Whats wrong with the 80

[ahern25]

I hear a lot of people say that they perfer the series 70 over the 80, is there something wrong with the 80?

[John]

Nothing actually. It's just that some people prefer not to have the firing pin safety mechanism in their pistols. They consider it (and it is) a lawyers-feature. The old rumor that you can't get a decent trigger out of a Series 80 pistol is also a factor that adds to the popularity of the pre-Series 80 models, but as I said, it is just that, a rumor.

[jeff1124]

+1 to what el Commandante said, I've had zero problems with my '80's! :)

[d90king]

Nothing is wrong with the Series 80. I have never had a problem with either Series.

[tombstone]

Another positive vote for the Series 80 - a NRM Commander and a Gov't model. Just a tiny bit more work to re-assemble after detail stripping. A round toothpick really helps!

[paul45]

This question has been ....... :dead_hors .......since, what, 1983?? :p

No, there is NOTHING wrong with series 80 parts.

[Nic]

+1 to John, there is nothing wrong with the series 80.

There are two different types of "80" series firing pin safeties if I am correct.

A Colt series 80 will block the firing pin from moving until the trigger is pressed, practically eliminating the gun discharging if struck hard or dropped onto a hard surface. The drawback being the trigger has to compress a spring and move a small part, which adds to the poundage of the trigger pull.

Kimber II pistols, for example, have an "80-type" firing pin safety as well. It is called a Swartz safety, and differs with the Colt series 80 system as it is disabled by depressing the grip safety thus eliminating any extra poundage on the trigger pull.

70 series lack a firing pin safety. A drawback here is it can possibly discharge if there is a round in the chamber and the gun is dropped or struck hard enough to allow the firing pin to impact the primer of a loaded round.

So... no problems, just differences.

[OD#3]

One argument against the series 80 has always been that there are more parts to go wrong. I'd always thought that only people prone to worry too much would subscribe to that objection. However, just yesterday, I shipped my blue NRM series 80 back to Colt for repair of the series 80 system. Mine was out of time and was releasing the hammer before the firing pin block was completely out of the way. It wasn't enough to completely block the firing pin and cause misfiring, but the firing pin was striking a glancing blow on one edge of the firing pin block, causing peening of the firing pin in that area.

I have too much respect for the opinions of Massad Ayoob to simply remove the series 80 parts. Tort lawyers aren't interested in the pursuit of truth--only in persuading a jury. We've all seen examples of the silliest arguments being used to successfully but unfairly hold people liable in civil cases. So I sent my pistol back to Colt for repair.

The vast majority of pistols being manufactured today of modern design (Glock, Sig, Beretta, etc.) have a firing pin safety, and no one worries about them malfunctioning in that area. But the series 80 system is a modification to a pistol that wasn't originally designed that way. Colt's execution of that was really pretty clever--especially when one considers how difficult it is to get all that movement out of those tiny parts in a single action trigger with so little trigger travel. But it is a design that is subject to failure if not correctly timed, although it is rare for one not to be so.

I have complete faith in Colt's fixing my problem correctly, and my confidence in the overall quality of Colt pistols wasn't really shaken. But I was quick to pull the firing pin out of my other series 80 pistol for examination after noticing the damage to the first one. And with any new series 80 accquisition, after testing its reliability on the range, I would recommend that people pull the firing pin and make sure there are no signs of its coming in contact with the firing pin block before using it as their carry piece. I've heard of timing problems with series 80 systems before, but all have been related to a defect in manufacture--not wear. So if your series 80 works properly now, I wouldn't worry about its getting out of time later. I wouldn't hesitate to use a properly-timed series 80 pistol for self-defense.

[023hemi]

As long as the series 80 safety is defeated at the beginning of the trigger pull, there is no difference in the way the trigger acts or feels as compared to the series 70s pistols. But the extra "lawyer proofing" goes a long way in my mind. All of my Colts are series 80s. My Government and Commander triggers are set for 4 lbs and my Officers Model trigger is set to 3.5 lbs. All are super crisp and break like glass rods on the pull. My gunsmith gave me this info when we started on the path of my first custom 45 auto. I guess he was right. I ended up with two more of his pistols by the time the smoke had cleared.

[auto45]

but all have been related to a defect in manufacture--not wear. So if your series 80 works properly now, I wouldn't worry about its getting out of time later

I'm not sure I agree with that. I started having problems around the 20,000 mark...I believe.

Gunsmith's that work on them, the ones that fully "get it", can probably time them right from the beginning so "wear" may not be an issue...not sure.
But, as you can see from how they work, a variable or sloppy slide fit, different length trigger bow, etc. They have/had different levers that raise the "height" of the lift. Some of the custom work "pictures" on the net, show the smith bending(altering) the lever.

My Colt "probably" was at the "minimal" timing with a sloppy slide/frame fit and "got" worse over many rounds.

Just some thoughts.

[wetidlerjr]

Whats wrong with the 80 ?

...Nothing.

[OD#3]

I'm not sure I agree with that. I started having problems around the 20,000 mark...I believe.

I'm glad you chimed in on this. You're the first person I've encountered who had his series 80 system wear out vs. its being defective from the get-go. And yes, it does make sense to me that any part can eventually wear to the point of malfunction. But the amount of wear those parts are subject to vs. what the rest of the major components have to endure always suggested to me that most people would have had to replace major components long before the series 80 system wore enough to become defective. And the lack of "hey my series 80 system finally wore out, broke, etc." threads reinforced my opinion.

But I hasten to admit that 20,000 rounds probably represents my total round count divided among all the many different types of rifles and pistols I've owned; I couldn't afford to put that many through just one Colt like you did. So I'll have to defer to your experience on this one.

[auto45]

the series 80 system wore enough to become defective

It's very possible that mine was on the "edge" of improper timing when I bought it, not sure. If properly done from the beginning, I don't know what "wear" would occur with higher round counts. You wouldn't think much...but!

I like the series 80, but there are more "parts" and they must be timed/fit properly.

Overall, I don't think or get the impression there are many higher round count series 80's around, at least with the parts still installed. Just a feeling. :)

[OD#3]

Just out of curiosity, when your series 80 system began to fail, did you discover it through damage to the firing pin or plunger? Or did the pistol just suddenly begin malfunctioning?

[auto45]

Mine started to have light "hits" on the primer. It didn't happen often and originally thought it was my "reloading skills".

Kept shooting it until the plunger was battered enough to lock the FP forward. ;)

I know what to look for now, so it can be caught early. And the "fix" was a higher rise lever by the way. So, it was beyond just replacing existing Colt parts.