Colt's new "retro" 1911's

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dsk

New member
For those who don't normally follow the 1911 scene, Colt has now gone "retro" with its product line. Most of you already know about the WW2 reproduction pistol. Well now it seems those of you who prefered the older Series 80 and Series 70 pistols (before the Enhanced guns) will get your chance to buy new ones again. Just be prepared to pay a premium for them.

*Colt's M1991A1 has been discontinued, having been replaced by a similar model with surface-ground slide and frame flats and a new slide rollmark much more pleasing to the eye:

-------COLT'S-------
GOVERNMENT MODEL
45 CALIBER AUTOMATIC

Available in blue or stainless, it retains the black rubber grips as well as plastic flat MS housing. The trigger is still the long variety, but is an alloy now instead of plastic.


*Colt has now re-introduced the Series 70 line, WITHOUT the firing pin safety. It has the same markings as the original, and a short steel trigger w/plastic arched MS housing. The barrel bushing is the standard type, NOT the old spring finger type. It has the same sights as the M1991A1 did, and it also has the old-style narrow ejection port. The polishing on the flats is considerably better than the Series 80 ones mentioned above. It has checkered DD rosewood grips like those on the XSE models.



That's all the good news. Now the bad. The new Series 80's are going for $579 in the Seattle area, the Series 70's a whopping $879! I guess Colt figured the old ones where going for that much used, so why not sell new ones for that. They're certainly not the best value in a 1911 these days, but then again folks have been moaning about not being able to buy them new for years. Personally, I wish they had kept the no-frills parkerized M1991A1 for those who are on a budget. Ugliness aside, they were the best value in a 1911 to be had.
 
Dang, dsk, $880 for the new 70 Series!

That makes that 1965 G.M. Tim has for $995 look REAL good. I'll have to see if he still has it this weekend.

Only trouble is that I am really looking for a Combat Commander.

Decisions, decisions!
 
Yeah, even Kimbers have gone up in price. I bought one of the first ones that came out for $595. Thing was very accurate and I couldn't make it jam no matter what. The only reason why I got rid of it was to afford an Eclipse II.
 
Nothing wrong with the old colts except skimpy sights.

Upgrade the sights and re-issue to the troops.


:D
 
Series 70 Colts remind me of the Edsel and the 59 Chevy-everyone badmouthed them and laughed at them, especially the collet bushing on the colts, but now they whine about the firing pin safety on the Series 80. Makes that trigger pull so bad you need both hands and a foot in the trigger guard to make it go boom. The the more experienced, remember how the grip safety would get you killed? Cooper stated back in the 60's the 1911 design was not accurate and was never intended to be. Right.
Kimber and everyone else, including Tonka, makes a better pistol. Funny thing-I own 3 series 80's, and none of them have ever bobbled a decent round, ever. And I know I'm not alone. I took the time to go over to some of the other sites and I hear a lot more complaints about the "wunderguns" than I hear about Colts. Not saying they are the best or the only, but the alternative I hear a lot is something costing as much as a beanfield rifle. I'm sure that if I owned a SpringKimberOrdnance that I would be able to shoot it in the general direction of the target. Maybe I'm spending too much time in the field having a ball trying to wear them out than trying to buy every new model which comes out from every manufacturer.
 
Hmmm...

$880 for a new Colt, complete with questions of Colt's quality control...

or...

$300 for a Sistema, with possible worn parts...but $580 left over to fix anything that might be broken, and refinish if you're picky about such things.


Hmmmm.....

Mike
 
I've seen the new Colt Government Models for around $550. Seem like a much higher quality piece than the 1991s. Alot of people who have bought them are very happy with them. The "questions" about Colt's quality control now seem to be mythical. :p
 
The retro Colts sound great--except for the prices and the plastic. However, the gunshop in my area raised its price for a 1991A1 to nearly $600 about a year ago, so maybe I won't be much worse off. Anyway, being a longtime Colt's fan, I'd better start saving up my $$$. :)
 
Well, I'm glad that Colt is making series 70 guns again. However:

1. My eyes are too old to deal with those skimpy sights.
2. I like beavertail grip safeties.
3. I like slightly extended thumb safeties.

Add those things to a new Colt and you almost have a Kimber, but you spent a lot more.

M1911
 
The Para Ordnance P-14 is the pinnacle of 1911 development IMHO. You get a gun that fills the hand with mild recoil, high capacity, excellent sights, beavertail safety, super accurate, and a kick to shoot. Why would you buy a "Half-Capacity" gun when you can have more for the same price?
 
If the prices stay that high, this will go down as another chapter in Colt's history of stupid business moves. There is nothing like paying the highest price for getting the least amount of features on a gun.

There is nothing like saving up and paying more for less.

I see Colt is going to try to milk the fever of possible extinction by over charging die hard Colt fans. You really have to appreciate a company that really has its customers at heart.
 
The Para Ordnance P-14 is the pinnacle of 1911 development IMHO. You get a gun that fills the hand with mild recoil, high capacity, excellent sights, beavertail safety, super accurate, and a kick to shoot. Why would you buy a "Half-Capacity" gun when you can have more for the same price?
Click to expand...

I once bought a P-14 for IPSC competition. I eventually sold it because the grip was so fat I couldn't get a good purchase on it while against the clock. The thing also weighed as much as a boat anchor when fully loaded (I had the steel frame). Of course, another person's needs and preferences may vary.
 
Para-Ordinance products are pretty piss poor in my experience. My P14-45 was a 100% jamomatic with all kinds of ammo, all of the time. Customer service was hell on earth. "Combat Handguns" did a review of a LDA and had to admit that the frame of the gun actually WARPED (!) during the test. :eek:
 
Great news!

If these guns are well made then Colt will make a mint! Who wouldn't want a new Series 70 Colt? What a great base gun to make that heirloom piece you've always wanted! I expect that demand will far outweigh supply, and that $879 will be a bargain when we're talking about a commodity that didn't exist prior till today. Thank God Colt is thinking again.

ParaOrdinance the pinnacle of 1911 design? Nah, buddy. Think again. PO's a good abbreviation for them if you ask me :D. Don't trust what you read in the magazines :rolleyes:

Bob
 
I dunno...

...my P.12-45 ran like a top out of the box. One of the most feed-reliable 1911's I've owned.

Although I'll agree that when Painted Ordnance turns out a lemon, they generally do a very thorough job of it; not just one or two little defects, usually the whole gun is pretty well screwed up. ;) It's like they save up all the defective parts that QC catches over the course of a regular day's manufacturing, and then assemble them all into one gun at 4:59pm. :D
 
I can't agree with you Badger. I've got a P14 that I purchased in '95. It sits in the safe. My Kimbers go to the range.

Here are the various things I don't like about my P14:

- the sites suck (particularly the front sight).
- no beavertail safety
- thumb safety too small
- notch in the slide for the slide stop is wearing out after only a couple thousand rounds. Will require skilled gunsmith to fix.
- hammer started following the slide down after a couple thousand rounds. Had to have the hammer and sear replaced.
- lots of feed failures, typically near the end of the magazine (yes, I've replaced the mag springs and recoil spring.
- grip is just a bit too blocky and too large around for a comfortable grip.
- when fully loaded with 15 rounds, it is way heavy.

My Kimbers have been much more reliable. They fit my hand better. I prefer the Kimber beavertail and thumb safety profiles. The trigger feel is better.

YMMV.

M1911
 
Yesterday I saw one of the new Series 80 Commander Models, with the serrated metal trigger, polished flats, and three-line marking on the left side of the slide, but with the same grips as on the 1991A1. It seemed well made: no slop in the parts, very decent trigger, good 3-dot sights.

Funny thing, though, the style of the retro horse in the markings is from an older era than the horse in the grips. IMHO this gives the gun kind of a made-up look, as if the slide were from the '50s (or whenever) and the grips from the '90s. Sort of like putting XSE grips on the Series 70 reintroduction. Maybe Colt's has a couple of bugs to work out of the retro thing.

Quibbles aside, though, I can tell there are new Colts in my future. :)

My $0.02.
 
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