Need Colt Advice!!!!

[ncjeepin]

The colt bug is biting hard again and, I am looking to buy a commander. Preferably the lightweight commander. I would like to have on it, the high beavertail grip, night sights, and will be refinished in a polymer coating. Should I buy the basic 1991 commander or the XSE? And any opinions on the combat commander vs. the lw commander is welcomed as well.

[daveohno]

The lightweight Commander is nice for carry because of the reduced weight. If you plan on shooting this pistol in excess of 20,000 rounds, I would buy a steel framed Commander.

[Hunter]

I would go with the steel receiver.

[roach4047]

That Colt bug is one mean mama Jamma. It got me too. I need one baaadddd. :eb:

Roach

[d90king]

I would go with a base Commander if I was going to build on it. The XSE has the front serrations and they can be murder on a holster. If you are going to have it refinished I would also do a good dehorn job too.

[Landman]

Personally, I don't care for the XSE models so I would go with the all steel basic Combat Commander. I would also recommend that you shoot it quite a bit before you send it off for all that work. You might find that you like it just like it is :)

[Oldjarhead]

I agree with Landman. I have an all Stainless Steel 1991A1, I bought last July. Five pound trigger pull, accurate and reliable right out of the box. No jams, or FTF or FTRB. I like the tradtional look also. I think night sights and a beavertail addition would not hurt. I was however taken aback, by your wanting to put a "polymer" coating on a 1911. To each his own, but to me that is not for a 1911 ever.

[ncjeepin]

what i mean by the polymer coating is something like NP3 or something what wilson combat or nighthawk is doing to their pistols. I am going to carry this gun so I want the finish more durable than blue and I am not into the bling of stainless or chrome.

A lot of you guys are going with the steel commander over the lw commander, why?

[para38super]

I honestly prefer the XSE governemnt model over the 1991 government model because of the extras it has. But since it's a commander size pistol I would go with the 1991 since it has no front serations. About the finish I read earlier on nighthawk page and I got quite curious about it as well, it's suppose to be more durable than blue. I also prefer the steel commander over the alloy commander because I believe it's more durable.

[gfavaron]

Steel vs alloy? It depends on the proposed use. For range use, I truly enjoy my all steel 1980 Colt Combat Commander. But, it is a burden to carry. For that I much prefer my 1952 Colt LW Commander. How long will a LW last? I truly don't know, but mine is nearly 60 years old. There must be a message in that somewhere. Oh yeah, that's it in a Milt Sparks Summer Special IWB holster in my logo above.

[DV52]

Mine is all steel,lives in a Don Hume iwb,never know it's there.

[ncjeepin]

I honestly prefer the XSE governemnt model over the 1991 government model because of the extras it has. But since it's a commander size pistol I would go with the 1991 since it has no front serations.

Are you saying that because you dont like front serrations cosmetically or for some other reason?

[para38super]

Are you saying that because you dont like front serrations cosmetically or for some other reason?
It's just a matter of prefrence, I dont like the serrations on commanders. But the XSE has more features. I have a XSE for special ocations and range time. But plan on buying a 1991 commander for my every day carry. Currently carrying the XSE and have no complaints.

[daveohno]

A lot of you guys are going with the steel commander over the lw commander, why?

For carry, I'd take the lightweight in a hot second. For a range, a gun I shoot at matches, I'd buy a steel frame. The steel frame will hold up to the beating 30 or 40 thousand rounds will put on it.

[Rich-D]

For carry I prefer the L/W, which for me it makes a huge difference in carry comfort. When I bought my first L/W Para LTC, I was so concerned by the posts, that I wrote Para. I received a response from one of Para's gunsmith's, stating that all L/W frame model's were tested to 25,000 rounds without failure.

I have since bought Colt and Springer L/W alloy framed self defense guns with the comforting knowledge that L/W frames are durable over the long haul.


Rich

[EchoBravoKilo]

Well, since you'll ultimately end up with more than one Commander (can anybody only buy one?) you may want to think in terms of which to buy first...

If I were to buy a new one, I'd get the basic blue. If you want to add the b/t and other stuff, it will be fine. As for finish, you may want to look into Ion BOnd DLC - it seems to get great reviews as both durable and attractive.

I don't carry, but do have both all steel and L/w Commanders. I love them both. There is a noticeable weight difference. I guess it depends on how much you'll shoot (how long will it take you to go through 30,000+ rounds) versus how much carry.

Good luck!