Colt Delta 10mm ?'s

R

rballi

New member
I have some questions about the Colt 1911 in 10mm.

What is the difference between the Delta and the Delta Elite?
Can you shoot .40 S&W in the gun? If yes, what mods are needed?
Approx value of the gun? Anything in particular to look for?

Pros & Cons of the gun.

A friend of mine said he had a Colt 10mm that he wants to do some trading for. I have not seen it, he said it was blue and it had, trigger job, flat mainspring housing, and night sights.

Your comments are appreciated.

Roy
 
I didn't know they made anything but the Delta Elite (except the Delta Gold Cup).

You can shoot .40 in it with a new barrel with a shorter chamber. I believe the mags are the same (but may need "tuning" to work with each round).

Quality control on Colts has always been spotty (at least for the last 20 years).

I've seen a Delta that was an obvious Monday or Friday gun b/c the gun was finished so poorly that the top radius made the flats appear "wavy."
If you don't notice it, however....

Frame cracking is another "problem." I don't own a DE, so I can't say, but I think this is sort of like Glock kBs, a problem that gets more exposure than numbers warrant.

That your friend uses it suggests that the mechanical bugs are worked out. Shoot before you buy, w/ ball and HP, to make sure that your friend doesn't have a 10mm jam-o-matic with one of the finest trigger pulls around.
;)
 
I believe the Colt Delta was an AR15 with accessories.

The Delta Elite was a government model 10mm. I had one and it was a good pistol.

The Delta Gold Cup was a target model Delta Elite with adjustable sights and trigger. Also a good pistol. Mine has enhanced features for those who know Colts.

The 10mm and 40 S&W are not interchangeable. The 10mm is longer and full tilt 10mm is much more powerful.
 
Agree with most of the above.
There were some guns made with two barrels, one in 10 and one in .40. It is possible but not advisable to shoot .40 in a stock Delta. A proper conversion would require only a .40 barrel. There are specific .40 mags, with a spacer at the back of the tube, but the need for them can be reduced or eliminated by loading the .40 as long as possible.
I've got about 1500 rounds through mine, and like it a lot. They do not kick like a magnum revolver, despite what has been printed and repeated. The last time I shot mine, it was with full-house 200 grain loads, and the recoil doesn't seem much different from .45 hardball.
The original slide on my gun had a problem with machining or hardness, but Colt repaired it without charge. I see no other signs of premature wear, but I'm not shooting a steady diet of heavy loads.
You can load it down to 9mm levels for steel or paper-punching, or load it up hot for hunting or business. The popularity of the .40 will ensure that there are always plenty of bullets available, so ammo is no problem if you reload.
I paid $700 for mine, in unfired condition, two years ago. A buddy of mine bought a similar gun last year, at the same price. I see used ones in the $600-$800 range. More for Gold Cups or bright stainless.
 
The Delta Elites are under-rated IMHO. Stock, they are usually excellent. Any Colt flakiness can be fixed for about $100. Customized, they are invincible. I won't say the frame cracks never happened, but they are about 99% mythical. Good deals nowadays would be:

Colt Delta Elite: $600 (blue), $700 (stainless), $900 (ultrabrite stainless)
Delta Gold Cup: ~$1,000
 
I saw the gun last night. The slide says Delta 10MM, NOT Delta Elite. It's a matte finish, government style looking gun; no beaver or round hammer. He had some Wilson Goodies in it; adj trigger, steel flat mainspring housing, shock buffs, 1 pc guide rod. He has two grips, colt plastic (not red triangle), and hogue wrap arounds, 1 colt mag, and one mcgar mag, blue colt box. In his goodies were two recoil springs marked 24lb and 15lb; could the 15 have been for shooting 40's? The gun also had trijicons, but the front gas tube was gone, and, not staked on as flush as I would like it. He wants $600 for it. The serial number is in the DEL000070 range.

Any more input would be appreciated.

Roy
 
Wow! 1 of 100; I just might have to work out something. I wonder if the Lew Horton gun is worth more than the others? Also, what is different on the Lew Horton?
 
I'm No Expert But...

I think the Lew Horton special order guns are not particularly valuable according to my recent perusal of the Blue Book. There may be one or two exceptions but the hundreds of special editions are usually about the same as their normal (Colt or S&W) counterparts.
 
* PIC *

Pic of the Delta 10.

MVC-001F6.JPG
 
There's a Delta thread running on 1911forum. Lew Horton turned out some 1991A1 style Deltas. Your picture with gun in matte finish bears this out. I'd pay $600 it.

I've got a First Edition Delta. One of the first 1000 stainless Deltas made. I figure it's worth $800.
 
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