COLT 1911 NEED SOME HELP

[Prebanpaul]

HELLO I HAVE RECENTLY PICKED UP A NEW COLT COMBAT COMMANDER IN 9MM.  HERE IS MY QUESTION DID THEY MAKE ANY OF THE 70 SERIES WITH AN 80 SERIES DESIGNATION ON THE FRAME.  THIS IS WHAT I AM GETTING AT.  THIS GUN HAS THE SLIDE MATCHES MY 70 SERIES WITH MARKINGS PERFECTLY.  IT DOES NOT SAY 80 SERIES ON IT ANYWHERE.  HOW EVER THE SERIAL NUMBER IS 80BS16711.  I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE SOME 70 SERIES SLIDES LEFT OVER AND PUT ON THE FRAME.  AGAIN THIS GUN IS NOT MARKED 80 SERIES ANYWHERE ON THE SLIDE.  IT WAS NOT PUT TOGETHER AFTERWORDS EITHER.  THE GUN WAS SHOT 20 TIMES FROM MY FRIENDS GRAND FATHER AND THEN PUT AWAY.  HE SOLD IT TO ME AND I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS.  WE KNOW THE ROUND COUNT CAUSE THE AMMO BOX IS STILL THERE.

THANKS

PAUL           

[Savage]

Can't answer your question, but have an observation. The pistol you have is essentially a series 70, which is preferable to the series 80, with the lawyer approved firing pin safety. The trigger pull should be much better that the 80. Nice acquisition !
Savage

[rbwillnj]

Does it have an 80 Series firing pin safety? 

[Todd N.]

Paul,
Probably a smart thing to do right off the bat is to call Colt and ask them. Telephone number is  1-800-962-2658.

[Flint]

During 1980, the 70BS numbers ran out at 99999, and started at 80BS1001.  1981  s/n started at 80BS9009, and 1982 at 80BS17665.  So yours was made in 1981.  That the mechanism is still a Series 70 is a blessing.

[SHOOTALL]

don't know it this is relevant to your ? but about a week ago while in a gun shop I examined a series 70 colt ! A stainless steel one , yea I know !
the clerk said Colt was making a run of them , and would be doing more runs when they had time .
Must be like the SAA guns , they are faithful copies and come with a paper telling you it is an old design and should be for collector or display not daily use or something to that effect !
IF they have time a SAA in SS , 5-1/2 inch 44 spl would be nice !
sounds like you picked up a nice gun !

[Lloyd Smale]

why do you care. Was the gun bought as a collector piece or a shooter. If its a shooter ill say something here that might get me jumped on. Ive had both 70 series guns and 80 series guns and have had bad triggers on 70s and good on 80s and vise versa. Its more of a luck on what you get shipped then anything. The 70s are a little easier to work on to get perfect but my ppc gun i use right now is a 80s gold cup and the trigger breaks at an ice crisp 2 lbs so either can be made right by someone that knows what hes doing. People get two wound up about crap like safteys that are put on the newer guns like the 80 series colts the new kimbers even the new smith revolvers and ruger revolvers. Its something were going to have to live with and with a few strokes of a file and a little tweaking by someone that knows what there doing they can be made as good as the old ones. I could shoot a 70s gun in competition if i wanted. I have one and i aslo have an original run kimber gold match. But that 80s gold cup will just shoot better for me. The gun has well over a hundered thousand rounds through it and none of the safety parts have ever given me a lick of problems so why worry about them. I know this post might be a lttle off topic but i get tired of guys that think they know everything and badmouth any new gun that comes out because they were forced to put some saftey feature on them. LIVE WITH IT! A prime expample is the new smiths. Half the posts on the smith forum in the last couple years have someone wining about the key lock. Ive got a model 25 mountain gun that i know has over 50000 rounds through it and the safety hasnt bothered it in any way. I dont use it and to be honest dont even know where the key is but I sure dont walk around the woods worried that my gun isnt going to work because of it. After 50000 trouble free rounds id say it works just fine sitting in there doing nothing. I had an old 629 that was made back when smiths supposidly were better then the new ones that had to be rebuilt after less of a round count then that. So which was the better gun??? Same goes for the constant wining of the colt guys about 80 series guns. there dammed good guns so get over it.

[Savage]

Lloyd,
My problem with the series 80 pistols in not the firing pin safety that makes it no safer than a properly sprung series 70. It's the effect it has on the trigger pull.  On the series ll kimbers at least the firing pin safety is released by depressing the grip safety and doesn't effect trigger pull.  I don't personally have any probem with the locks on recent manufacture handguns. Mine have never been locked and have caused no problems. I forget they are even there!
Savage

[Lloyd Smale]

savage my point was that no 1911 under 1500 bucks  comes with a useable trigger pull. If you want to shoot it well it will need work and its no harder or more expensive to do the trigger on an 80 series then a 70. Ive yet to see a seventys series gun under 4 lbs out of the box and thats just to heavy to compete with or to do precision shooting.

[Savage]

Lloyd
You are correct in your assessment of "out of the box" 1911 triggers. The problem with making a good trigger on a series 80 pistol is due to the fact that the firing pin safety in disengaged by the trigger. I have never seen a series 80 with as clean a trigger as a series 70, before or after a trigger job. Given the choice between the two, make mine a series 70!
Savage

[44 Man]

Hey Guys, I have to say that my series 80 Government that I bought had as nice a trigger as I have felt on any 1911!  I had been looking at this gun for quite some time before I bought it.  Then after I handled it and tried the trigger, I had to buy it. 

My Series 80 Commander trigger is not as good as the Government or my Defender, but it is still very good working gun trigger.  If you want a 'glass rod' trigger pull, you have to take the gun to a good gunsmith that specializes in 1911's.  He will do a good job whether it is a 70 series or 80 series.  Maybe I have been fortunate but for out of the box usability, the series 80 guns that I have handled have had pretty good triggers.  44 Man

[SHOOTALL]

shoot a Glock for an hour and you will love the trigger on any 1911 !

[44 Man]

AMEN Shootall!!!

[Lloyd Smale]

you need to feel the trigger on my 80 series gold cup throphy its a glass clean breaking 2lbs.  Granted it was massaged but like i said they all need it anyway.

Lloyd
You are correct in your assessment of "out of the box" 1911 triggers. The problem with making a good trigger on a series 80 pistol is due to the fact that the firing pin safety in disengaged by the trigger. I have never seen a series 80 with as clean a trigger as a series 70, before or after a trigger job. Given the choice between the two, make mine a series 70!
Savage

[Savage]

Lloyd,
Sounds like you have a really nice trigger on your Gold Cup. Don't know how your smith was able to perform such magic without disabling the firing pin safety. I have a couple of 1911s with the series 80 system. I haven't had any work done on the trigger because I shoot them in action pistol matches, where a 4-5# trigger with a glitch or two isn't as much of a handicap. Still would like to have a better trigger on them. Perhaps I should talk to my smith about what can be done to make these triggers as good as they can be.
Stay safe,
Savage

[Prebanpaul]

THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO GUNS IS ABOUT $500.  AFTER TAKING THE INFO PROVIDED BY YOU GUYS I FOUND OUT I HAD A 70 SERIES 9MM COLT COMBAT COMMANDER.  IT ONLY HAD 20 ROUNDS EVER FIRED THRU IT.  THE GUN WAS BY FAR THE NICEST 70 SERIES I HAVE EVER SEEN.  I PURCHASED HER FOR $575. GUN RATES 99%.  I NEED TO KNOW IF I COULD SHOOT IT.  MY RATIONAL AND IT MAY NOT BE YOURS IS THIS.  SERIES 80 WORTH 700-750  I SHOOT IT, SERIES 70 WORTH 1200-1500  I DONT SHOOT IT.  I PUT IT UP.  SO AWAY TO THE SAFE IT WENT.

[SHOOTALL]

shame , another safe queen !