My first Colt 1911 w/pics

[jpa1701]

Well I went ahead and decided to pick up a new Colt 1911 Model 01070XSE 5inch in all stainless steel. It is totally stock except the Hogue stocks and the Wilson mag I picked up for it. Its not fancy by any means and I got it mainly as another carry gun so was not looking for a uber expensive tricked out Colt.

I am by no means new to 1911s having owned Kimbers, Springfields, etc. I dont like the standard production Kimbers much but do like the custom shop stuff, Springfields were pretty good to me as well. I always wanted a Colt but not as a collector. I wanted one to carry. I heard the new stuff sucks and if the Colt isnt a Series 70 then its crap. That seems kinda harsh. I am sure there are differences but while its not a Les Baer or Ed Brown....its pretty nice to me. And again its made to get used and carried a lot! It is not to be a show piece or safe queen. :)

I bought it brand new at a local shop today. I have a couple of questions...any recommendations on replacing the guide spring? I was thinking a Wolf but not sure what to use.

How is Colt's customer service and warranty. I got the warranty card to send in. Is that a must or does Colt even care? I have heard some good and bad about Colt's service.

Overall I am happy with it...tho have not shot it yet so hope it goes well! I will post an update when I go to the range...hopefully this weekend!

Anyway. opinions appreciated! Thanks!
JP
DFW, TX

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d143/jpa1701/30a7d493.jpg

[Hunter]

Very nice Colt. From what limited dealings with their customer service I have had great results from them. Who ever told you that if it was not a Series 70 it was crap was grossly misinformed or ignorant. I have several new and older Series 80 Colts and they are fine pistols. As far as Les Baer and Ed Brown while I am sure they make excellent pistols I would much rather have a Colt. If the current recoil spring is not worn out it will be fine if it seems like it needs replacing or you want to so you know where you stand with the spring then yes Wolff is the way to go and I would stay around 16 pounds for the spring. I like everything except the grips but that is my personal opinion. For rubber grips I favor the Pachmayer.

[jpa1701]

funny you mention Pac grips. I went to buy some but I could not find any that have the ambi-cut slot on the right grip panel. Any reccomendations on where to get on. I am with you on this gun I'd rather have Pacs!

would an 18.5 lb Woff spring be ok?

[Hunter]

I have two pair of Pachmayrs for me Series 70 Gold Cup National Match. The pair that came with the Colt was the Pachmayer Signature that were made for Colt that came with the gold Colt medallion and they had been cut to accept the ambi safety. I did not want to wear out the original Pachmayrs that came from Colt so I bought another Pachmayr Signature and a set of Colt medallions to install in the grips to keep the original look. I then used a razor blade to cut the area out for the ambi safety and dressed the metal insert of the grips with a fine flat file. After some trial and error they work great with no binding of the safety. A little time and patience and it worked out.

[jpa1701]

ok cool I will try that. Also, are the parts forged or MIM on my Colt?

[Hunter]

There are some mim parts but I am not sure which ones they are. Also I really would not worry about the mim parts. I have heard that Colt does it right on the mim process and so far I am a believer. If you detail strip your Colt you can look for the presence of the mould indentation as the part was made and that will tell you it is a mim part.

[jpa1701]

sweet thanks

[Hersh]

Jpa,

Yessir ... very nice Colt you have there ! I agree with Hunter on the Pachmayrs. I have a set on a Gold Cup and a BHP. You might check around on their site for an answer about the ambi cut http://www.pachmayr.com/pachmayr/pistolgrps.htm#Full

Hersh

[jpa1701]

Hersh, did you have to modify your Pacs too or did you buy them ambi cut?

[FXdiz]

schweeeet piece! I'm kind of partial to stainless myself.

[Hersh]

Hersh, did you have to modify your Pacs too or did you buy them ambi cut?

Actually the Pacs I have on the GC are original from the Colt factory and it doesn't have the ambi safety. You might send an email to Pac and see if they offer an ambi option.

Hersh

[jpa1701]

The one thing I hate I about the gun and that is the plastic mainspring housing. Would it break Colt to put a ss one in there? It just seems...I dunno...cheap. But it doesnt ruin my love for my Colt by any means. I am also not big on MIM parts but heard Colt's parts are fine. I do want to replace the grip saftey with a nice stainless extended beavertail and the MSH.

Any recommendation on where to order some good parts?

I might replace the slide stop and saftey with polished ss forged parts too. Wondered if there was good one-stop-shop to order from.

Man, thanks for all the input from everyone!

[John]

would an 18.5 lb Woff spring be ok?

You do not have to go to a higher weight than the standard spring if you will be shooting standard pressure ammo. A 16 lbs one is fine.

[scooter]

[QUOTE=jpa1701] Wondered if there was good one-stop-shop to order from. [QUOTE]
www.brownells.com (http://www.brownells.com)http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

[jpa1701]

John: Thanks for the info! Are Wolf springs better quality? I always hear everyone raving about them. Or are Wolfs just used for replacement when a factory spring wears out?

Scooter: Thanks for the link! I forgot about Brownells!

I also plan to put some Trijicon night sights on my Colt too. The Novaks are "OK" but I like Trijicons better. My Novaks are just the standard white 3 dots. I hear people say these have had bad tendency for the rear Novak to come loose during shooting. Hope that doesnt happen but can be solved with some Locktite should that happen.

I am also hoping to be adding a like new (very low round count) Springfield Ported V-12 5 inch stainless to my collection soon. Anyone have any experience with those or opinions on it? I should probably ash that in the SPringfield forum tho, huh? I will be giving up my RRA Entry AR, but getting cash too. Always wanted this pistol.

[John]

Wolff springs are of excellent quality, but personally I prefer ISMI's ones.

One thing about those Novak sights. When you decide to change them to tritiums, I'll be glad to take them off your hands. Just email or PM me.

Tnx

[Hersh]

The one thing I hate I about the gun and that is the plastic mainspring housing.

Man I couldn't agree more ! My 91A1 Commander has one too ... can't tell if it's nylon or plastic, but it's sure not steel. It's next on my list of mods and I'm considering either an Ed Brown or Smith & Alexander.

A word about Brownells ... their service is great ! I placed an order with them recently and received an email confirmation within hours and the order shipped the next day. Be sure to order a catalog too, they're handy to have.

Hersh

[WBB]

Very nice Colt, jpa1701. Should be a sweet shooter.

[Sabre]

How is Colt's customer service and warranty. I got the warranty card to send in. Is that a must or does Colt even care? I have heard some good and bad about Colt's service.

I sent my Government model back once because the sights were way off from the factory. I had it back in about two weeks. It came with a fifteen yard test target that showed a spot-on group of about three-quarters of an inch.

[uspopo]

Great Colt! Congrats on a fine purchase...

[dimmak]

JP,
Very nice pistol! of course I am prejudiced simply because I bought one myself yesterday...
This is my first 1911 and one that I hope sets precedence for my future gun buys...
Plan on range trip later today and then I will post range report and if all goes well, use for carry...

[dimmak]

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=88&t=332044
Just curious....

[Gotti817]

Very nice Colt. Why are you selling it already?

Mike.