Colt Mark IV series 80--Good/Bad?

Smoothbore

Smoothbore

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I am trying to get the straight story on these pistols. Search function doesn't work worth a d**n.
I know they were introduced in 1983 and have the firing pin block.

Here's what I've read (yes on the Internet--that's why I'm checking :D):

1) Quality control was not job one in those days.
2) Accuracy of Colt Government autos is not top notch due to loose tolerances in the slides.
3) Firing pin block makes a trigger job harder, but not impossible.
4) Won't feed anything but ball ammo reliably. Needs polishing of the feed ramp?

If anyone has any thoughts on the Colt Government Model Mark IV Series 80,
especially in 9mm I'd like to hear them.

Thanks.
 
The Series 80 1911 is kind of a victim of of the conservatism of 1911 shooters. At the time it was produced no out of the box 1911 would reliably shoot anything but 230 grain hardball, in those days you had a choice between Colt and well, Colt. If you were lucky you might get your hands on one of those new Springfield things. The Colt would cost $800-$900 and be a bare bones pistol. There was no such thing as a factory beavertail, extended safety, guide rod, high Vis sights, 4 lb trigger or any of the things we kind of take for granted now. In an effort to improve the accuracy Colt put a collet bushing in the pistols, which worked fine until it broke (mostly in high round count competition guns). Since solid bushings don't break this was another strike against the Series 80 (most guys had never even considered a broken bushing). The tightness of a 1911 slide has a fairly small effect on accuracy, compared to the fit of the barrel/bushing to slide. This means that essentially the pistols from that era are "starter" guns - to get the level of accuracy and refinement that you'd get from an out of the box STI Spartan, you'll probably put another $500-$1000 into the gun. The latest pistols from Springfield, STI, Kimber, Dan Wesson,Tanfoglio, Taurus, Smith and Wesson and even Colt are light years ahead of a new in the box Series 80 gun from 1990. So unless you're getting it really cheap, the money is better spent elsewhere. Most 'smiths now can do a good trigger (4 lbs, +/- ) on a Series 80 gun, when new that wasn't necessarily the case, so the whole trigger thing is pretty much just baggage.
 
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If I had a choice of identical Colts 1911s the only difference being series 70 or 80 I would choose the 70 simply for better overall fit and finish.
That being said I have several series 70s in 45 and several series 80s in my collection. The series 80s I have removed the firing pin lock as I found the trigger action was hampered, other than thet they function and shoot equally well.
I had a 70 series in 9mm and loved it, if I could find another would buy it, the series 80 the insurance company replaced my 9mm with was junk. I sold it and replaced it with a series 80 in 40S&W and it works and shoots great.
I think like any maker you can get the odd 1 that just never should have made into the market.
The series 80 in 45 I would not hesitate to buy, the 9mm I would want to test drive before paying for.
To change out the firing pin block is not a big deal, I have the blocks and rest of the parts available to make the series 80 triggers "lovely" to run.
 
I've owned plenty of 1911's in the past 25 years. Simply put, I chose not to have Colt Series 80 pistols [other than the Colt Delta 10mm's where you can't avoid it] or other 1911's that have the Series 80 firing pin block system/parts in them. It's just a personal choice.

I did have a Colt Series 80 9mm pistol circa 1998. It was okay. Shot well & had no reliability issues with it. Trigger could've been better. But I have to confess, the Star Model B in 9mm I also had at the time shot circles around it. [Paid the princely sum of $125 for the Star with 3 magazines].
 
I had a Mark IV Series 80 and it was accurate and reliable. Nothing broke, no malfunctions. I shot semiwadcutters through it with no problem. With a change in springs it did not need a trigger job to feel decent. It did benefit from a change in sights. I had dovetails machined in the slide to mount low, adjustable target sights.
 
I have both and prefer the Series 70.

For target shooting and competition I can't see the benefit of the Series 80, and there are plenty of sources (including Colt) for Series 70 pistols.

Snapshot
 
All my 9mm Series 80 were finicky and loose. That can be fixed though by a competent gunsmith.
Ball ammo still works best.
I jumped at a .45acp commander made in 1982 and the fit and finish is the best I've seen from Colt.
 
We should expand this to not confuse Series 80 from the 80s, from Series 80 from the 90's or the Series 80 from the 2000's.

Different fit and finish from 1980's Series 80s are not attributable to the Series/Features, but the actual factory production of the day. This can get confusing.
 
The Other Side of the Coin

I had a Series 70 Government and an Ace Conversion Unit. These are the "Holy Grails" of 1911s and I couldn't get either to work. I used to say both were put together on Mondays using parts made Fridays. I sold both and I never looked back. Regards, Richard:)
 
dangertree said:
We should expand this to not confuse Series 80 from the 80s, from Series 80 from the 90's or the Series 80 from the 2000's.

Different fit and finish from 1980's Series 80s are not attributable to the Series/Features, but the actual factory production of the day. This can get confusing.
Click to expand...

That's so true. The Commander I had in 9mm was made in the 70's and had stuff like this,
slideSTOP009.jpg

slideSTOP008.jpg

Where my new Commander made in '82 has no such shoddy manufacturing.:D
coltcommander2006.jpg


I never miss a chance to post a pic!
 
I have a series 80 from early 80's in .45 acp. With new sights and the firing pin block removed i used this gun in ipsc for many years and although i kept an eye on the collet bushing it still has not cracked at over 10000 rounds. The gun is getting loose from over shooting but will still hold 3" at 25yrds with the factory barrel, slide and bushing - no mods.
from what every one says I must have got a good one. Alot of the guys I shot ipsc with in the late 80's early 90's had series 80 guns and they all shot well. so I don't know what to tell you.
Andy
 
I've got a Colt SCG in .45 built last year that eats anverything, light hand loaded lead semi wad cutter, factory jacketed round nose, flat points, hollow points, 185 grn, 200grn, and 230grn you name it. Great trigger and after a particularly muddy stage where it and I went face first through a mud hole (with absolute perfect muzzle control mind you!) I now better understand why Browning designed some "looseness" into the actions its been absolutely reliable.

My buddy bought a used mid 90's Mark IV that came with cheap non-Colt mags and had nothing but trouble with it. We polished the feed ramp a little bit, switched in factory Colt mags and I showed him how to lubricate it properly and its now totaly reliable.

People don't realize how important proper magazines and lubrication are to Colts, or any 1911.

But really history of the overall series of gun is kind of beside the point if you are buying used because you are looking at a specific gun and each one is different.

Current new Colts seem to have very good reputations, I've got one and I love it. Are they as good as a Kimber or Springfield or whatever...who knows, are the Series 80 triggers as good as the Series 70, don't know and don't care.

To be honest I don't think you can go wrong buying any of the main brands of 1911 right now, they all seem to have strong followings.

Personally I bought my Colt because I really really wanted a Colt 1911.

If you want a Colt buy a Colt....but if you just want a 1911 based gun figure out what features you want and find the best price you can get on a STI, Kimber, S&W, Colt, Springfield etc. It doesn't really matter.
 
1911.jpg


I've got a stainless Colt MkIV Series 80. The previous owner had aftermarket front and adjustable rear sights installed, some trigger work and the firing pin block mechanism removed. I put some VZ Gator grips on it, otherwise it's bone 'stock'. Not sure what year it was manufactured but it rattles way more than my Para SSP or Dan Wesson PM7 due to slide to frame fit not being the tightest but fit and finish of the pistol, overall, is pretty nice. Good shooter, quite accurate and reliable. No regrets on my part other than the 'idiot scratch' which wasn't made by me....
 
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Didn't actually answer your questions....

1) Quality control was not job one in those days.

They still make em, today's quality is reportedly good, lifetime warranty. If you are buying used you have to look at the specific gun not the guns around it.

2) Accuracy of Colt Government autos is not top notch due to loose tolerances in the slides.

Slide doesn't have as much to do with accuracy as people like to make out, its how the barrel locks up that makes a difference. Grabbing the slide and shaking it around like people do is bull droppings for the most part. The Gold Cup is a Mark IV Government model as is the Special Combat and both of them have excellent accuracy and a lot of slide movement.

NRA Bullseye was dominated by these guns so there must be something good about its accuracy.

3) Firing pin block makes a trigger job harder, but not impossible.

Any good 1911 gunsmith knows how to do a good trigger job on a Series 80. If not find another gunsmith.

4) Won't feed anything but ball ammo reliably. Needs polishing of the feed ramp?

Only needs polishing of the feedramp if the feedramp needs polishing. What you are probably reading about is that earlier series of 1911, didn't have an integrated feed ramp attached to the barrel. those couldn't feed anything but round nose ball point ammo. That's the old military 1911. Crappy magazines cause this problem also by messing up the approach angle and pressure of the bullet to the feed.
 
I love all them Colts! I hope more Colts find their way to me in the near future, Series 70's and 80's alike! I'll take em' Aheh! Seriously though, the Series 80 has an added safety feature that most of us will never enjoy. If the additional internals that make up the Series 80 trigger system bother you then you can have a gunsmith remove them. There is something about beautiful Series 70 finishes and slide markings that make them so very desirable.
 
Series 80 1991 A1 with only mods being rubber pachymar grips, a beaver tail and fancy spur hammer, love it, never had problems with it, eats any ammo and shoots better than me. When I first got it I shot over 500 rounds before it started jaming due to all the gunk form that russky wolf ammo. (then I started to clean it regularly of course).
 
For the record, the firing pin safety has little effect on the the "feel" of the trigger. It adds only a couple of ounces to the overall weight of the pull. I used to have a Series 80 Government that had the best trigger pull of any unmodified semi-auto pistol I've ever shot - 1911 or otherwise. If you've got a Series 80 with a crappy trigger, it does not automatically mean that the firing pin is the culprit. Many older pre-pin 1911s had crappy trigger pulls too.
 
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