Should I buy 1918 repro?

[barrow]

New 1918 repro in gunshop. They offered it to me for $1050 out the door.

Colt's website is still sayin there was only a 4000 piece run. Can anyone confirm there were more made?

[barrow]

Oh, I believe I got my answer. Must have been a 4000 run on O1911s and then a run of 4000 O1918s. I think I'll go get it.

[paul45]

Seems fair, but check it out carefully for classic Colt anomalies!

[nebcitypete]

What are the "classic" Colt anomalies. I have a pair of Colt 1911s, but as a new member, I'm behind the curve.
Thanks

[Hawkmoon]

Some of the WW1 reproductions have come with the recoil spring tunnel bored off-center in the slide. Others have come with incorrect triggers or incorrect grips.

[Ecrevisse]

"Should I buy 1918 repro? "
Yes

[Don P]

Some of the WW1 reproductions have come with the recoil spring tunnel bored off-center in the slide. Others have come with incorrect triggers or incorrect grips.
I looked at a pair of 'em side by side at a shop, 5 #s apart in serial, and they had different triggers. I think it was done during the recall. Make sure that the recall work was performed on the one you're looking at, if it falls in the S/N range - 1001 WWI thru 3431 WWI. If the work's been done, and it's up to snuff, by all means go for it!! I love mine,(above mentioned /w correct trigger.)and I'm sure you will too!

[barrow]

I bought it. Serial number is 3095. I've looked at it pretty close and it looks flawless. The trigger is steel, medium length, smooth. It's not quite as long as a long Cylinder and Slide trigger. Is that correct?

What was the reason for the recall?

[barrow]

Oh yeah, thumb safety must not be up to snuff. How would I know if its been done? I didn't see any indication.

I could just replace it with a good aftermarket one myself. If I actually 'use' this gun, I'll "ruin" it anyway: probaly change the firing pin, sear, disconnector, firing pin stop, extractor, mag catch, change the springs, ejector and maybe lower the port. :eek:

[paul45]

Why would you change all those parts? No big deal, just curious.....

[Wolfpuppies3]

listed I would purchase a different 1911. I've never had that need with my Kimbers, Ed Brown or Colts.

[Don P]

I bought it. Serial number is 3095. I've looked at it pretty close and it looks flawless. The trigger is steel, medium length, smooth. It's not quite as long as a long Cylinder and Slide trigger. Is that correct?

What was the reason for the recall?
There was a possible problem with the thumb safety. Check out the sticky thread on the Colt forum page for details. There's a place on Colt's website where you can type in your S/N and they will confirm whether or not the recall work was done on your pistol.Go to Colt's site and click on CUSTOMERS. At bottom of list on the next page click on RECALL REQUEST. Next page type in complete S/N with no spaces, and the info on your pistol should come up. Congrats on your new Colt! :D

[mherzog]

Oh yeah, thumb safety must not be up to snuff. How would I know if its been done? I didn't see any indication.

I could just replace it with a good aftermarket one myself. If I actually 'use' this gun, I'll "ruin" it anyway: probaly change the firing pin, sear, disconnector, firing pin stop, extractor, mag catch, change the springs, ejector and maybe lower the port. :eek:

If you just want to, OK.... But why would you? The sear, disconnector, mag catch & mag catch lock I could see - but why all the others? They're all good, solid Colt parts with no issues.

[barrow]

Thanks Don P. The work apparently hasn't been done on mine. They say that they mark the slide on the right side under the extractor when its completed.

According to the recall notice, it says because the part is improper hardness, it could 'bend' if the gun was dropped or 'wear prematurely'. That sounds like the part is too soft instead of too hard. If too hard, it would be more likely to break. I may not worry about it.

[barrow]

For those curious about why I would change those parts, I never said that they needed to be changed, just that I would. I did all this to my S70 that I bought last year, so I'm not just blowing smoke. Here are my reasons:

The sear, disconnect, mag catch and lock are MIM. If I had to trust anyone's MIM parts, it would be Colt's, but I just felt better after I put 'em in a drawer. In my 70 repro, I replaced the sear with a Nowlin, the disconnect with a Nighthawk Custom, and the mag catch with maybe EGW, I forget.

Firing pin- original is titanium and too short, IMO. Clylinder and Slide makes a steel one that is ordinance length. (When hammer rests on pin, the nose is closer to the breechface)

Extractor- Series 80 one-size-fits-all-we'll-sell-em-anyway and unknown composition (to me). Clylinder and Slide makes an extractor that they claim is original ordinance steel. The hook and pad is way oversize and needs much fitting, but when it's done makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Firing pin stop- another series 80 leftover. Most likely would be fine but I like a small radius plus the tighter fit of an EGW.

Ejector- I couldn't get my S70 to run right with a GI part. It dribbled cases on my toes and bounced them off the top of my head. It would stovepipe if held really limp or really stiff. I replaced it with a Nighthawk Custom extended ejector and really liked the result.

Ejection Port- I really hate to screw with this, but with an extended ejector the GI port won't allow a live round of hardball exit; plus it dents cases like a sledgehammer. On the S70, I opened it just enough to address these two issues.

Springs- I'm used to using a 16 pound recoil spring and would put a new Wolff in just to know what I had and that I could duplicate it when it got tired. I like a 25 or 28 pound mainspring when set up like I've described. And of course I change the firing pin spring since the original was meant to work with a titanium.

Other things that I did to my S70 as follows: the barrel link pin would fall out if held sideways, as would the hammer strut pin. I staked those.

I thought that the barrel link was too long. I replaced it with a Wilson #3 so that the barrel, if held up at the chamber end while pushed back to the stop surface, would be pulled down to the bed; but yet if pressed against a wall to the stop surface, the slidestop pin would swing free. This did not change the lug engagement.

These things just made me feel nice, and I really enjoy tinkering with my guns. I already have a couple 'working guns' (the S70 is one of them) so I don't intend to do anything but look at this one for a while. ;)

[Don P]

Thanks Don P. The work apparently hasn't been done on mine. They say that they mark the slide on the right side under the extractor when its completed.



Glad to help. Did you type in your serial number? The mark isn't on mine either, but when I typed in the S/N, it shows that the work was done. Possibly they quit marking slides? BTW, I don't have any problem just looking at my O1918. It sure is pretty, ain't it? You couldn't pay me to tinker with it. Many others available that deserve tinkering!
P.S. Hope you don't mind, but I typed in your S/N, and it says yours needs to be done. Contact Colt on that recall request page, and they'll send you a free shipping tag to ship your gun in for the recall repair.

[dakota1911]

Still have mine and it is great.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e193/dakota1911/ww1_repro1r.jpg

Have had a couple others and sold them to good friends, but you have to admit this would be the basis for a great build at around $1K. Cheaper and even maybe better than buying all the parts from Caspian, etc. You start with a great pistol that works great.

[Don P]

Still have mine and it is great.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e193/dakota1911/ww1_repro1r.jpg

Have had a couple others and sold them to good friends, but you have to admit this would be the basis for a great build at around $1K. Cheaper and even maybe better than buying all the parts from Caspian, etc. You start with a great pistol that works great.

:nono: Sorry, gotta disagree on this one. I think an O1991 would be better. Same basic look, and not a limited edition (Production of the O1918 is over. It was a run of 4000 pieces- whats out there is it). Not to mention, an O1991 sells for about $200 less. $200 I can spend on parts so I can tinker to my heart's content. :eb:

[barrow]

"Sorry, gotta disagree on this one. I think an O1991 would be better."

I was steering away from the 80 series.

[Don P]

A 70 series repro then. Last I heard still in production.

[smokey]

Barrow, this is the classic "looking for trouble". If it ain't broke don't "fix" it. Why would anyone buy a reproduction and then change all the parts?I will trade you series 70 parts for your new 01911 or 01918 parts anytime you're ready. Regards,Nick

[clughog]

There are still O1918 models out there even if Colt has finished its production run. Very nice 1911 pistol. I'm slightly partial to the 1911A1 like the Series 70 Reproduction, but it's purely a matter of preference. :)