Colt 01991 80 Series 1911a1 Government Model Review
On March 29, 1911, Lt. Col. John T. Thompson of the U.South. Ordnance Section sent a alphabetic character to Colt's in Hartford, Connecticut. The purpose was to inform them that the military testing held at Springfield Armory merely two weeks prior had ended and John Moses Browning's 1911 design produced by Filly had come out on top.
Simply similar that, a legend was born. The M1911 served as the standard sidearm for American soldiers for the next 74 years.
In the decades following the gun's rise to fame, dozens of companies have put their own spin on the platform, only at that place's an allure that even so surrounds the pistols made by Colt.
The gun upward for review is a newly-manufactured Colt 1911 Government Model. Plenty of reviews are done for 1911s from all kinds of manufacturers, just we don't seem to see every bit many honest-to-goodness Colts put through their paces.
Many a keystroke has been defended to the differences betwixt the Colt Series lxx and Series fourscore pistols. I've shot both and like them both. While Colt has reintroduced the Serial 70, the gun reviewed hither is a Series 80 model, which has an MSRP that is $100 less than the Serial lxx.
Unboxing
The Filly Serial eighty is an eye-catcher, right out of the box. No, it doesn't boast a luxurious, polished blue sheen, but it does take a clean, almost blackness stop to it. The entire gun, all the style downwardly to the grip screw heads, has the same uniform stop. It's a skilful-looking gun, classic to be sure with cues taken from the original including the spur hammer, solid trigger and non-flared ejection port.
The fit between the slide and the frame is excellent. Unlike the stories you lot hear of pistols that literally rattled in the easily of GIs in WWII, this gun makes no such sound.
Each pistol ships with 2, vii-round flush magazines, both bearing the company name and the Rampant Colt on the floorplate.
At the Range
The 1911 is a fundamentally uncomplicated gun. Insert a mag, release the slide, and hammer away until the single-stack magazine is empty. It'southward that simple. The 1911 was designed to get bang when y'all demand it to, and it does that extremely well.
Based as it is on the original military pattern, this new Colt 1911 is very much a no-frills gun. The almost-black bluing I mentioned previously has a bit of a shine to it on the sides of the slide and frame. The top of the slide, yet, has a matte cease. This cuts downward on glare when yous're aiming the gun in bright sunlight, which is certainly appreciated.
The sights are simple, too; simply your standard three white dots. Two on the rear sight and one on the front end. Information technology's an system that'due south worked for decades and continue to exercise so.
I had LASIK last yr, and so it's piece of cake for me to pick up the sights and go them lined up on the target. If you lot've got older or less precipitous eyes, you may find yourself wanting something a little bigger or brighter.
The traditional single action trigger isn't anything fancy. It's got a very noticeable take-upwardly before you hit the wall – and striking it yous do. Once that wall is reached, though, at that place's no stacking or pitter-patter to be felt. Steady trigger pressure results in a very crisp break.
Some people say the trigger-actuated firing pin block on these guns makes for a trigger pull that'southward anything but polish and crisp. I disagree. My particular gun felt no different to my trigger finger than when I'm shooting a Serial 70. YMMV.
Performance
This is a 1911, later all. That means the gun is heavy, weighing in at more than two pounds empty. Information technology fires the .45 ACP cartridge as God and JMB intended. The .45 ACP, regardless of what anyone will tell you, is a harder-striking round than the 9mm and that departure can certainly be felt when shooting a 1911.
That said, it'south far from an inaccurate gun. If you lot're used to shooting 9mm, it might take a little getting used to when you lot offset shooting .45 ACP. Once you go the hang of information technology, putting shots on target is but equally easy.
Since the 1911 semi-automated pistol was designed to exist used in combat, it'south the quintessential self-defence force handgun, and then that'south the distance at which I chose to do about of my testing.
At 21 feet, I was getting groups that averaged ane.five" overall. Some amend, some worse, but a one.five" grouping is shown here inside a 3" circumvolve. Definitely good enough for government (model) piece of work.
The gun ran flawlessly on a nutrition of diverse bullet weights and compositions. As long as yous don't accept a limp wrist, the 1911 will get bang each and every time you pull the trigger.
You lot will detect fancier 1911s and yous will find less expensive 1911s. But there's something to be said for having an affordably priced (about $750 retail) original Colt Authorities model that's not much different from the i your grandpa had on his hip when he was in the army.
Specifications: Filly 1911 Government Model
Activity: Single Action Hammer Fired Semi-Auto
Quotient: .45 ACP
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Capacity: 7+i
Safety: Thumb Safety, Grip Safety, Firing Pin Condom
Grips: Double Diamond Rosewood
Sights: iii-Dot
Weight: 35 oz
Frame Cease: Blued
Features: Service Hammer/ Long Trigger
MSRP: $799
Ratings (out of five stars):
Reliability * * * * *
At that place's a reason the 1911 holds the record for the longest-serving sidearm of the American military. The design just works. Simple as that.
Ergonomics * * * *
A 1911 is a whole lot of gun in terms of weight. It'due south well-counterbalanced and points easily, merely the size and weight can be a scrap much for some shooters.
Customize This * * * * *
The platform wasn't designed with customization in heed. There are thousands of ways to change this gun if that'due south what you want. You can invest fourth dimension and money and brand this into a BBQ gun, but why would you do that to a standard government model like this? If you're looking for a gun that lets you change out so many aspects of information technology that the concluding product is hard to tell exactly what y'all started with, buy a GLOCK.
Aesthetics * * * *
Most people say the M1911 is an elegant gun, due to its flowing lines and overall clean appearance from the mainspring housing to the barrel bushing. For a gun that was designed to win wars and save lives, the focus wasn't on making a pretty pistol, simply Browning succeeded in doing just that whether he intended to or non.
Overall * * * * *
It's a Colt 1911. Sure, information technology doesn't take the fit and finish of ane fabricated past Cabot or Wilson Combat, just that'southward not the point of this model. This is a Colt 1911, and that says everything that needs to be said.
Logan Metesh is a firearms historian and consultant who runs Loftier Quotient History LLC. Click here for a complimentary three-page download with tips near caring for your antique and collectible firearms.
Source: https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gun-review-colt-1911/
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