Colt Government

If you have the $$$ go ahead and be a COLT "snob". Get the real thing, you will not be disappointed. But, if it is just a 1911 you are looking for they are all pretty good. I lean toward the Dan Wesson. But Springfield is dandy. I'm sure others are equally good. I enjoy all of mine made by several manufactures.
 
PolarFBear said:
If you have the $$$ go ahead and be a COLT "snob". Get the real thing, you will not be disappointed. But, if it is just a 1911 you are looking for they are all pretty good. I lean toward the Dan Wesson. But Springfield is dandy. I'm sure others are equally good. I enjoy all of mine made by several manufactures.
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My XSE Colt Combat Command in .45 ACP, was rife with problems when I bought it due to underpowered springs...it took me some time to figure out what the hell was wrong. The weak recoil spring was hardest to figure. When I replaced it with a new spring, it cured the current problem. Then I found that the firing pin spring was so weak it would not hold the firing pin retaining plate (I don't remember the name of that part for sure anyomore and at my age don't care) in place and the plate would drop down and tie-up the gun. replacing that spring cured that problem. That only left me with the very badly executed checkering on the stocks...I did not change those however, inasmuch as it is nice that Colt hired the handicapped (must have been a blind man), to do the checkering.

My point is, just because you buy a Colt it does not mean you are going to get a gun that functions right out of the box. And don't give me that crap about I "should have sent it back...", it is not unreasonable to expect a gun to work correctly when it is shipped. If it doesn't, their quality control system is faulty.

Don't get me started on the seventies era .38 Super Colt Combat Commander I bought new in the Seventies...that one was a disaster of out of speck barrel lugs to frame fit. The Slide and Barrel both had to be replaced on that turkey (however it is now a favorite of mine). But when ever I hear about Colt quality, I want to retch.

Given my experience with Ruger's response to my dealings with them in regard to minor problems I have had with their revolvers, I would suggest looking at their five-inch 1911...at least if their is a problem, they "own it" in contrast to a Colt spokesman who stated on line that, "...they did not make the springs in their guns...". The old, "pass the buck", evading responsibility. In contrast, Ruger never did that, even when It was my fault when I lost a cross-bolt screw assembly (it backed-out and fell out when I was hunting...I should have made sure it was tight), in a second-hand Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum. They had me send in the gun (had to be factory fitted), and replaced it at no cost to me...they did not alibi, or accuse...they just fixed it. So, it would seem that a Ruger 1911 would be a safer bet all around.
 
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Why I want another 45 acp I will never know. I have three exceptional 45s (FNX 45, two Shield 45s) and a very good one (Bersa).
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You mean you don't have a 1911? Shame on you. That should have been your first 45acp pistol!:D

Seriously, yes you do need a 1911. Doesn't have to have any "magic name" of an over priced maker either. Plenty of great choices all through the price range.
 
It's not the cartridge. It's the pistol. Think in terms of milsurp rifles. A 1903 is not the same thing as an M1 Rifle, but they shoot the same ammo. Lotta different 9mm's around too. The .45 ACP was a U.S. thing only, despite a few being used by Lend/Lease countries.
"...be a COLT "snob"..." Every 1911/1911A1 pistol that is not a Colt is a copy.
"...that functions right out of the box..." If it does not, send it back. There's something wrong with it. The days of having to fiddle with a pistol to get it to feed all types of ammo, like SWC's are long gone.
 
If Ken Hackathorn is correct, Colt seldom refers to
or stamps its guns 1911. They are Government Model
models.

After all a "1911" or "1911A1" is a military designation.

I note in its current lineup Colt has one called the 1911
Classic and another the Wiley Clapp 1911.

I think even its rather new Competition Model is also
stamped Government Model.

I like to think only Colt produces the "Government Model."
All others patterned after it are clones.
 
T. O'Heir said:
Every 1911/1911A1 pistol that is not a Colt is a copy.
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I understand your point, but "M1911" and "M1911A1" were United States Ordnance Department designations, used only on/for the pistols manufactured for the United States military. They were not all made by Colt; they were also made by Springfield Armory (the "real" Springfield Armory), Remington UMC, Remington-Rand, Ithaca, Union Switch and Signal, and Singer. All of the 1911s or 1911A1s made by those manufacturers were genuine M1911s or M1911A1s, they were not copies.
 
Colt was the original manufacturer of the 1911 and the 1911A1. It called the commercial versions of it's gun the Government Model. It's a full size service handgun with a 5" barrel.

Colt calls many, but not all, of it's guns with 5" barrels in 45 acp Government Models. For example it has it's "traditional" models, it's "Competition Government Model", it's "Combat Elite Government", etc. So there are a number of versions at different price points with different features.

The term Government Model (GM) has come to mean about any version of the basic 1911A1 with a 5" barrel and full sized grip.

Get a basic one and start there. Learn the gun as it is and along the way make adjustments as needed or desired. The 1911 is a very modular gun.

Don't make the mistake of taking advice from others on what you will "need" to make the gun better. First learn it for yourself as it is. Go from there.

tipoc
 
I've got four 1911A1's and a 2011. One is a .45 acp Gold Cup, two are .45 acp comped race guns, one is a .38 Super comped race gun, as is the 2011. All run flawlessly. I have not had the Gold Cup worked on for reliability although, obviously, the race guns have been worked on by gunsmiths.
 
I'm not familiar with any other 1911's then Colt's , I carried them in the service in different situations probably where the love of them started , carrying FMJ's you can bet your live on the pistol . Is not the type of pistol you have to baby , designed for battle . I thought I would stop at two , I have a Government model and a 3" New Agent , very similar to the Defender , I'm starting to weaken on a Colt Combat Commander. So before you take the leap and buy a 1911 be aware it my not be your last . Ever think of a beebee gun , pellet or maybe a carpet gun .I'm trying to save you . I even put CT Laser Grips on both , I just can't stop shooting them . Gerat Pistols best trigger out there . Any 1911 will fit the bill . Good Luck .
Chris
 
For the first 45 years, my 1911's were all Colts with the exception of the Remington-Rand 1911A1 that rode in a "tanker" holster across my chest while I flew in Vietnam. Since then I've found Rugers, both the all steel 5" bbl'd model SR1911 and the shorter 4.25" bbl'd CMD, to be first rate in every regard...accuracy, reliability and all the good features of a carry piece without the "Mall Ninja" add on's of a shooting games gun.

Also first rate, is a Sig RCS that has a 4" bbl. and a grip that's 1/4" shorter than the previous mentioned guns. It's an alloy frame offering with tritium sights and again, all the features that make it a day to day carry piece. When I depart the farm for the big city, it's often my choice if my wardrobe allows OWB carry.

As to caliber, I'm a .45 advocate in the 1911, feeling that there are better choices for 9's, .40s, or .38 Supers that'll hold more rounds. With that in mind, one of the biggest pluses with a 1911 is the grip. It's flat enought that you get a better left to right placement when in a hurry...a good, "angle of deflection" as Cooper used to say.

The last point I'd make is that there are a literally dozens of good gunsmiths that can tweak the action and trigger to your heart's content...and can add mods that suit any taste.

Here's a Ruger in one of my OWB creations. HTH's, Rod

 
I have a 2018 production colt 1911 series 70. Its extremely accurate, but I get issues feeding the last round and locking back the slide when empty. Overall I love the gun and it's not a carry piece so I'm not bothered at all. It's mostly reliable but with certain mags it just has those issues.
 
I have a 2018 production colt 1911 series 70. Its extremely accurate, but I get issues feeding the last round and locking back the slide when empty. Overall I love the gun and it's not a carry piece so I'm not bothered at all. It's mostly reliable but with certain mags it just has those issues.
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Don't use those mags in that gun.

tipoc
 
I haven't tried downloading but I'll give that a try and let you know. The gun is a sweet shooter so tbh the sporadic lockback hasn't bothered me enough to try and fix it.

As another shooter mentioned I could always just toss those mags. I keep blue painter's tape on the bottom of all my good mags. If I encounter an issue I mark the tape. If I encounter an issue on a marked mag I remove the tape and the bare mag is henceforth known as a bad mag so I know which ones do it.
 
Sequins
If it's a new pistol it may run fine after break in . I shoot two 1911's mostly at 10 yards , didn't want to deal it up with standard loads for practice so I started out light , all types of problems , I raised from 4.5 to .6 to .7 as the charge went up problems would go away , the last problem was like yours lock up . Raised to .8 and everything went away , 100% with a lower charge the normal . Most likely the strength of the recoil spring with a light load . Maybe when they talk about a break in period not only smoothing out rough edges but softening up the springs alittle . Keep it clean and lightly oiled.
PS : The next time you have the slide off make sure your mag isn't hitting the bottom of the ejector , should have alittle space when magazine is locked in place .

Chris
 
There are three things that may cause failure to lock open on empty with a 1911: magazine follower, weak magazine springs, or slide stop. I'd suggest field stripping the gun, re-inserting the slide stop into the receiver, then slowly run the problem magazines into the pistol to see how well or how poorly they engage the lug of the slide stop.
 
There can only be one.


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Unless of course you have 2, or 3, or 4...
 

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PS : The next time you have the slide off make sure your mag isn't hitting the bottom of the ejector , should have alittle space when magazine is locked in place .
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Good advice from cw308. I'll add that a copy of Kuhnhausen's book on gunsmithing the 1911 (with above tip and many others) should be in the library of any aficianado of the venerable Colt .45. YMMv, Rod
 
Well, I guess every gunaholic has to own a 1911 Government. For your first one, get a Colt. But be careful; I suggest buying a new one, or at least a fairly new one, that has not been worked on by some armature kitchen table gunsmith, unless you a good a spotting decent work.
Another reason to purchase a fairly new vintage is because in general they are better made and more reliable then some of them made 20 yrs ago or so.

Also, fair warning, for some of us anyway, they can become addictive. I think I own around 14 of them right now, (about half are Colts) and I have traded several off over the years.

Also, yeah I am lefthanded too. So, everyone of them you buy will need an ambi-safety if it doesn't already have one. I prefer Wilson Combat or Ed Brown ambi-safeties. And then you will either need to pay a gunsmith to install or do it yourself. And fair warning, even if you pay a gunsmith to do it, they may or may not get it right. I am pretty picky and I want them to snick on and off just right, and sometimes that takes a little tinkering, so eventually it's best to learn to do them yourself. Just FYI.
 
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