IS this a good colt?

[king nero]

COLT MKIV

Colt MkIV, serie 80, calibre .45 ACP
for €600 (already prep'd for PS)

the same shop sells this one as well:

COLT GOVERNMENT 1991 A1

Re-edition off a colt 1911, adapted in serie 80.
Calibre .45 ACP
for € 450

I'd like to start practical shooting (I started another post about that)
and I was hoping to find out whether or not this is a good gun to start with, and to upgrade later on.
Either way, the gun I'll end up buying is going to a good pistolsmith for some custom tuning: over here he's the best for working on 1911 style PS pistols.
The cheaper one might be a good buy as well? as it's going to get tuned anyhow.

(don't want to buy another in a few years time, that's why I ask)

thx in advance...

[Mikey]

king nero:  as much as I dislike the politics of the Colt Firearms Company, the Mark 4 Series 80 is a darned fine handgun and should be quite satisfactory as a starting point for practical pistol.  How much are they asking??  Mikey.

[TScottO]

The third pistol I bought was a Colt MkIV Enhanced series 80. This is the most problematic pistol I’ve ever purchased. Mine would not feed a full clip of hardball reliably and shot about 7” 25 yard groups. After a few trips to a smith it worked fine. The slide to frame fit is as lose as I’ve seen on any 1911 style gun anywhere. I could be wrong about this but somewhere in the mid 80’s Colt supposedly had an awful time with quality control.

I don’t know if Colt and I have bad chemistry or what but after that I waited many years before purchasing another Colt product. I purchased an AR15 from them and the first trip to the range the plunger spring in the grip broke and allowed the safety to fall out. My luck sure beats me but it will take a while of good Colt recommendations in the forums and else where before I purchase another Colt product. My Python also feel like it has grit in the action and the timing leaves a bit to be desired as well. Three chambers of this python fails to lock up before the hammer falls during slow fire.

All three of my Colt guns were bought NIB.

Be Safe,
Scott

[king nero]

Thx for the replies so far.

My Python also feel like it has grit in the action and the timing leaves a bit to be desired as well. Three chambers of this python fails to lock up before the hammer falls during slow fire.

I go the same problem with my python, it's a common fault I've heard. And there hasn't been fired a .357Mag with it... only .38 Specials...


But the 1911 Colts are supposed to be the best...

[Jim n Iowa]

I have only 2 colts and both perform great. My first was a Trooper mk3 4" nickle 357 still have it and other than improving the front sights no other mods. The other favorite colt is a 1911 mk4, series 70 45 acp, my favorite shooter. Keeping in mind that this gun was designed for ball ammo, one has to expect some feeding work.
Now it feeds all and works great also, I have not give up on Colt yet.
Jim

[Rod B]

I have two Colt Gold Cups. A series 70 & an 80. Both are very accurate & function flawlessly.

My experience with Colt has been positive & I do not hesitate to recommend these firearms.

[44 Man]

I know I have heard people whine about Colts on occasion, but I have never had a Colt that didn't perform up to my expectations!  Which ever you prefer should do you a very good job.  Remember, you don't need all of the bells and whistles to complete.  Double safetys and guide rods are like power windows on a car.  Nice, but not necessary to get the job done.  The best advice for competitions I can give you is to practice as much as possible.  44 Man

[IntrepidWizard]

my Colts never let me down.In the Army the sloppy Colts never let me down,just did not shoot too accurate.

[ulflyer]

King Nero:  I have a 1991A1 with a fitted Springfield barrel (original owner ruined previous barrel) that is extremely accurate and feeds 200gr lead SWC perfectly.   I also had a new NRM with the blued sides and it was better looking than the flat matte on the 91A1,  but not as accurate.  Was going to have a gunsmith tune it up,  but came across a Colt WW1 commemorative made in 1967 that had been fired.  Unbelievable blueing; feeds the SWC just as well and is also very accurate...with no mods!  So I recently sold the NRM as I don't need more 1911's than I can shoot frequently.

Then,  there is my Norinco,  box stock,  that shoots with the best of the above.

My suggestion is go with the 1991A1 and with the money saved, you can have the mods done that you plan on doing anyway.

[Lloyd Smale]

ill second what 44 man said

I know I have heard people whine about Colts on occasion, but I have never had a Colt that didn't perform up to my expectations!  Which ever you prefer should do you a very good job.  Remember, you don't need all of the bells and whistles to complete.  Double safetys and guide rods are like power windows on a car.  Nice, but not necessary to get the job done.  The best advice for competitions I can give you is to practice as much as possible.  44 Man

[ulflyer]

Which one you decide on.

[jakes10mm]

Agree 100% with 44 man.  I'm using a Colt 1991 Government model in USPSA competition.  I added a few features to make the gun and me more competitive, including:

Ed Brown Extended Mag Release (release mags without changing grip)
S&A Arched Mag Guide (arched mainspring housing - raises front sight, mag guide gives a nice big hole for mag changes)
Bobbed Factory Hammer (reduce occurrance and severity of hammer bite)
EGW Pre-Fit Match Barrel Bushing (not necessary, factory set up was very accurate to start with - wanted to push the accuracy envelope and $20 was a cheap route)

The Colt has been great!  I have a Colt Mk IV 38super that is getting the same makeover for USPSA competition too.  Will be shooting minor caliber, but will be able to afford more practice with the cheaper to reload 38super ammo.

Enjoy!