By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
Not long ago among as a group of like-minded friends were conversing over a shooting bench the conversation turned to Colt 1911 handguns.
One of the guys commented that his Colt 1991A1 was a “pretty accurate” piece.
He wondered what the pistol would shoot like with a .200 cross pin and a barrel bushing with only .001-inch clearance rather than .003. I felt like it would shoot better, and that this man was a good enough shot to tell the difference. Another fellow said, “The new Colts are the best ever manufactured.” Yet, another felt the Colt Series 70 deserves the title.
Today Colt has a great deal of competition in the 1911 arena. There are imports, quality handguns from Springfield, Dan Wesson and Kimber, and superlative custom handguns from Wilson Combat, Nighthawk Custom, and a few others. But some of us appreciate the Colt and its historical appeal.
I have written three books on the 1911. I began a fascination with handguns by checking books out by a very good writer, C B Colby. They were in my elementary school library. He wrote on a level I understood and he wrote many books for young people. As a teenager, I was immersed in the writings of Jeff Cooper, much as CB Colby had led the way to the world of firearms to an interested elementary school student, Cooper was the graduate exam.
I obtained my first 1911 .45 when still a teen. Of course it was a Colt. The only other choice would have been Spanish ironmongery or a parts gun. While hard won with plenty of work the $134.95 paid for this brand new Colt was well spent. Today, a new Colt 1911 is just less or just more than $1,000 and also money well spent.
There are other, more expensive Colts, but the Colt Government Model is a pistol that will last a lifetime or until you need a more advanced firearm. For personal defense, a properly maintained Colt 1911 is all you will need and may be counted on to do go many thousands of rounds without a problem. With that in mind I took a couple of pieces of trading stock a few hundred dollar bills and obtained a new Colt Stainless Government Model. It was the first new Colt 1911 I have purchased in some time.
My impression has been that the stainless pistols are fitted slightly more tightly and generally have a better level of accuracy. This isn’t something I would testify to in court but I would bet on it in Las Vegas.
The finish is nicely done with an even polish. Stainless steel makes a lot of sense in a service pistol and a handgun to be carried in all conditions including in concealed carry close to the body. I remember a time when stainless steel handguns were difficult to come by and considerably more expensive than blue steel models. Today there is little difference in price.
The grips are nicely checkered wood stocks, offering a good balance of adhesion and abrasion. The sights are a high visibility fixed type, and they are much superior to GI sights but they are not Novak-type sights.
The slide lock safety is crisp in operation, while the magazine latch operates in a positive manner. The grip safety properly releases its hold on the trigger about midway into compression. This is a pistol to be fired, trained with, and to save your life, not something to live in a safe. It has the Colt pony on the slide. The rear sight might be used to rack the slide if hooked on a belt. I am not aware of such a tactical use in action but some find this important. It is possible you may need to drop the slide after a one hand reload. The tactical is more important than the technical and this pistol is long on tactical.
The .45 was given a good going over and inspection after being field stripped. The flats of the slide are well polished and there are no tool marks to be found and the slide and frame fit well together. The feed ramp is smooth and extraction tension and ejector height correct. Also, the 1/32-inch gap between the two sections of the feed ramp necessary for good feeding are spot on. The barrel bushing is snug but not so tight a tool is needed for disassembly, while the stainless steel barrel measures out at .580 at the muzzle and .573 for the rest of the barrel. The barrel bushing has .003-inch clearance. A tighter bushing may produce greater accuracy for the shooter who recognizes the need.
This pistol uses a standard recoil spring plug, recoil spring, and guide without a full-length recoil spring guide complicating matters. My pistol was supplied with one Colt magazine, so I added a couple of the superbly rugged and reliable 1911 magazines from Wilson Combat. These eight shot magazines are designed for feed and cycle reliability and are among the best service magazines in the world.
I lubricated the pistol’s long bearing surfaces before test firing the Colt. The cocking block, slide rails, barrel hood and muzzle near the barrel bushing were all lubricated.
Some 1911 handguns demand a modest break in period. This pistol came out of the box ready for action. Most of the practice loads were expended in rapid presentation from concealed carry, quickly bringing the pistol to bear on man-sized targets.
While long-range accuracy is comforting, fast, reactive fire that centers the X ring is more important. Recoil is modest in this size and weight of pistol. A low bore axis results in little leverage for muzzle flip. The pistol is controllable in fast double taps, controlled pairs, and hammers.
Most of the practice ammunition has been the clean burning and accurate Remington 230-grain FMJ.
The 1911 has been modified and, according to some, improved. Target grade features such as adjustable sights and target style adjustable triggers have crept into defensive handguns, so today’s Colt Government Model is a first class defensive handgun.
The Colt 1911 is a credible choice for anyone needing a service pistol, personal defense, home defense, or outdoors handgun. While this pistol is fine as issued, there are numerous upgrades available.
Is this the best Colt every made? For my money modern manufacturing has given us the finest Colt Government Model yet.
Accuracy
Firing from a solid bench rest for accuracy I selected four loads. The results show this pistol is accurate enough for any conceivable defense use.
Load Velocity 5 shot group 25 yards
Rem. 230 gr. FMJ 840 fps 3.0 inch
Speer Gold Dot 230 gr. 818 fps 2.45 inch
Rem. Golden Saber 230 gr. 860 fps 2.15 inch
Black Hills 230 gr. FMJ 850 fps 2.4 inch
I carried the pistol in two first class holsters depending on the choice of covering garment. The Bullard Leather Bodyguard offers good concealment under a windbreaker. The angle offers good concealment even with a large handgun; just practice the draw.
I also use a Bullard Leather inside the waistband holster. This holster is nicely made with double stitching where needed and a strong belt clip. I am able to conceal the Colt beneath a pulled sport shirt with this one. The Colt is a lot of gun and the Bullard Leather holsters go a long way in comfortable concealed carry.
