1911 Series 70 vs. Series 80

S

shy_man

New member
I have read several pros and cons about the Colt series 80. Some favor the series 70 for they said it is more reliable for it does not have a firing pin safety. What is really the effect of a firing pin safety to a 1911 series 80. Some said, the series 70 steel, is inferior than the series 80 for it was not heat treated throughout the steel of all parts but instead only to a certain extent surfaces are hardened, whereas the series 80 steel parts are hardened throughout.

Overall, which is more durable and reliable, is it the Series 70 or series 80.

Thanks
 
It really depends on the gun. I've owned both Series 70 and 80 Colt 1911's and didn't have any problems with them. I wasn't able to wear them out before I sold them though.;)
 
When chambered in 45 ACP, both will outlast you, unless you feed them a diet of proof loads. Many U.S. Army 1911's survived 100,000 rounds, and the steel in those guns is not likely to be as good as the Series 70 or 80.
 
The series 80 has the firing pin block. That makes it safer in some situations. It allows you to safely carry the gun hammer down on a loaded chamber (which, IMNSHO, is a foolish way to carry a 1911). It also prevents the gun from discharging if you drop it from a large height onto a hard surface and the gun lands directly on the muzzle. Personally, I carry a Kimber (Series 70 lockwork) and am not worried about its lack of a firing pin block.

The Series 80 has a couple more parts that make it a bit more difficult to field strip and reassemble.

You can get a good crisp trigger pull on either. Most folks I've spoken with say its a bit harder to get a crisp trigger on a series 80 -- any good gunsmith can do so, but it's a bit more work. Some folks here say that's bs, that it's not any harder. Not being a gunsmith, I don't know who's right in this regard.

M1911
 
Greeting's All,

shy_man, maybe this will help in some small way. I've owned
several 70 series Colt's, including Gold Cup's, Gov't Model's,
and Combat Commander's. And, I've also owned a SS 80's
series Colt Officer's Model. And I can honestly say, I've never
experienced a problem with either.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, Life Member N.R.A.
 
Good evening to everyone:

M1911, thank you for the detailed explanations of my queries.

Ala Dan, I'm pleased to hear your good experiences on both series. I have one of the S80 in stainless and keep firing on the range in many style of shooting and also doing rapid fire aside of double tap, triple tap or whatever just to make it malfunction only because of that firing pin safety which many claims that it is a disadvantage of a series 80, but up to now, I can't let that problem comeout, but instead I am shooting like a champion "Though I am not". :)

Thanks to all for educating me on this kind of gun.
 
shy_man:

I've never heard any reports of Series 80 lockwork causing a 1911 to malfunction.

There have been reports of failures to fire with the new Kimber IIs, but that does not use Series 80 lockwork. It uses a firing pin block that is activated by the grip safety.

M1911
 
Let's put it in perspective. When I bought a Series 70 in the early 80's, half the owner's community thought the split "accurizer" bushing was a major accuracy improvement, and the other half thought it was the work of the devil. I've never known anyone to have a problem with them, but the dispute continues today.

The M1911 community isn't like the Catholic church. It's more like the Protestants - lots of divergent sects that agree on the big picture but not on the details....
 
shy_man, my friend-

I honestly believe that a whole lot of "hoopla" surrounds
the series 70 Colt's because of the "nostaliga factor"; in
other words most people here in America assume that
thing's like gun's, car's, home appliance's, etc. were
made better back then. Keep shoot'in straight and
you will become an expert, my friend.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Thank you once again to all of you. Now, you made me confident about that firing pin safety causing it to lock the series 80 as claimed by some shooter. In fact, I am thinking that thing and make me feel reluctant before. I have that notion before that how about if on my first self defense shot then it lock because of that firing pin safety or on the last bullet to save my breath then the gun lock-up because of that thing.

This is the beauty of being a TFLrs we can gain knowledge from more experienced and more professional in gun mechanics.

Thanks
 
I have a Series 80 with close to 15,000 rounds through it. NO problems related to the firing pin safety, ever. While the parts do wear, so will any other parts inside a firearm. The trick is to maintain your firearms properly and conduct periodic inspections of the small parts. My pistol cracked its firing pin stop plate after a few thousand rounds, but the rest of the parts are holding up just fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top