a different type of pistol! Im sure that with a little TLC these will come up to be my soon to be favorites :)

Anyone experience any difficulties with ChipMcCormick CMC 8 rounders? I was told that Wilson combat mags "feed better" ... any input?
 
The 1911 was designed around .45ACP ball ammunition and 7 round magazines.
Anything else can require a lot of 'massaging' in order to make it function...reliably.
I have a couple of Colt series 70 Combat Commanders, in .45ACP and .38Super, that run like clocks, as long as I stick to ball ammo.
I love these guns...but would never bet my life on them functioning 100%. I would also be reluctant to use them in competition, if I were serious about results, as I'm not inclined to spend the extra effort necessary to make them work well.
Enjoy them for what they are....skittish equines...with wonderful handling characteristics...but more 'racehorse' than 'workhorse'!
 
My 1911 experience has been different. My first one was a series 70 ( back when they were new, lol). Bought it used, fiddled with it just to tinker and learn how the system worked. Never gave me any problems, really. I have four Commanders in various calibers, two work great, the other two are frankenguns made up of various and sundry parts, works in progress . An original ww1 1911 that runs like a clock, and another GM parts special. Basically, as long as I don't stray too far from the original recipe I get good results. Modify them too much, they don't work as intended. I'd still take one over a Glock any day of the week though. Ymmv. - dan
 
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Really nice pair of Colt 1911's. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of ambi safeties either but they are yours and you can do what you want. Hopefully you get the minor issues ironed out.
 
Heddok said:
Shazam
Who did the install of the beavertails and sites?

I use Chip McCormick 9 rd powermags in my Colts and they run great as do the factory Colt mags.
Click to expand...

All the work was done by Joe Dlask - he does great 1911 work!
A pair of real Colts were a necessity :) especially in 2011. I did however use a few Norinco 1911's a test dummies to tinker with...

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A very reasonable facsimile of the REAL DEAL ...
they shoot straight and have a clean factory trigger at this point - once the triggers get done - Ill post an update ;)
 
Nice pistols!!
The Chip McCormicks should work fine, but mags can try your patience some days. The Wilsons, Cobra, and the Kimber Tac Pro are all premium mags that I have had good luck with.
With the guns being brand new....run 'em a bit more and see if things change. Sometimes they just need to smooth out a bit.

Oh...and the Glock thing....great pistols but a good 1911 has soul brother!!
 
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