Colt Mustang Plus II

C

cptmclark

New member
I have this delightful Mustang 380 in near new condition. Function is flawless (after two returns to Colt) but accuracy is pitiful. I mean good luck catching most shots on a standard size target paper at 25 yards. I know it ain't a target pistol, but it should get in say 5 inches I would think, instead of the 12 or more (cant' find em all so don't really know.) The barrel has enough room to square dance in the end of the slide, and of course there is no bushing. Is there any fix for this thing? A small pocket pistol with 1911 controls (mostly) is worth working on for me. Oh yea, the muzzle has a scratch extending to the bore. I suspect re-crowning wouldn't hurt, but I hesitate to screw...I mean mess with it without knowing how. Left to my own devices I'd probably put a brass screw in a drill and work it with JB bore paste. Probably couldn't keep it centered and ruin it. Any ideas will be gratefully accepted.

If this works, I'll be pestering you about trigger enhancement.
 
Belly gun

Well, even at 7 yards I need more than just torso hits. If I can't get center hits at 7 yards it has to stay home. Oughta be some way of tightening it up. Maybe I could weld a band around the barrel end. Yea, that's it. (just kidding of course.)
 
If you want more out of this one, you need to send it to Chuck Rogers, of Rogers Precision. Or you need to be real close to your adversary! These little guns are finicky and need expertise that I do not have. I don't own them and would not give them a minute of my time. I am certain that Chuck can make it as nice as it can possibly be, but it is not something that I would advise you to mess with. Perhaps there are other smiths that can do things to them, but I don't know of any. I know that Colt copied the Star's system on this one but did a very poor job of it. Most of us want a good platform to start with and I honestly don't know if this is worth spending money on or not. He could tell you the real facts on this one.
 
Well phooey

I thought I might have a miniature 1911. Do you know of any 14 to 18 OZ single action pocket pistols of 380 or heftier caliber? I've modified a Kel Tek 14 oz 9mm so I can hit with it, but it's an inch wide to accomodate the double stack mag. Not much quality to that thing, but it's accurate and never fails to go bang. I guess that's quality of a sort. But I digress. Wish my old 32 Colt Pocket Pistol was 380, as it is dead accurate and thin. Nothing to fiddle with there though, as Colt seems to have gotten everything right with that one in 1903. It's too nice to modify or I'd ask about making it a 380.
The mustang is too light for a boat anchor, so maybe I'll find it another home and start another project.
 
I like the idea in your last sentence!
I like Big Guns that shoot Big Bullets!
Gotta go to work now. have a great day and get rid of that minny mouse gun!
 
The Mustang Plus II is certainly not a target gun, as you indicated. The purpose of this gun was to provide close-up personal protection. The one I had would keep its shots inside the 9-ring at 7 yards but only if you carefully aligned the minimal sights. For quick one-handed deployment at hip level, which is about the use it was intended for, beyond about 5 yards it was difficult to keep all of the rounds inside the 6-ring.

For what it's worth, the longer "Government" model shoots better.

All of that said... I still like the Mustang Plus II a lot and wish I still had mine.
Small, fairly light and compact it allows you to fufil rule #1 of a gunfight. Have a gun!
 
BillCA

I'm becoming convinced that it's not what I hoped I could make it, with a little gunsmithing. Your performance is about what I experienced. Forget about finding all your hits at 25 yards. At 18 oz, the idea of a single action 1911 style pistol was, I guess, too good to be true. My problem is that I like it. Now there is a KT P8T, 380, of even smaller size, weighing in at 7.5 oz, that's more accurate to boot. DAO of course. That makes it even easier to comply with Rule No. 1. I hear they give tinkerers plenty to do also, as they don't always work as well as hoped until "fluffed and buffed". I try to discretely pack the 1911 full size but on the beach in my Speedos the gals won't leave me alone.
 
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