1991A1 Colt

B

Big Ken

New member
I'm a new enthusiast, & need to know the pros & cons of the
1991A1, & the difference between it & the 1911& 1911A1.
I've read on a few sites that some despise this gun compared to the 1911, but I am purchasing it even as I type this, I would like to see if anyone has anything good to say about it. & would like to know what kind of mods will need to be made to make this gun favorable: trigger mods , new sites etc. ? appreciate any responses.
 
I have 2 1991A1 Colts,
(and the Colt .22lr conversion kit)
and my wife won't let me sell them.
They do shoot very accurate and are very
reliable.
I favor HK's myself....(MK23 and P7)
I can't find anything bad to say about them
in all honesty...
Maybe women DO know best!!!!
go figure......


[Edited by DAKODAKID on 02-03-2001 at 12:35 AM]
 
The 1991A1 Colt is a no-frills 1911 or Government model. Colt began producing these pistols ten years ago to compete with basic models by Springfield and a few others. The frame and slide of the 1991A1 are forged. Other parts on the pistol may be cast or plastic. Sights are nothing fancy but work. Out of the box, the pistol operates properly, although it may be not sighted-in correctly.

The pistol is a good base for building a Gov't model to your specs. On mine I had Cylinder and Slide do one of its package upgrades on it. This work includes a new trigger, sear, and spring, slottled hammer, 18.5 # guide rod spring, Novak sights, extractor properly adjusted, internals polished (including the feed ramp), C&S thumb safetly, and a few other minor improvements. I use Wilson 7 round mags (#47) with it. It is a nice carry piece now and suitable for IDPA and other such events.

Price: Expect to pay around $500, maybe a little more. Prices have been going up again lately. Expect to spend from $500 to $2000 on custom upgrades, depending on how enthusiatic you want to get. I advise basic modications for accuracy and reliability, nothing more. Such work usually cost me around $1000. If you can find a used one in good shape, this move could save you a few dollars but still allow you to build a fine pistol. They routinely turn up for sale here at TFL.

Don't believe the negative remarks about the pistol. It is an excellent weapon that gives you room for that personal touch for which firarms enthusiats are known. Gunsmiths who work on the 1911 (for example, Bill Laughridge, Terry Tussey, and the late Brian Bilby) advise their customers the Colt 1991A1 is the one to buy for a decent custom upgrade.

Good luck with the project. I have a second one on its way to Cylinder and Slide soon.
 
Big Ken,

I have a 1991a1 and can sum up my opinion succinctly - the only thing better would be to have TWO 1991's. Mine is the best .45 I've ever owned, and I've had older Colts and a Kimber, as well as other makes of .45. IMHO the new Colts are the best they've ever made for fit, finish, and reliability.

Mine seems as if it was sighted in at the factory, being dead on.

Regarding the difference between 1911's and 1911a1's, someone else can better explain that, though I do know that 1911's don't have the Series 80 safety which prevents the gun from going off if you drop it. Only on the Internet would you find somebody who preferred less safety in their lives. Take what you read on the 'Net with a grain of salt, there are a lot of wanna-be "Combat Commandos" out there.

As for what modifications you need, if you buy a good gun like the Colt, you don't need any.

The gun should function and be reasonably accurate already. This is not something that all brands of 1911 are able to pull off. If you are new to handguns, you would be better off spending your money for practice ammo and becoming good enough and familiar enough to know what changes you need.

IMHO, many mods are totally unneccesary and are just devised to seperate you from you cash.
 
I bought one last week. I haven't shot it yet, but compared to my other Colts it's a good gun for the price paid ($475+FFL). I bought mine specifically to modify to suit my preferences, but the gun really doesn't "need" anything but a trigger job. If the military decided they shouldn't have adopted the M9 after all, they could go to the '91 and be well-armed.
 
They are the best copy of the US Pistol Model of 1911A1, bar none.

Mine goes bang every time, shoots a four inch group for 50 rounds at 50 feet, box stock. No pyobyem, there! :D
 
Thanks guys for all the responses, they really help. I feel a lot more confident now with your positive input, one or two negative opinions really had me second guessing my choice of weapons, I'll keep checking in, & if I need help I'll be sure to give you guys a holler
....................Thanks
 
Trigger pull

I've read a lot about modifying the trigger on a semi auto to 3 or 4 lbs. on this 91 A1 colt how heavy will the pull be from the factory ? & One more thing this particular gun I'm buying isn't new but from the looks of it a box of shells may have been shot through it (barely a slide mark on the barrel) is there a way to tell when this gun was mfg. ?
Hoping it is of the later CNC'd versions
................Thanks
 
I had one once......

Traded it in for a 1991a1 COMPACT!

Which is simply the best and most accurate pistol I've, or anyone I know, have ever owned.

Only time my head got turned was when a friend of mine got a Kimber CDP
 
During the past year or so, the price of a 1991A1 GM has gone up quite a bit at the local gunshop in my area: from about $479 to $549. In fact, for a while, it actually went up to $599, but nobody was buying at this price.

Last weekend the shop put on display a used 1991A1 Compact, apparently in excellent condition and little fired. I'm sorely tempted by it. At $469 it's more than I'd like to pay, but the temptation remains. I may go by and look at it again later today, if nobody else has bought it yet.
 
The local gun shop here in town is tring to peddled them for $650. I looked at one there. I was pleased. It is a very nice snugly fitted pistol. The trigger altough a little heavy was veey acceptable.

Personally I still think the basic Kimber has it beat.

Don't buy for future resale value either. It just ain't so./
Save what you can up front and shoot, shoot, shoot it!
 
I have several modified 1911's (Colt and Springfield), but the one I carry is a 1991A1 modified by Joe Bonar of Novak's almost six years ago. All my others infrequently jam, but for whatever reason this 1991A1 has never malfunctioned, which of course is why I carry it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top