Just got my LW Commander back from COLT!

[99999]

Had the Model O package performed, and a complete dehorning, had a little surprise in there too. I will provide a full detailed report as soon as I am done working, and will provide pics of the work done to the XSE. Can't wait to show it to you all, but this is just a teaser till later tonight.

[txrick55]

c'mon..it's dark already..now's good.

[99999]

OK. so here she is. This is following a couple of things. First, my Colt was one of the ones affected by the "off center spring tube" issue. it wasn't terrible, but i asked them to address it. Also, I had them perform the Model O package that added the upswept grip safety and a full dehorning of the pistol.

Here are the results and what they sent me. (I had not fired a single shot from this gun before sending it in for these adjustments.)

My first impressions are as follows:

1) The gun looks GREAT! it is one of the Talo Ghost series, and I think it really looks sharp, especially after the Model O package.

2) The gun feels a bit looser than it did before, but that is subjective, and I really don't know if it is or not. It is probably normal, but certainly not as tight as my Ed Brown's or Nighthawks, but I don't expect it to be.

3) At first glance, I thought they dropped the gun and chipped the edge of the slide (as you can see in the first picture), but as it turns out, those shavings are just part of how they do the dehorning to the firearm. after I got used to it, i started to like the rugged look that it has.

4) They said that they "Repaired" my slide, but I can tell from before and after pics of the gun, that the slide was actually replaced with a new one. This doesn't bother me at all, accept that my perception is that it may be looser now. Does it not matter on Colt's if slides change? are they all just factory interchangeable? or is there some fitting that they do to make them work? Also the barrel bushing is a pretty loose fit, and actually pulls just enough away from the slide when the slide is forward that you can see just a peek of daylight between the bushing and the slide, and loose enough that if you rotate it to the right position, it will pretty much just fall out of the gun if not held on by the force of the spring. This somewhat bothers me, but again, I am not sure if it isn't normal or not, and I don't know for sure that it wasn't like that before I sent it in. Thoughts on this?

5) They hand wrote that they "Re-Cut the 'J' Cut at breech to correct the fail to feed". this bothers me somewhat in that I had never even shot this gun and they found that it couldn't feed (probably factory ball ammo as well). However, maybe this was with the new slide that didn't work, and the original would have been fine if I had just kept my mouth shut. I also have no idea what a "J" cut at breech is or why they recut it, so if somone could answer that, that would be great. It is however, comforting that they discovered this why testing at Colt, and did what was necessary to fix it.

6) The Dehorning is really fantastic, they did all of the slide, and the frame, and refinished the frame. looks and feels great. All of their LW Commanders really should just come this way in the first place, even if they needed to up the cost.

Below are the pics per my descriptions above. let me know what you all think, and if you have any answers to my various questions, thank you in advance. I would also say that Colt was very good to work with and answered my questions every time I called. I have full confidence in them taking care of any issues that I may have.


http://www.jsbowen.com/guns/ghost/ghost1.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/guns/ghost/ghost2.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/guns/ghost/ghost3.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/guns/ghost/ghost4.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/guns/ghost/ghost5.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/guns/ghost/ghost6.jpg

[99999]

Here is a pic of the loose bushing and the gap it produces, again, not sure if this is normal or a problem or not. I am really only used to the semi-customs.

http://www.jsbowen.com/GUNS/ghost/ghost7.jpg

[paul45]

Here is a pic of the loose bushing and the gap it produces, again, not sure if this is normal or a problem or not. I am really only used to the semi-customs.



Can you try that pic again with some light and some focus? ;)

[99999]

OK. Here are better pictures of the bushing and how it sits if the gun is resting. For some reason I am concerned about this and that it may cause excessive wear on the barrel and slide over time, but I am no expert.

First picture you will see that if i take the tention off of the spring, it sits flat. I assume it is like that while cycling as well.

Second pic is the gun resting, the third pic outlines where you can look to notice how much of an angle the bushing is really sitting at as it is loose enough to be pushed out on the bottom by the spring. Again, just looking for professional thoughts here. this could be totally within spec for a Colt, so I am not complaining, just noticing, and want to know if I should do anything about this. I am not even sure if Colt bushings are fitted at all or anything, maybe I can just order a Colt bushing spare part and just put it on there and it will fit better. any ideas?

These pictures also show how clean the dehorning is on the frame/dust cover. very nicely done.

http://www.jsbowen.com/GUNS/ghost/bushing1.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/GUNS/ghost/bushing2.jpg
http://www.jsbowen.com/GUNS/ghost/bushing3.jpg

[paul45]

I certainly am no expert...but the bushing should be a snug fit, inside diameter against barrel, and outside diameter mated with slide.

[Rick McC.]

I don't know if I'd go through the return thing again. I'm still waiting on getting a pistol back from Colt for warranty work, and the last discussion with a lady there seemed to be that it would take two weeks to put my pistol back together, test fire it, and pack it for return shipping (??), so it probably won't be back by their own "need by" date.

Sorry about that. Anyway, if it was my pistol; I'd get the slide dimensions (diameter of the hole in the end that the bushing fits into), the OD of the barrel, and call George at EGW and have one of their custom bushings made to fit, and be done with it.

Good luck,

Rick

[99999]

My only concern at this point is the bushing fit, and that is only if is capable of causing any problems. I spoke with our favorite guy Brent over at Colt today and they are going to take another quick look at it and fix the bushing fitting if required. After that call, I got a follow up from Kara setting up the delivery and making sure I knew they were going to work to get this taken care of right away.

If it turns out this isn't an issue, then I apologize to Colt, for being one of those civilian guys that spends too much time worrying about the little things with a combat firearm. If they fix it and it comes back a bit tighter, then great. Either way the firearm looks and feels better than ever, and I could not be happier with the fitting and feel of the grip safety or the dehorning job. The gun truly looks stunning, and I can't wait to get my other one back.

It is also unexpected to hear that they replaced a lot of stuff on the gun the first time to make sure that it would function correctly when it got back to me, and in the end, that is the most important thing by far. It is also comforting to just be able to call into Colt and talk to their guys.

By the time I spoke to Brent, he had already checked out this forum and saw all of my posts and pictures on the issue, so he was very informed on what I was asking about, and very willing to help. And remember, the gun could be within spec already, they are agreeing to check it out for me one more time, simply because I am concerned about it, and they obviously want to do what it takes to make me a happy Colt owner.

I also found it refreshing that they guys that run product support down there stay up to date with what we are all saying on these forums. It does pain me that they have to see the bad side of the forum as well, but at least they are keeping up with us in there spare time. Even though they have time to read some of this stuff, I certainly doubt they have the time or resources to participate in it, so the posts out here will generally be just one-sided, and Colt doesn't get that shot at stating their case on any of these issues.

When speaking to my local FFL dealer here, he told me that he hates dealing with the private civilian guys because they will just waste his time with all the questions and pestering, only to eventually buy one or two guns, and then continue to take up his resources. says just dealing with that market would put him out of business, so most of his work is with LEO agencies. The semi custom guys who charge two to three times as much as Colt does build in that cost of dealing with guys like us, as that is their primary market. It has to be difficult for Colt to compete with those artificial standards, and I appreciate that they are as willing as they are to provide great customer service to those of us who (believe we may) need it. =)

I want Brent and all of Colt to know that we support them and their efforts to continue to succeed in all that they do.

[saltydog]

If they succed, or not, is pretty much up to them. Their choice.

salty

[moxie1]

Sounds like they've gone the extra mile for you and then some. Kudos to Colt. Fire it and see whether it in fact works OK. If not, I'm sure Colt will take care of it based on their performance to date.

[txrick55]

My hat is off to Colt!!!
Taking the time to become informed of the opinions ( both good & bad) expressed on this forum is a measure above most others in the business. I am pleasantly suprised, and it is so good to hear they have taken your concerns seriously, customer service at it's best !!!
I also appreciate your candor in expressing your concerns, a truly unbiased account of what actually transpired, a tip of my hat to you both !!
Thanks for sharing.
Rick

[Deadman]

that's a pretty lame comment from your FFL.

not sure I'd deal with him after that.

[Rio Vista Slim]

When speaking to my local FFL dealer here, he told me that he hates dealing with the private civilian guys because they will just waste his time with all the questions and pestering, only to eventually buy one or two guns, and then continue to take up his resources. says just dealing with that market would put him out of business, so most of his work is with LEO agencies.

that's a pretty lame comment from your FFL.

not sure I'd deal with him after that.
I'm with Deadman on this one!
Sounds as if that FFL deserves to go out of business.

[99999]

that's a pretty lame comment from your FFL.

not sure I'd deal with him after that.

I understand and respect your opinions on this, but I am a small business guy, as well as my FFL is. He doesn't even advertise to the general public, outside of showing up at gun shows, he does most of his stuff either on the internet or direct to different agencies. a really great guy. Even has a consecutive pair of NIB Colt 1911's from the 40's. I am really looking at those. he keeps a great inventory of HK, Sig, Colt, and a few others. fun to check out.

His point wasn't meant to degrade or insult any of us gun enthusiasts, it was just to point out that generally, that he has to spend a LOT more time with those guys having them look at guns over and over, and answers loads of questions for them before a sale. Outside of a gunshow, he just doesn't have the time for it, as he is so busy making regular sales. He is great to deal with and a very quick guy to help out especially if you know exactly what you want, he will go out and find it for you.

I understood and appreciated his candor. I own a technology company that caters to businesses. Even though I love helping people out, I cringe when users want help on their personal systems at home, because it takes so much longer to help them out, and they want to pay as little as possible. If I had to only help individuals at home, i would find another line of work. but in the business setting, I LOVE what I do, and I have fantastic relationships with my customers. I think his comments were merely relating the same story.

When your time almost literally equals your money, this sort of stuff counts, and it makes sense. I do my best to not needlessly waste his time, and in return i get fantastic service. Although I try to do that in all aspects of dealing with other small business guys. =)

In a lot of ways, this is probably the friction/dilemma that Colt is discovering while trying to figure out the best and most efficient ways of improving and really changing their customer service routines to incorporate what is important to all of us individuals. Chances are their customer services was already more than adequate to the larger business markets out there. But we out here are a whole different animal. An example of this is that they prefer to communicate via mail, not telephone or email. This is probably because that is what worked best for the vast majority of their customers. but that seems totally backwards to us individuals out here. Again, easier for the smaller custom shops who charge a lot more money to dedicate resources to chat with us on the phone or email than it is for Colt.

Obviously anyone who makes their living selling one gun at a time, will have a completely different model and target market than the big players do. When the big players try to accommodate us anyway, you have to applaud that effort. I really respect Colt's acknowledgment of that fact by trying to make adjustments that we would like to see. I also understand that will take time and cost them money. So from that sense, they deserve our patience and respect.

[Deadman]

there is no need to defend your dealer to me. he has a right to his attitude and opinions.
if dealing with civilians who ask lot's of questions and take up his time, only to buy one or two guns bothers him and wastes his time, perhaps he should only do large quantity " agency sales ".

as a consumer, I value customer service. people who feel they are doing me a favor by dealing with me do not get my money.
I have a large volume dealer where I live. great selection, best price in town.
they also unfortunately have the least qualified sales staff, and are rude to customers who are not gun people. among other things.

I choose to pay slightly more, at a smaller shop that takes the time to treat me as I would treat any customer that I wanted to return.
I " vote " if you will with my dollars.

unfortunately for your FFL, questions and looking at product whatever that is, is required by customers who wish to make informed decisions.
it is a cost of doing business.
if he feels that cost is too high for a limited amount of return, well best of luck to him. the market sorts things like that out eventually.

[sami darac]

I am agreeing with bro deadman too.
I have to ask, you said you had a Ed Brown, and a Nighthawk, I believe and a couple of other high end pistols. Did you ever shoot any of those guns?
Why do you buy guns? Why do you only buy the most expensive guns?

When your time almost literally equals your money, this sort of stuff counts, and it makes sense. I do my best to not needlessly waste his time, and in return i get fantastic service.

I say come to me, bro i will get you anything you want, and you don't have to talk to me at all. I will come to your house and bring the gun to you for the money you are used to paying. (You can't really come to me Im not in US)

I only buy the good guns, maybe not the most expensive. I buy Philippine Island guns. They are the best shooters for you. They are made on Colt machines, in spec to the Colt 1911's. If you don't like the bushing to rattle bro, get a Armscor pistol. I cannot even get the bushing off without wiggling it hard. You don't know, but that fit between the barrel and the bushing is what makes your Colt shoot straight, bro.
I also know something else, they have many slides already dehorned just waiting for the owners to send their pistols in for the custom work.
They can just swap them out and send it back to you with minimal turnover. The drawback is you sent in a virgin pistols and got back an unknown shooter.
Not that it has been shot out, but there are sights that might not be on target, and I noticed your extractor is clocked a small amount, which is indicative of the fit of the firing pin stop and the extractor. Your original slide may have had a stellar fit, and as such the parts went to the next customer to get their work done.
I am reminded of a time when I had a Chinese air compressor that started loosing air, and would not come up to the PSI needed to trip the regulator.
I brought it back where I got it, and they swapped it out. The new compressor is so tight it has a hard time starting on the power in my shop. The old one worked great.
I realized later, the drain on the bottom was open a hair, and was letting the air escape before it could build up pressure, you know bro.
I wish I had the old one back, and i would tighten the valve. Now I have a compressor that pulls so many amps that it blows the fuse.
Dont you shoot your guns bro? You should shoot every month, get a friend or two and start going together. it is good sport.
Don't just buy guns like gold for investment, shoot them.


Good shooting, sami

[99999]

Thank you all for your comments, everyone has really good points here. And no, I don't shoot as much as I want to, I am more of a collector really. I am having a very hard time getting to the range since winter has lasted far too long up here, and the only really good indoor range is about 75 miles away from me.

And yes, I figure if I am going to buy guns, they may as well be the best ones. I have some semi-customs, and a bunch of HK's. Now I need to work on my skills! =)

[99999]

I noticed your extractor is clocked a small amount, which is indicative of the fit of the firing pin stop and the extractor.


Guys, can you point out to me where you are seeing this in my pictures I posted, and also explain what you mean? I am a novice with the inner workings of the 1911.

[DuckRyder]

Guys, can you point out to me where you are seeing this in my pictures I posted, and also explain what you mean? I am a novice with the inner workings of the 1911.

The second picture in post 3 showing the rear of the slide. The extractor (round thing in the back of the slide) appears that it might be turned/rotated (clocked) slightly in its bore.

I say "might be" because it could only be that that surface is not cut properly.

Brent will take care of you on the bushing, there is a chance the problem is the bushing, and a chance that it is the slide. If you have another 1911 then you can test it by swapping the bushing. You can use a Government bushing to test but DO NOT try to fire (or fully cycle) it because the Government bushing will hit the barrel.

[sami darac]

999999,
Hey bro, I was just kidding before. I looked at your picture again and what I thought was clocking on the extractor was the de-horning. When they broke the edge on the extractor, it was off the kilter. So, I recall that diagnosis.

DR. Sami signing off.

[99999]

Thank you very much sir. Makes me feel better. Doesn't matter too much as I got the prepaid Fedex sticker from Colt today, so it will be heading to them tomorrow and they can give it another look. =) No worries, Colt will make sure this pistol works. Was just looking at a nice pair of steel commanders today as well...