[boofus]

I took my Colt 1991A1 Government Model NRM up to the range for its second shooting session ever and it's already falling apart!!! I figure it has only seen about 165 rounds or so. The thing cost more than most Sigs and HKs, I wouldn't have expected this kind of (lack of) quality to come with that price.

The left dot on the 3 dot sights flew off and disappeared somewhere. So now I have Colt custom 2 dot sights. :mad:

I'm wondering if I should bother contacting Colt to bitch at them, or just repaint the left dot with some scale model paint? Or is this some indication of what is to come if I decide to keep this gun? I never had these kinds of problems with my German made guns. :(

[NevadaPistolero]

I had the same thing happen on my Colt XSE...no big deal...just put a dab of white sight paint in the indentation and your good to go. Its pretty common...happens on more than just colt guns. Very minor deal, if thats the only problem you ever have your way ahead of the game.

[1911 guy]

and buy it a drink. Maybe it will change it's mind with a little TLC. All joking aside, you do have a right to expect a little more quality for the money you spent. It may be just the paint, but the confidence factor is why a lot of folks buy a certain brand of handgun and Colt has shaken that for you. That's too bad. Unfurtunately, some manufacturers, Colt included, have once in a while let quality slip and tried to rely on logo appeal(sp?). Call 'em and tell them you want a new sight assy, them pay for a 'smith to fix it, whatever. You bought that pistol with those sights for a reason. Stick to it.

[pangris]

It is a POS. Stick with German stuff.

Since I feel sorry for you, I'll take that 1911 off your hands. I'll probably have to sink a ton of money into it to make it run... I'll give you $350 for it, shipped.

Paul









;)

[akviper]

I bid $351 for that piece of crud. But you have to throw in a bunch of ammo to boot. FWIW, I had problems with SIGs, Walthers, Colts, S & W, Steyr, Springfield Armory, and Aimco guns new out of the box. Maybe I am just cursed but I had many guns tweaked by the manufacturers before they were 100%. I also had excellent customer service from all of the above when it came time to make them run right.

[boofus]

I guess I will try repainting it.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1480

Is that Brightsights paint any good? Can I find a set like that at Academy?

[larry starling]

boofus make sure that before you paint the site you prep the site! Try and find some acetone or any good degreaser! Maybe the vendor that sold colt the sights didnt do this? any how good luck fixing your problem! :cool:

[NevadaPistolero]

Dont use florescent site paint...use regular non florescent white site paint...its like $3.50 per bottle. I do all the front posts on my AKs...really helps with sighting. Like said above...clean the area with a q-tip let dry and dab one dot into the indentation.

[Krag]

Like you expected quality from Colt? If you're that naive I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell you. :cool:

If you want a good 1911 buy a Para!

[paul45]

a chip of paint falls out and you say its falling apart?? Jeez, cant you put a drop of paint in there yourself? Every 1911 maker can have little things go wrong....even Para who cant seem to get magazines to work... :neener:

[Marshall]

Boofus,

It's not that big of a deal is it, really? I understand your concern though! One of the biggest reasons I have never bought any 1911 is because of quality and concern for reliability, especially for what they charge! Add to it that everybody and their brother makes a 1911 and they all look alike, for all practical purposes, I just can't get a stiffy for them anymore. The gun used to have character abound, now the character has been replaced by commonality. Even the tricked ones are common any more.

Though the Milspecs are still intriguing because of what they represent.

OK all you 1911 aficionados, blast me. :eek:

[pangris]

Quote from AKViper - I bid $351 for that piece of crud.

Damn bidding wars! $360! And no ammo needed. Shipping would kill you.

Quote from Marshall - I just can't get a stiffy for them anymore. The gun used to have character abound, now the character has been replaced by commonality. Even the tricked ones are common any more.

Very simple solution. Build your own.

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL827/1560122/3055315/94743859.jpg

This is my first build. Nothing fancy per se - I guess you could call it common, even - but it is a first quality, 100% reliable, tremendously accurate piece. It was a long road to get it there, but it is pure magic now.

http://pic17.picturetrail.com/VOL827/1560122/3597617/70519263.jpg

The beginning of my next build,this time with very custom metal work and a rail.

[mattk]

If you want a Good 1911 buy a Para!!!????
Surely you jest. Para has some serious QC problems.

[1911 guy]

Actually, I'm not going to say anything bad about Marshall because in an odd sort of way I agree with him. The 750 - 1000 dollar guns out there have had tremendous reliability problems and have been "improved" to the point of uselesness. My everyday carry gun is a 5" Charles Daly basic model. The only differences from a true mil-spec are ambi safeties, bobbed hammer and skeletonized trigger. No full length guide rod, no D.A. trigger, no double stack mag, etc., etc. Paid 375 for the peice and have had zero failures from the day I took it out of the box. Accuracy is good and it will digest anything I feed it. Must not be "refined" enough, eh? :neener:

[bluto]

Heck, I now black out all the white dots that come on my sights with a marker. Works best for me. But I agree with NevadaPistolero, plain white paint will do.

I've tried Brightsights in orange, green, yellow and white. The white is o.k. but I didn't think the other colors were any big deal. They weren't any easier for me to pick up in dim light.

[Puppy]

I use testors (flat white) paint & a toothpick to touch up my sights when needed.

Sort of super-ultra-mega-melodramatic post for such a minor issue dont you think?

[boofus]

Well when you pay that much for a new gun you should be able to expect a bit of quality. Having problems crop up 5000 or 10000 or 150000 rounds in is one thing. But having even minor things go wrong within the first 3 boxes of ammo :(

I could have gotten a Sig P220ST, a loaded Springfield, or something else very nice for the same price as that plain vanilla Colt.

[Krag]

Mattk - I have two (one's an LDA) with beaucoups rounds through them a many, many matches. Haven't burped yet. A number of fellow competitors use Paras with complete satisfaction. I have owned just about every brand of 1911 made and have never been as happy as I am with the Para.

[Sean Smith]

Um, no offense, but aren't you acting a little hysterical? We're talking about a white dot here, not an issue with mechanical function.

That's a pretty common problem with white dots, actually. It just means the sight wasn't de-greased well enough before the dot was put it. I had that happen to me once, just clean & de-grease the sight, put a little white paint on with a little brush, and it is good as new.

[boofus]

First it'll be just a white dot. Next it'll just be just an extractor, and just the firing pin safety. And then just the barrel link will shear off...yadda yadda. :scrutiny:

[paul45]

Shouldnt you have thought it out more before you bought your " palin vanilla Colt "? The obvious solution is to post it for sale and get the 220ST or the SA....

[Father Knows Best]

FWIW, my experience with Paras is the same as Krag's. I have two -- a CCW (single stack LDA with commander slide on officer frame) and an SSP (full size single action, single stack). I use a variety of Wilson, CMC and Tripp (CobraMag) mags in all my 1911s, and my Paras are 100% reliable with them. I will readily admit, however, that Para factory mags stink. With the factory mags, I do experience feed problems on both guns. That problem isn't unique to Para, of course. Most of the major 1911 manufacturers include less than top quality mags with their products, and the 1911 is sensitive to mag problems.

For my money, Para Ordnance is the best value in 1911s today. Their quality is on par with Springfield Armory or perhaps a little better (certainly no worse). With the Paras, you get some features you can't get with the Springfields, like Para's excellent proprietary extractor design (the PXT, or Power Extractor). You can also get double stacks (which Para pioneered) and/or the unique LDA trigger system for hammer down carry in a 1911 pattern pistol.

There are certainly better traditional pattern 1911s out there from the likes of Baer, Wilson, etc., but they cost 2-3 times what a Para costs. Kimbers are pretty good, too, but I'll take a Springfield or a Para over a Kimber, and save $100-200 in the process, too.

I don't have any experience with Dan Wesson 1911s, but I hear good things about them. Perhaps they are better values than Paras, but I can't say so one way or another. I have yet to find any 1911 that sells for less than a Para and offers equal or better quality and features.

[boofus]

Shouldnt you have thought it out more before you bought your " palin vanilla Colt "? The obvious solution is to post it for sale and get the 220ST or the SA....


I got suckered by all the folks that swear by Colt and the old adage 'in guns you get what you pay for'. It looked good at the gun show, looked brand new like a new gun was supposed to. Just wish I had gotten more than 1 range trip out of a $700 handgun before something went wrong. :uhoh:

[Black Majik]

Its normal. The front sight dot went black cuz I shot my NRM Colt quite a bit, and the gunpowder made my white sight pitch black. With some cleaning around around front sight, I used white out and dropped a dab in there. I also dropped a dab in both the rear sights also.

Now its really bright! Though you do have to keep maintenance on the front sight since the gunpowder will dull the front sight with use.

Have fun. Its a great gun.

[Sean Smith]

First it'll be just a white dot. Next it'll just be just an extractor, and just the firing pin safety. And then just the barrel link will shear off...yadda yadda.

That doesn't logically follow at all. You are being completely irrational. :rolleyes:

[ulflyer]

Boofus, next time, look for someone in your area selling a gun that you can go try out before you buy it. Does your Colt shoot accurately, feed and eject well? If you really hate it, PM me with a price.

I have two Colts and a Nork that fired flawlessly out of the box and not a single white dot has fallen out yet.

And, as one writer above suggested, "White Out", a product used long ago on type written pages to correct mistakes and is still avail in stationary stores, works great, drys almost instantly. Also very easy to get off if you wish.