By Jim Dickson | Contributing Writer
If you want eye candy, Colt’s Model 1911 Classic wearing a Royal Blue finish is exactly what you’re looking for.
I received the pistol from Colt and it came with a National Match barrel, which also sported a mirror bright bore, something not every modern gun barrel has. From the time I first picked it up at Reeves Ace Hardware in Clayton, Georgia, everyone’s reaction to it has been that it is a beautiful gun. It proudly bears the mark COLT CUSTOM on the slide and it sure shows it.
This rendition of the classic Model 1911 wears an extremely fine mirror finish with a black bluing job while the flawless trigger pull breaks clean at exactly 5 pounds as measured by a Lyman mechanical trigger pull gauge from Brownells Gunsmithing Supplies. Sights are larger than the G.I. issue but not so large as to interfere with using the various G.I. holsters, while the mainspring housing is flat, as on the original M1911 instead of the arched version on the M1911A1. While I prefer the arched housing, a whole lot of people prefer the flat mainspring housing. The fit of all parts is very precise and tight.
Thankfully this is a true M1911 with the old reliable solid barrel bushing, not a Series 70 gun having the slotted four-finger barrel bushing instead of the solid one of the WWII G.I. issue guns. These slotted spring tensioned bushings have the effect of a tighter bushing with the pros and cons thereof.
Sadly, the lanyard loop is omitted from the bottom of the mainspring housing. Most people never use the lanyard loop but when you need it it is priceless. Fortunately it does not have the hammer block safety of the series 80 guns, which can be aggravating to remember to deal with on reassembly and addresses a problem that only exists in the minds of product liability lawyers.
Years ago, Colt used nitre bluing, which was a fire blue done by heating the parts up and immersing them in solid nitre bluing salts. This was the most beautiful blue finish ever put on a gun. As the old gunsmith Schley Howard once said “Ain’t nothin’ prettier than Mr. Colt’s bright blue,” a sentiment I certainly agree with.
Colt will still do this on custom order Single Actions from the Colt Custom Gun Shop but it is not available otherwise. It produces a beautiful royal blue color and frankly I was disappointed when the gun labeled 1911 Classic Government Royal Blue did not have it. Apparently the term is referring to the extremely fine polish and not the color.
Colt used the nitre bluing process until around 1939 when the company switched to liquid bluing salts bought from the Dulight company. There was an extremely durable black finish called tool black, which used to be applied to monkey wrenches and other tools. Eventually this became the most popular gun blue because of its durability despite it being black instead of blue.
Lots of Model 1911s
Colt has produced an estimated 3,750,000 M1911 pistols of all types since their design was first adopted by the military in 1911. I reckon they ought to know how to build one.
Since 1911, the pistol has established itself as the most reliable military sidearm ever made. I have fired a WWII M1911A1 that had sand come out of every joint yet it never stopped firing. Get sand inside the lock work of a revolver and it locks up tighter than a bank vault until Ordnance strips it down and cleans it. Yet people who have never “been and done” persist in spreading the myth that revolvers are more reliable than automatics. I have had too many more malfunctions with revolvers than with semiautomatic pistols regardless of the type used to ever believe that tripe. While I enjoy using various pistols my gun for serious business will always be my WWII M1911A1.
Its cartridge, the .45 ACP, has proven to be the best manstopper. After all, it is simply the automatic pistol version of the.45 Colt revolver cartridge. Both of these represent the most power that you can still do rapid fire often required against man or beast. One of the original requirements that the .45 Colt had to meet was efficiently killing a cavalry horse at 100 yards with one shot, a feat at which it excelled. All North American big game has been killed with these two .45 rounds. More power means slower repeat shots and decibel levels that quickly cause permanent hearing loss. If I want more power I will use a rifle.
Years ago when my wife, Betty and I had Alaskan trapper’s licenses and were living in a one room trapper’s log cabin deep in the Alaskan interior, we used WWII surplus M1911A1 pistols and Army surplus ammo for everything. Ranges were short in the interior where we were. They don’t call it the Alaskan Bush Country for nothing. We carried them in WWII surplus G.I. rigs and nothing could have served us better.
I remember a WWII officer in the Philippine campaign who was issued a M1911A1 and an M1 carbine. He used the pistol in the jungle fighting saving the carbine for very long range shots. There is simply nothing faster or more decisive than a M1911A1 inside 50 yards. This includes the time it takes to draw it from a G.I. M1916 holster. This is one of the fastest quick draw rigs possible. Be sure the tie down cords are secured around your leg to prevent the holster riding up in the draw. Now flip the flap open with your thumb and starting with the little finger begin wrapping your hand around the gun’s grip as it is drawn. If the safety is on wipe it off when the gun is midway between the holster and the target.
John Browning felt that the manual safety was superfluous and the grip safety was all that was really needed. The Shanghai Police proved him right before WWII when they pinned the safety in the off position of their Colt M1908 hammerless .380 autos, depending solely on the grip safety. The lifesaving advantage of this is that you don’t have to remember to take the safety off in an emergency.
Holsters
There is big a tactical advantage to the fast draw M1916 holster. Its speed means that you can keep the gun holstered until it is needed, leaving both hands free until then and insuring that the hand and arm are not cramped and tired from holding the pistol at the ready for hours on end, a situation that does not lend itself to speed and accuracy when you finally need it. The ability to draw and fire accurately in one motion that takes a mere fraction of a second makes holster carry until needed a more effective option.
There are other reasons to master this. You can’t use a compass easily while holding a pistol. In traversing difficult terrain you may need both hands at time and you certainly need both hands when you dive for cover. Sometimes throwing a grenade is called for before returning fire. Having the pistol out of the way but then instantly available as needed gives you the flexibility that can be your edge for survival.
Other good holsters for the M1911 are the WWII Tanker shoulder holster for ease of drawing while sitting and the commercial pancake holster which is the most comfortable and concealable belt rig ever made. If the situation requires it you can even sleep with this rig on and you won’t wake up every time you turn over on it. Now that’s a comfortable holster. El Paso Saddlery makes both military holsters today and also an excellent pancake holster they call their Tortilla. If you want to carry the gun tucked inside the waistband then the Sticky Holster from Sticky Holster company is superb. It is not sticky to the touch but once positioned where it is most comfortable it positively will not move about.
Shooting Test
I had 700 rounds to test fire the Colt .45 with consisting of:
- 500 rounds of Black Hills 230 grain FMJ. Black Hills is a government contractor famous for designing and producing the only sniper 5.56MM NATO round for the U.S. Military.
- 200 rounds of Armscor 230 grain FMJ. Armscor is a Philippine firm that has been in business for 84 years and prides itself on meeting the highest American and international standards while maintaining the lowest prices. They make ammunition in both the Philippines and the U.S.A. Their .45 Colt 255 grain LSWC at 850 FPS is the best all round .45 Colt factory loading out there for .45 Colt revolvers.
My test pistol was superbly accurate, grouping like a national match model. Yet, it disassembled and reassembled easily without the need of a barrel bushing wrench. The gun was cleaned with Shooters Choice bore cleaner and patches then lubed with Ballistol oil both to remove the heavy preservative oil Colt put inside it before shipping it and again after firing was completed.
Colt has gone all out to make the finest M1911 that they can with this one and it is certainly a showpiece that shoots straight. This is a gun anyone can be proud to show off and its extremely high polish looks better to me than any engraving could.
