Colt Commander

No pics but, one is on my list. Thanks, now you have me salivating over it like a dog over a fresh steak.

I always had a soft spot for the Commanders. I carried one daily from the late 70's up until the early 2000's.

My first "new" Colt was a Combat Commander I bought back around 1975. Paid $199 for it, and dumped another couple of hundred into it in 70's era "improvements" and the obligatory "reliability package".

My last, an early 90's, Series 80 Combat Commander, that I still have, and retired. It still gets shot once or twice a month, but hasnt seen a holster other than practice, since around 2002.

She was born a pretty Colt blue, but lived a harsh life, and had to be hard chromed after rusting badly the first year I carried it.

Hoag "Combat Commander"







Baer "CVll"

I've always considered the commander size to be the goldilocks size. Neither too large nor too small. Just right. I've owned several over the years but still have two. A series 80 that gets shot a lot and a series 70 in satin nickel.

It's on my bucket list to get one maybe in 38 super oh my

Two Commanders one in 38 Super from 1951 and one from 1966 in 45acp.



The 38 Super as it is today.



As you have a cut off date listed I won't post my others.

tipoc

"Enhanced" Lightweight Commander .45 ACP

I bought a LW Commander in 1960 and carried it for many years. The finish is about gone and the barrel is shot out now. I still have this pistol but I've placed it in semi-retirement until I replace the barrel. Around 1975 I purchased a Combat Commander. It is more pleasant to shoot than the light weight version, but not nearly as pleasant to carry. The LW Commander was and is an outstanding carry piece. Some people claimed that the aluminum frame was prone to cracking, but you can't prove it by me. I've put many cases of ammo through mine.

Both the Combat Commander and Commander are two of my all time favorites in regards to the M1911 platform. Just the right size to my way of thinking, making the Commander a well balanced and sweet handling semi-auto.

I have two, both are used for carry purposes. Love them.

Cocked & Locked, I LOVE that gun. It has the look of a REAL gun, used for serious business.

King's Custom 1955 LW Commander in 38 Super, it's my EDC.

here's my one and only colt. I want to sell it and buy an older model that is full sized, blued, with a slightly worn finish.

I still have the original wooden grips, but switched the old sites for trijicon night sights

I sold this for a friend, don't ask.
1955 38 super, never fired.....

This is a recent acquisition I picked up. The goal is to turn it into a 9x23 Win. carry gun. Nice frame to slide fit, but it's got some handling marks and some "custom features" from the previous owner that will need to be sorted out. A question maybe you folks can help me with - these grips seem pretty prevalent on Colts, there's even another Colt in this thread wearing them...but they couldn't have been original, could they? I don't see them ever listed in the catalogs, but it is amazing how many Colts are out there on the interwebz with these exact style of grips. Were they the "must have" grip of the early 70s or something like that? They're both functional and good looking, but I still can't account for their ubiquity.
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My Combat Commander has been used hard and rebuilt a couple times these last 35 years


This one is exactly like the one carried Narcing 40 years ago:
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I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Dframe said:

Cocked & Locked, I LOVE that gun. It has the look of a REAL gun, used for serious business.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments! I heard a similar comment a couple of years ago when a guy I was helping set up a reloading press showed me his new Kimber. It was pretty.

I mentioned that I was carrying a Colt Commander and he asked to see it. He quickly said, "I like your Colt better. It looks like it knows what it is doing".

Here is the same Commander with what I think are the original grips. I've owned this Colt twice. It is home to stay.




This one is a newer Series 80 Lightweight Commander. Same stag grips on it as on the other one in the earlier post.

Rockhopper: Those are Herrett's skip-checkered grips. Yes, they were very popular. I had 'em on my satin nickle Combat Commander and a series 70 GM.

Much obliged, VA27.

rockhopper46038

Ahrends also makes a similar grip with skip line checkering. I found them on Brownells website for less than $50 and they look great.

For me it is the One That Got Away ... or, more accurately, the One That I Let Get Away.

Latter ½ of the '70s I had a Colt Combat Commander (nickle finish) as one of my carry pistols. Loved it, but it was heavy on the belt (under the suit/sport coat) for a lean, slim frame, 6', 160lber ...

... so, in a fit of STUPID, I sold it and bought something lighter (Walther PP, IIRC).

{BIG sigh}