1911 70 series poll

Of my 1911s, the following are 70 series...

  • None

    Votes: 14 16.3%

  • Some

    Votes: 14 16.3%

  • Half

    Votes: 11 12.8%

  • Most

    Votes: 10 11.6%

  • All

    Votes: 33 38.4%

  • Not sure

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • What's 70 series mean?

    Votes: 4 4.7%
  • Total voters
    86
  • Poll closed .
Had one

I had a 70 series Commander in brushed nickel, the thing gave me fits!:mad: Most problematic 1911 with which I've dealt. Spent more money that really needed to go elsewhere, on mags, factory ball ammo and a tune up a respected local 'Smith, and the thing never did run right. Glad to see it go!
 
I checked "What does 70 series mean?"

The term is commonly used to say "lacking a firing pin block" for about any make and model. Even by Colt in the 21st century.

But I was there and to me it is a Colt Government Model with the patent Accurizor bushing and the appropriate markings. ONLY.

Oh, yeah, I have one of those. I also have a Combat Commander and an ACE .22 made in the 1970s with "70" in the serial number but that does not make them "Series 70" guns.
 
I had a 70 Series, in brushed nickel also, "back in the day." I never had any trouble with mine. At least none I didn't feel I could blame on my "Lee Loader" reloads. About the only thing I didn't like were the tiny GI type sights. Got bit by the tournament bass fishing bug and sold it off to help outfit a bass boat.
 
I just got back into 1911s the past couple years. I have a pretty good horde of handguns. It occurred to me one day that I had nothing in the way of a CCW or SD piece. Most of my horde are large N frame Smiths, 6” or better to open. So I decided to get a stock 1911. As usual things got out of hand and I ended up with 9, 1911s. I’ve owned many in the past, mostly GIs. I go with the Series 70 or older for two reasons. Number 1 is the decrease in quality that took place in late 70s early 80s. No#2 is I don’t like added safety stuff on series 80s. I don’t want any of the new Series 70 models either.
I have now reduced back to 3 1911s. May reduce to 1. The standard model
series 70 has the collet bushing. So complain about breakage on this. The other two are commander models manf in 70s, they don’t have collet bushing. I’m thinking of keeping one commander and trading the other two. I’m more of a hunter, long range guy and never had much use for 1911s. Never had any use for ARs either. I now have one of those too. Like Qigley said, had no use for one, didn’t say I didn’t know how to use one. RVn class of 69
 
The only real difference between the Series 70 and previous models is the collet type barrel bushing. It was the Series 80 that introduced the firing pin block.

People aren't wrong when referring to Series 70 guns not having the firing pin block. However referring to every Govt Model lacking such a device as a "Series 70" isn't just wrong, its ignorant.

While I've owned several over the years, I don't currently have a 1911 or a 1911A1. What I do have is my father's Colt GOVERNMENT MODEL, and it predates series 70 guns. Don't have a series 70, don't want one, and if I did happen to get one, I'd replace the collet bushing with a solid one.
 
Understanding "Series 70" as lack of firing pin safety, I have a few.
Taken literally - Colt GM or Gold Cup with Accurizor barrel/bushing - I've never had one.
I prefer guns without a firing pin safety, but only because reassembly can be a pain with the additional fiddly bits.
 
There is always somebody that wants to make a major case out of nothing.
(1) Series 80s have the additional safety plunger in slide
(2) Series 80s have some MIM and plastic parts
(3) the new series 70 guns lack the fit and finish of the originals
(4) Original series 70 MK IV Govt has the collet bushing
(5) Commanders never had collet bushings.
(6) Commanders manf during 70 are called 70era or pre 80, most guys know
what you are talking about.
(7) Pre Series 70 1911 can open a large can of worms including GI contacted
guns and model changes in both GI and commercial.

I have not been into 1911s and don’t know the point in time the fit and finish
went south. I think it may have been in late 70s. Around this time all the major
companies were circling the bowl. Savage was first to go, Marlin close after. The
quality of their products caused their eventual demise. Winchester went belly up
in 1963 because their guns cost to much to make. That’s what has happened to
every American Arms maker. None have escaped.
 
I don't think you can characterize a certain period as "gone south" for Colt, the way you can, say, with pre/post '64 Winchesters; there were lemon Colts all along, post-WWII, but there have been some very good ones, too.
I had a Series 80 Gold Cup that appeared to have been internally machined by a beaver, but a Commander of the same era had very smooth internals.
Similarly, that Commander, from 1984, has straight lines, with flat flats and round rounds, but a circa 1988 Delta Elite has some rounded edges.

When first-rate finishing costs hundreds of dollars, Colt can't sell a gun today, with the level of hand finishing applied in the '50s-'70s.
Today, people appear to want guns finished like a house (with paint).
 
Mine are of the series 70 safety design. They don’t have to be, but 2 are Dan Wesson and 1 Colt series 70 type.
 
Reading posts,I guess I messed up. I claimed "All" for series 70. I have no firing pin block safety 1911 type guns.
My error is,I also have no collet type bushings. I guess I have no Series 70 guns.
It does work out that I order parts for a 70 series,sans bushing.
 
The 80/70 thing isn't even a blip on my radar screen when I look at a 1911. I know I have at least one 80 but truthfully I really don't know. If it had one when I bought it I'd leave it alone.
 
The term is commonly used to say "lacking a firing pin block" for about any make and model. Even by Colt in the 21st century.

I was there and to me it is a Colt Government Model with the patent Accurizor bushing and the appropriate markings. ONLY.

Oh, yeah, I have one of those. I also have a Combat Commander and an ACE .22 made in the 1970s with "70" in the serial number but that does not make them "Series 70" guns.
Click to expand...

This is the way I feel about it. All 1911's made before the Series 70 guns are standard old 1911 and 1911A1's. Series 70's have the collet bushing and barrel made for it. Series 80 guns have the firing pin block. Those made without the block are the same as the guns made prior to the Series 70 and are in most all respects nothing more than pre series 70's.

Out of the 14 1911's that I currently own and dating from 1914 up through 2013, I have exactly one Series 70, a 1974 vintage Gold Cup. One of the last ones made with the factory lightened slide. This thing has thousands of rounds of 180 grain semi wadcutters through it and the collet bushing has never given me the slightest problem.

I took the Pachmyar's off and put the original tree bark grips on for this pic and then put them right back on as I like the way the Goodyear's feel
IMG_4228_Fotor-XL.jpg
 
I've only had three, and the present one is more an heirloom than a working gun, but I shot the other two extensively with no problems.

I can think of two causes of breakage or weakening leading to breakage when fired: horsing the bushing around with a wrench without drawing the slide back enough to relax the collet and yanking the collet off the flared muzzle.
I have read of misaligned slide bores over stressing the collet.
And you might just get unlucky.
 
The term is commonly used to say "lacking a firing pin block" for about any make and model. Even by Colt in the 21st century.

But I was there and to me it is a Colt Government Model with the patent Accurizor bushing and the appropriate markings. ONLY.
Click to expand...
Yes and yes. And all my Colt 1911s are neither of those. I have 5 1911s, none have firing pin blocks (Schwartz safety and developments/knockoffs), and none have Accurizer barrel bushings. I own 3 Goverment models, and two Combat Commanders. Never shot myself in the butt like some YouTube experts, nor scattered shots all over the paper like other experts claim will happen if you don't have a special super tight match bushing.

I must need to spend more time at the range or something.:rolleyes:

Gimmicks. Gotta keep changing stuff or people won't buy this year's new model.
 
I have one that says Series 70 on the slide, and one that does not. That's pretty much the length and breadth of my knowledge on that.
 
I have two Gold Cups - Series 70 and Series 80. I can not notice any difference in the trigger pull between the two guns - have tried this a number of times, no difference to me. I know what the internal differences are. Perhaps the 70 can have work done to it to make it better than the 80? But, out of the box - no discernible difference.
 
And, Series 70 and Series 80 overlapped for about five years, with S80 introduced in '83, and Accurizor barrel/bushings continuing until at least '88.
You won't find any guns (intentionally) marked as both S70 and S80.
 
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