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Thread: Colt 1911C Series 70 Dust Cover Anomaly

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  1. #1
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    Colt 1911C Series 70 Dust Cover Anomaly

    Hey all!

    I recently purchased a new Colt 1911C Series 70. Love the gun, and it shot fine at the range thus far. I took it apart to clean it, and noticed a couple anomalies with the dust cover.

    The first being that there is a unique pattern etched into the bottom of the dust cover, almost as if the spring sort of left a pattern engraved into it.

    The second being that one side of the dust cover is significantly thinner than the other.

    Just wondering if anyone has seen this before, and if it's something I should be concerned with. There is a bit of a side to side wiggle in the slide, maybe because of the thin dust cover? Either way, any advice or info is greatly appreciated!
    IMG_1824.jpgIMG_1825.jpgIMG_1826.jpg

  2. #2
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    Is this recent production, or could the pistol have been new-old-stock? (Meaning on a dealer's shelf for awhile.)

    I ask because several years ago, before Colt switched to doing most of the machining on CNC machines, there were numerous instances of the recoil spring tunnel in the slide baing machined of center. If I remember correctly, in those cases Colt replaced the slide. Now you have a similar problem with the frame. To me it's not acceptable, and I would advise you to contact Colt customer service and ask them to correct it (which will probably mean either replacing your pistol with a new one, or swapping all your parts onto a new receiver).
    Hawkmoon
    On a good day, can hit the broad side of a barn ... from the inside

  3. #3
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    I would contact Colt and sent them that picture.
    It looks like poor machine work

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the advice & info! Sounds like I should contact Colt next week after the holiday weekend. The ironic thing about all this is that I bought a Colt because I heard nothing but good things about their quality, but I also have a Tisas 1911A1, and even that little $300 shooter is more symmetrical than the Colt.

  5. #5
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    I also think that unevenness of the dust cover walls is unacceptable.

    The pattern inside the dust cover is too coarse to have been caused by a typical recoil spring. The coils are much closer together than that.

    Lateral movement of the slide is controlled by the slide rail to frame rail fit. Ideally, the slide should not touch the dust cover. It's not unusual for the slide to rub against the dust cover though.

    -

  6. #6
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    The marks left during the hole making operation by worn out or misground tooling pushed too hard. The taper in the dust cover from misaligned fixtures or an unstraightened forging. Also possibly too much pressure generated by worn/misground tooling shifting the forging in the fixture.

    I've read descriptions of the forging operations at Colt. One of the last steps was a hit to align the forging but Colt possibly started skipping that step to increase production.
    Last edited by Doran; 4th July 2020 at 02:49.


  7. #7
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    The etched pattern (it won't go away with a degreaser?) wouldn't be a problem for me, but the difference in wall thickness would be a deal-breaker.

    It looks like the right wall (thicker) also has inconsistent thickness, front-to-rear.

    That said, this should not account for the side-to-side wiggle you mentioned, in the slide-to-frame fit. The two parts shouldn't be in contact in that area.

    Colt has a serial number lookup page in their website. Try it, and if your gun is recent production, I'd say they should make it right for you.
    Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
    M. Setter

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by thetonyque View Post
    Thanks for the advice & info! Sounds like I should contact Colt next week after the holiday weekend. The ironic thing about all this is that I bought a Colt because I heard nothing but good things about their quality, but I also have a Tisas 1911A1, and even that little $300 shooter is more symmetrical than the Colt.
    I own more Colts than any other brand. But sometimes their quaility slips.
    We recently have seen guns coming out of the factory with poorly fitted thumb safeties

  9. #9
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    I saw a couple of frames like that about 10 years ago.
    "Sights are for the unenlightened."

    Rick

    IDPA Certified Safety Officer

  10. #10
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    I tried to degrease and clean the dust cover thoroughly, and it will not come off. If you run your finger down the pattern, it is actually grooved, so something definitely etched into it during production. I also have done a lot of research and have seen other 1911s with similar issues, but mine seems to be a bit extreme.

    I tried looking up the serial number, but it comes up with nothing on that page. If I search the number, the only 1911 it shows is one made in 1912, which obviously mine was not, so not sure what's up there, or if they have a different system for managing the new series serial numbers.

    Again, I really appreciate all the input guys! Seems like it's something that should be covered with Colt, but we'll see!

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