Differences in 1911 types?

[Jeff, CA]

What are the differences in the various 1911 subtypes?

1911 vs. 1911A1?

1911A1 vs. 1991A1?

Commander vs. officer's models?

Series 70 vs. 80?

What category would a GI-spec Springfield Armory fall into?

I'm kind of embarassed not to know all this; all I know is to refer to my Kimber compact as a "Kimber compact". Thanks.

 

[stans]

Differences in 1911 types?
What are the differences in the various 1911 subtypes?

1911 vs. 1911A1? The 1911A1 was an improved 1911. It has the finger relief cut into the frame for the trigger finger, the arched mainspring housing and a grip safety with a longer tail to protect the web of your hand from the hammer.

1911A1 vs. 1991A1? The 1991A1 was Colt's attempt to produce a low cost version of their Series 80 1911A1.

Commander vs. officer's models? The Officer's Model has a 3 1/2 inch barrel and a shortened frame and magazine that holds 6 rounds. The Commander has a 4 1/4 inch barrel and a frame that accepts standard 7 round magazines.

Series 70 vs. 80? The Series 80 incorporates a passive firing pin safety that will not allow the firing pin to move forward unless the trigger is pulled.

What category would a GI-spec Springfield Armory fall into? 1911A1

 

[jimsbowies]

more importantly

,They're all pretty damned good pistols.....with all the hoopla over this new iteration of 1911's and that one.....these old (and in some cases, very old) Colts work awfully good.....

The only advice I have is based on two acquisitions.....that of the Officer's model. While they're really neat looking, compact, etc....I've experienced significant reliability problems...even after one was converted by a major and wellknown custom smithy.

Otherwise, Stans right on "target"...no pun intended...

 

[Slabside]

Good starters are...

*Colt 1991A1(firing pin safety, i.e. Series 80) and *Springfield-Armory 1911-A1 Milspec(no firing pin safety, i.e. Series 70).

Gov't sized = 5" barrel
Commander sized = 4 1/4" barrel
Officers/Compact = 3" barrel
(sizes/lengths vary by producer)

Kimber Compacts have a 4" barrel. So, the Kimber Compact length is between an Officers size and a Commmander size. Kimber Ultra Carry has a 3" barrel.

Best,
Slabside

 

[RickB]

Series 70 was the Colt Government Model equipped with a collet barrel bushing. Although "Series 70" has come to mean a gun made without the Series 80 firing pin block (which can be found in new Colts and Para Ordnance psitols), it actually indicates the presence of the collet bushing, not the absence of the FP block.

 

[dsk]

FWIW, the new Colt Series 70's being made currently do not have the collet bushing, so despite the Series 70 rollmark they are actually "pre-Series 70" guns.

 

[croyance]

The series 80 firing pin safety was deactivated by the actual trigger pull, leading to a worse trigger pull.
In contrast, the Kimber "II" series uses a firing pin safety deactivated by use of the grip safety. It seem that this has lead to another set of issues.

"Commder" models made by Kimber and Springfield have 4" barrels instead of 4.25".

A Springfield has a wider front strap than the standard 1911. This may or may not affect your feel for the gun. It may also affect your holster fit, so make sure your holster works with your gun before you buy.

There is also the CCO model, which grafts the shorter frame of the Officer's model with the 4"-4.25" barrel of the Commander model.

The Officer's model has a 3.5" barrel, though now there are "ultra-compact" models with 3" barrels.

 

[Jeff, CA]

Thanks for the info.

How is the Springfield's overall width? In all the single stack 1911s I've seen, it looks like the front strap is exactly as wide as the frame itself. Do aftermarket stocks fit it?

 

[dsk]

What croyance was trying to say is that the front strap and forward dust cover on Springfield frames is squarish by comparison to Colt and Kimber guns. As a result they feel more blocky in the hand, although the actual width of the frame is the same. Like many others I prefer the more rounded front strap of the Colt and Kimber guns. In addition, the squarish dust cover means that they won't fit in some tightly-formed 1911 holsters.