More Colt Misinformation

[dakota1911]

>From the gun rags:

The May 2006 issue of “Combat Handguns” where Wait Rauch in his review of the new Kahr Arms P45 talks about recoil and magazine springs of small 1911 .45 guns and says, “I have a very nice, lightly customized Colt Defender, now out of production, spending its life in my gun safe because it’s just too much trouble to keep running at an optimum level..”

I am assuming he is talking about the Defender 90. I did not know it was out of production. Also, what miracle metal does Kahr use in their springs that never needs replacing?

>From gunstore salesmen:

This is when I was in a city not in my home state. My wife was about a tenth of the way through an antique shop I had already been through twice when I noted a gun store up the block and decided to check it out. I asked if they had any Colt 1911s and was told, “No, we can order them but they start at about four thousand dollars.” Yes, I did tell them my version of reality, without using any profanity even.

>From customers at my favorite gun store:

I went in to pay on my WWI Repro that I have on “layawake”. I noted they had another in their Colt area and I was curious what other new Colts they might have. There were two younger guys at the case looking at the WWI repro. I love this.
Guy-1: “Look, it says it is PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT.” Why does it say that?”
Guy-2: (hushed voice) “Yes. Colt made a whole bunch of extra ones back in WWI because they thought the war was going to go on a lot longer, but it ended and the U.S. wouldn’t buy them. They lay forgotten in an old warehouse until a couple of years ago when Colt found them. Now they are selling them.”

Hate to say it but I was left speechless as the guys wondered to other parts of the store.

[Rio Vista Slim]

dakota1911,
Thank you for sharing this.
A perfect way to be completely misinformed is by hanging around a gun shop for an afternoon, or to be drawn in by some of the tripe that's published in the gun magazines.
Occasionally, those rumors, half-truths, and innuendo make it on to this forum. Luckily, these things are quickly and politely handled by the informed membership.

[jeff1124]

I called Sportsmens Warehouse a couple of weeks ago and asked if they had any Colts and was told "We don't carry them because they are no longer manufactured for the general public" I asked how Gander Mountain got them then and how so many were available on the internet, NIB, and got the standard "I don't know".

[John]

Hate to say it but I was left speechless as the guys wondered to other parts of the store.

Don't hate yourself for being left speechless! You did a favor to all those who are interested in getting a WWI replica. The less they know about them, the better. :D

[rcm]

dakota1911,
Thank you for sharing this.
A perfect way to be completely misinformed is by hanging around a gun shop for an afternoon, or to be drawn in by some of the tripe that's published in the gun magazines.
Occasionally, those rumors, half-truths, and innuendo make it on to this forum. Luckily, these things are quickly and politely handled by the informed membership.

HI guys,
Interesting what you said John and I'm arguing with you at all, I am not trying to cause a stir. I believe that this is easily the best 1911 forum and site period. I just happened across this, this morning. I am far from an expert on any of this so, I find it all interesting. :D

This is a quote by Charles E. Petty in AMERICAN HANDGUNNER for July/August " this is brought to you by the internet- the greatest source of disinformation since the coldwar" This is article about the S&W internal locking system for revolvers that came out a few years ago.

Carry on.

Rick

[1911Tuner]

Quote:

>Guy-1: “Look, it says it is PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT.” Why does it say that?”
Guy-2: (hushed voice) “Yes. Colt made a whole bunch of extra ones back in WWI because they thought the war was going to go on a lot longer, but it ended and the U.S. wouldn’t buy them. They lay forgotten in an old warehouse until a couple of years ago when Colt found them. Now they are selling them.”<
*****************


:lm:

Oh GOD! Why can't I run into a gunshop commando like that when I'm feelin' froggy?

[Hunter]

I believe it because it would be very hard to make up something that stupid. The ignorance of folks sometimes surprises even me especially because correct information is so easy to come by what with all the new inventions such as the telephone and computer.

[1911Tuner]

One day, I'm gonna compile a list of some of the absurd things that I've heard in a gunshop...and I used to work part-time in one...so there are many things to remember. This may take a while. :(

[Hawkmoon]

Get started, Tuner ... we'll do a book. Remember, I'm a semi-professional writer. I'll help you ghost write/edit it.

We can start off with what the publishers call a "working title" of "Gunshop Guffaws."

[garrettwc]

One day, I'm gonna compile a list of some of the absurd things that I've heard in a gunshop...and I used to work part-time in one...so there are many things to remember. This may take a while.
Didn't we do this on THR or TFL? I remember a thread "Stupid stuff I heard in the gunshop" or something like that. It went several pages, and some of the stupidest stuff came out of the mouths of gun store sales people.

[OD*]

More Colt Misinformation
Colt's closed! Colt's Sold! Colt to stop selling to civilians!

Unfortunatley, you read this crap about every six months on 1911 discussion boards and the errornet. We just went through it here and on another board, not more than a week or so ago. :butthead:

[Johnny Peppers]

Do the WWI repros have PROPERTY OF US GOVERNMENT, or UNITED STATES PROPERTY?

http://i5.tinypic.com/14j4xi0.jpg

[OD*]

UNITED STATES PROPERTY

http://www.ronsgunshop.com/images/1911reproleft.jpg

[Johnny Peppers]

The two photos above show one major difference in the manufacturing of the WWI Colt and the WWI replica. On the originals the slides were polished after having the roll dies applied, but on the replicas the roll die was applied after being polished. This results in the lettering being slightly raised on the new production. Maybe Colt did this to distinguish the the new production from the old.

[OD*]

To Colt's credit, they did pretty fair job on the WWIs, much better than the WWIIs.

[Elmo C]

I hope you are mending from your accident,We should get a repelent like the kind that chases away things that stink,like people who know nothing about Colt's. I am going Colt hunting fathers day at a gun show.

[motec]

I was in Sportsman's Warehouse a bit earlier hoping to take a look at a Colt Accurized Rifle but they only sold Armalite and Bushmaster. When I asked if they had any Colts the clerk told me that "Colt hasn't been legally allowed to sell to civilians since congress declared war on Iraq." Feeling a bit frisky I told him I knew for a fact that Colt was still selling to civilians... Not only that I told him that "Operation Iraqi Freedom", while authorized by Congress is not a "declared war".

I then asked him if they could do a FFL transfer for me and how much it would cost. He went to get his boss for the info. When his boss came back he said yes, and $30. I told him I'd probably be calling Colt to buy an Accurized Rifle. He said "I just got a new Match Target from them a couple weeks ago - It's a great rifle but our buyers won't order any of those, or anything from Colt, for some reason." I chuckled, pointed to the clerk and said "He knows why, ask him." And walked out.

:)

[OD*]

Now that one is just a peach, James. http://www.combatcarry.com/vbulletin/images/smilies/vol_1/rofl.gif

[Hunter]

Good story motec. If we could straighten out these ignorant gunstore commandoes everybody would be better off. Oh and by the way I have a Colt HBarr AR 15 and she is a tack driver. I have wore out a few Bushmasters at the 100 yard line and even at the 200 yard line she is right on time.

[r0gue]

Maybe Colt did this to distinguish the the new production from the old.

More likely to save the extra labor and expense. These pistols had a target price on the design parameters before they were ever approved for manufacture. Personally, I'd pay the extra $50 to have had them do it right, but whatever.

[Johnny Peppers]

More likely to save the extra labor and expense. These pistols had a target price on the design parameters before they were ever approved for manufacture. Personally, I'd pay the extra $50 to have had them do it right, but whatever.

Really no difference in expense. Just a matter of which operation is done first. Stamp and polish, or polish and stamp.

http://i5.tinypic.com/14mewb7.jpg

[bill may]

What is a ball park cost on the repros?

[OD*]

Most of them I see are going in the $950 ballpark.

[1911Tuner]

Ya gotta admit...that's a pretty good-lookin' piece of ordnance. But 950 bucks? Nahhhh. Besides...I'd rather have a WW1 repro. Somethin' about Ol' Slabsides just winds my mainspring. ;)

[OD*]

Ya gotta admit...that's a pretty good-lookin' piece of ordnance. But 950 bucks? Nahhhh. Besides...I'd rather have a WW1 repro. Somethin' about Ol' Slabsides just winds my mainspring. ;)
I was speaking of the WWI repros Johnny, maybe I misunderstood Bill's question?

[OD*]

Wow! That's nice Johnny P.
Is that a 1924 Improved 1911?

[1911Tuner]

I was speaking of the WWI repros Johnny, maybe I misunderstood Bill's question?

Nah. it was probably me...and the prednisone. I thought ya meant 950 for the WW2. Just...overlook me for the next 7-8 days 'til I get weaned offa this stuff. :rolleyes:

[OD*]

No problem Johnny, it was late and I could have just as easily screwed up.

Hope you get better soonest amigo, I hated taking steroids.

[Johnny Peppers]

Wow! That's nice Johnny P.
Is that a 1924 Improved 1911?

When the improvements were made to the Model 1911 in 1924 beginning at serial number 700001, it was originally called the Model of 1911 Improved, but in 1926 the Ordnance Department made the decision to call all pistols after serial number 700000 the Model of 1911A1, and all pistols below 700000 would remain Model of 1911. No more of the improved pistols were ordered until 1937, and through a mix-up the Model of 1911 U.S. Army slide marking was retained. In 1938 this was corrected, and the frames were marked with the M 1911A1 U. S. ARMY.