Colt Defender 45acp, thoughts?

9

915A

New member
I was offered a trade for one with two mags and 400+ rds, for a high end tube amp I have. Value wise Im losing on my end, but dont play anymore. Good gun? Thoughts?
 
I have a Springfield model of that gun and its a great pistol. Easy to pack and carry, but with the short slide guns I have been told you need to swap out the recoil spring more often to keep it running % 100 . It's also nice to be able to use a full size mag for an extra/reload if needed.
 
915A said:
I was offered a trade for one with two mags and 400+ rds, for a high end tube amp I have. Value wise Im losing on my end, but dont play anymore. Good gun? Thoughts?
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It's an excellent gun, and your amplifier must be really high-end if you figure you're losing on your end. The MSRP is $1,236 and the street price is right around $1,000. The spare mag is worth about $30. If the ammo is basic plinking FMJ stuff, it's still going for around 40 cents per round, so that would be $160 . If it's JHP personal defense ammo, it's worth more than $1 per round, which would add $400 to the value of the pistol.

So in round numbers you're getting a package worth about $1,200 to $1,300.

As for reliability: short (under 4-inch) 1911s historically have a somewhat deserved reputation for being finicky. The Defender has it right -- Colt did their homework, and I rarely hear of people having problems with a Defender.

I'd go for it in a heartbeat.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Yeah its definitely high end AB, more than your numbers. But Im really liking what Im reading and hearing on the Defender.
 
The Defender is priced at $846 at Bud's but you would have to tack on the transfer fee of a local dealer. Still, how much is an amp worth that you don't use?
 
I love mine, my boss loved mine so much, he bought one, then his best friend loved his so much, he bought one too. It's a great gun.
 
What's the trigger like?

I notice the piece comes with the Series 80 trigger system, which at one time was no fun to tune. Do these come with decent triggers on them, or do they need work, once you get them? For their price, I would EXPECT them to come with good triggers, but I've seen higher-dollar Colt Products with bad ones.

Just wondering.
 
Kosh75287 said:
I notice the piece comes with the Series 80 trigger system, which at one time was no fun to tune. Do these come with decent triggers on them, or do they need work, once you get them? For their price, I would EXPECT them to come with good triggers, but I've seen higher-dollar Colt Products with bad ones.
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The series 80 system is not a trigger system, it's a firing pin safety system that's activated (or de-activated, I guess) by the trigger.It adds maybe a quarter of a pound to the trigger pull and doesn't make the trigger any more difficult to tune than a non-Series 80. Current thinking among "1911 people" is that having the series 80 firing pin safety is a desirable feature in a pistol that will be carried or used for home defense.

The Colt New Agent is the same pistol with a "trench" sight rather than conventional sights. M1911.org reviewed the New Agent not long after it was introduced. Here's a link to the review -- their test pistol had a 4-pound trigger. You shouldn't want anything less than that for a carry pistol. (I prefer 4-1/2 to 5 pounds).

http://ezine.m1911.org/ColtNA.htm
 
I have a Defender and bought a New Agent when they came out. New Agent was traded as I couldn't get use to the sight . I still have and will Keep my Defender.
 
What amp are you going to trade? Some boutique amps are worth 3 or 4 times what Colt Defenders cost. You might try to sell the amp and then buy rather than trade for it. Plenty of guitar shops will sell it for you on consignment.

Unfortunately I have two very expensive hobbies in guitars and guns. Few guns that I am interested it cost near what my higher end guitars cost though.
 
Do these come with decent triggers on them, or do they need work, once you get them?
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I don't have a Defender but do have two recent vintage Colts, one with the firing pin block and one without. Both are a bit heavy for my taste, around 5 to 5 1/2 pounds. They break cleanly (once I put a hundred rounds or so through them). I decided to leave them alone. I would rather have a clean trigger pull that was a pound heavier than one that was gritty.
 
The Defenders and Agents are the best of the mini 1911s. The alloy frame make the gun quite lightweight. People that carry 1911s rate these guns highly.

But for fellas who are not experienced with 1911s the compact 1911s are hard places for them to start.

tipoc
 
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