Colt Delta elites

Kc.338Lp

Kc.338Lp

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Hey there to my 1911 fans , just wondering if anyone on these boards has one or has owned one .. what was your impressions of them and were they really as bulky as the say they were .

I have yet to see one but im looking for a 1911 and this seems to be a holy grail of sorts for back in the day 1911's .

Other than maybe an AMT hardballer.
 
Shot one in 10mm, at a bowling pin shoot, when they first came out. Colt Rep(great people) provided the pistol and the Norma ammo(nothing else available then). Literally a stock 1911 with better sights. Even the Colt Rep said it didn't compare to the assorted customized pin guns of the day. Certainly no 'holy grail'.
Felt recoil was like hot .45 ACP's. Not at all uncomfortable to shoot, but lots of muzzle jump. Wouldn't have run out to buy one, then. Wasn't any brass or non-Norma ammo. Mind you, the 10mm doesn't do anything a .45 won't.
"...AMT hardballer..." Poor reputation. The SS was rumoured to be somewhat too soft.
 
Colt Delta Elite

I owned a blued Colt Delta 10mm back circa just after they first came out & were available in Canada right up to the late 1990's. After regreting selling it, once CGN came to be, I put a WTB ad up on the EE and was able to find another one quite quickly. Then a couple years ago a friend sold me his Colt Delta Gold Cup stainless as well. I've since had a .40 S&W barrel fitted to the blued Delta as a "drop-in" so that I can take advantage of all the "free" .40 S&W brass that the local PD's leave laying around our local ranges when they do their qualifications twice a year. Kinda best of both worlds [a lot like having a .357 Mag wheelgun that you can also shoot .38 Special out of].

They are nice pistols. No more "bulky" than a typical single stack 1911. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say they are anything like the "holy grail" of 10mm pistols personally, I like them the best. Although, I have owned a S&W 1066 stainless pistol in 10mm and it was very nice, too.

Stainless & blued wearing Pachmayrs:

2008-09-08_223802_DSCN0115ai.jpg


Stainless Delta Gold Cup:

2008-08-13_143232_DeltaGoldCup01.jpg


Blued Delta with the .40 S&W conversion barrel:

2008-03-20_121419_ColtDelta1a.jpg



2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
What are the average Canadian prices for these today ? ive never seen one for sale yet but im really set on getting a 10mm if i cant find a .45 i really want . and preferably something from back in the day .
 
NAA said:
Stainless & blued wearing Pachmayrs:

2008-09-08_223802_DSCN0115ai.jpg
Click to expand...

I think NAA trolls these threads just looking for an excuse to post pics of his 1911 collection to make us all insanely jealous.

It's working on me.:D

sunray said:
"...getting a 10mm if i cant find a .45..." Find a .45. 10mm ammo is pricey and not particularly easy to find.
Click to expand...

.45ACP isn't pricey? I would say either calibre is a reloading only proposition unless OP is wealthy and/or doesn't shoot very much. Factory 10mm is loaded very soft, too, which also adds appeal to reloading for the true 10mm effect.

Mark
 
Had one for about 5 years:cool: Poorly made ie milling/machining marks all over, had to replace extractor in first 250rds, front sight at 1000rds, Slide Release after about two years or 3-5000rds. Did shoot strait though.

But My S&W 10-06 was 10 times better. I had it for 8 years and about 15000rds or more, NEVER a parts failure or breakage. And NO i didn`t load my ammo hot.
 
I've had a 10 MM Colt Delta Elite.
I also converted a couple of SS Randall .45s to shoot .45 SUPER.

For maximum power [ 180 gr cast lead SWC @ 1400 FPS, and 230 Gr Hornady FP FMJ at 1150 fps ], and the ability to also shoot standard .45 ACP loads,
I preferred the .45 Super over the 10 MM .

However, when I built my .45 Supers, .40 S&W didn't yet exist. All we had then was .41 AE [ basically the .40 S&W with a rebated 9mm size rim. ] The ability to use cheap/free .40 S&W for light practice loads is a big plus for the current crop of 10 mm pistols. These days, I shoot no .45, but have shot lots of .40 S&W, .357 SIG, 9 mm, and .22 LR in my current pistol.

I also prefer the harder/tougher 17/4 PH SS used in the Randalls,
over the SS used by Colt.

As usual when free advice is offered over the internet,
YPMMV,
but I never thought of the Delta Elite as "the Holy Grail".
[;{)
LAZ 1
 
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Yeah holy grail was something i heard from a few other boards so take it with a grain lol ..

I did research .40 super and .45 super however from what i gathered it seemed that these cartridges are no longer made ? and were only made for a short period of time ? Is there a comparable difference between the ACP and Super ?

Alot of the .45s ive held recently seem to have a really slim grip which i dont really like the feel of , i understand these 10mm's had a very beefy grip to them which is what is attracting me to them .

I wouldnt get one of these until im into reloading anyway as i definitely cannot afford to shoot a steady supply of .45 at the moment without reloading .

Ive also considering trying to find a USP Match , an AMT Hardballer , or a Smith and wesson 4506
 
Kc.338Lp said:
...

Alot of the .45s ive held recently seem to have a really slim grip which i dont really like the feel of , i understand these 10mm's had a very beefy grip to them which is what is attracting me to them .

...
Click to expand...

One of the nice things about a 1911 is that you have a ton of choices when it comes to grips. You can buy pretty much anything form ultra-slim shiny smooth grip panels, to heavily textured (grippy) beefy synthetic grips, to ultra-beefy rubber wraparounds like the ones form Hogue and Pachmayer. And on top of that you can always add an arched mainspring housing (like the one on a stock Delta Elite) if you want a more hand-filling grip on the gun.

So don't let the grips on the guns you are looking at discourage you from getting a .45 1911! You should be able to customize the fit of the grips to whatever you like.
 
Here's mine. Makeover by Joe Dlask. 10mm is one of the most versatile handgun rounds out there and if you reload, no more expensive then 45 or 40. This is my most accurate handgun.

DSC04195.JPG


DSC041901.JPG
 
I had a Colt Delta Elite in the 90s when they came out. The bright stainless version, a nicely made pistol. Experimenting a lot in those days I was able to push a 180 Sierra JHP at 1380 fps from that 10mm. I refered to it as my 1911 cannon !! Very accurate to 80 yds & was getting cans easily from 50 yds on...Which I had done some long range testing with that one....Recoil was harsh & had to replace springs & some small parts. Expensive to shoot back then made it go...

Mk
 
Had a shiny one, shot 500 rounds with it, was not accurate and was built loosely, sold it for another toy. Maybe if I had invest for it to go an overall gunsmith job, will it have been OK, but was not in the mood to invest in it. I am not a Glock lovers, but people I know who own one like them a lot in 10MM.
 
I've had a couple, a blued and a stainless. I'm the biggest Colt fan you'll ever meet, but there is no comparison between the Delta Elite and one of the Kimber 10mm's. Fit and finish was 100% better in the Kimber, and accuracy was better as well. Love Colt, but Kimber's been kicking their arse.

...now the OLD Colts, WWI M1911's (pre-M1911A1) are actually even more nicely finished and machined than new Kimbers. Not more accurate though, due to requisite tolerances for reliability. I hope Colt returns to the glory days, they SHOULD be making the world's best 1911.
 
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