1911 Questions - Series, Marks?

[chrisf8657]

Hiya All -

Got a question for those in the know...
We call 1911's MK IV, Series 70 or 80

What were MK I-III, and Series 10-60?

Thanks

 

[1911Tuner]

No. Series 70 is a Colt trademark applied to 5-inch pistols that were factory equipped with collet bushings and "Accurizer"(tm) barrels. There is no such thing as a Series 70 Commander or Combat Commander. Neither is there any such thing as a Series 70 Springfield. Series 70 and Series 80 are both Colt trademarks. Para Ordnance pistols are equipped with a Series 80-type system...but they're not Series 80 pistols.

Series 80 tells us that the pistol is equipped with the passive firing pin safety.

 

[chrisf8657]

1911Tuner,

That wasn't exactly my question...
What were Series 10-60, and MK I thru III?

 

[Patrick Gookin]

Don't quote me on this, but I don't believe there ever were series 10-60 or Mk I-III. Mk IV simply means the Colt pistol used a collet style barrel bushing. This is the type of bushing that has the flexible fingers. I believe any Colt 1911 made before the Series 70 is simply called a pre-series 70.

 

[Auto426]

There were no Series 1-60 or Marks I-III.

 

[Patrick Gookin]

According to Kuhnhausen here's the evolution of the Colt 1911:

Major variations to date:
1924 - M1911A1 introduced
1929 - .38 Super introduced
1931 - .22 Service Ace introduced
1933 - .45 National Match introduced
1933 - .38 Super National Match introduced
1941 - Commander L.W. introduced
1949 - Combat Commander introduced
1957 - Gold Cup National Match introduced
1984 - Officer's Model introduced

Minor variations since 1970:
Series 70 variation introduced
Series 80 variation introduced
Stainless steel Government .45 introduced
Stainless steel Officer's Model introduced

 

[1911Tuner]

1941 - Commander L.W. introduced
1949 - Combat Commander introduced

Won't be the first time that Kuhnhausen was wrong.

The LW Commander was introduced in 1949, and was called simply "Colt's Commander Model." The Combat Commander came along in 1973, along with the Series 70 Government Model and Gold Cup.

With the introduction of the steel-framed Combat Commander came the designation Lightweight Commander...CLW in the serial prefix.

1983 ushered in the Series 80s, and for a short time, Series 70 and Series 80 pistols overlapped, with Colt shipping both at the same time, along with a few Series 70/80 pistols...Series 80s with the Series 70 collet bushings and Accurizer barrels. Pretty rare birds.

Series 10-60 is a new one on me.

 

[chrisf8657]

Hmmm...weird. Wonder why they would just start with Series 70, and have no prior Series.
More oddities of the gun world, lol

 

[JTQ]

Hmmm...weird. Wonder why they would just start with Series 70, and have no prior Series.

I think it's pretty logical.

Because they made the barrel and bushing changes in the 1970's and got the Series 70 name.

They added the firing pin safety in the 1980's, hence the Series 80 name.

The pistol was adopted in 1911 by the US Military, that's why it's called the 1911.

The only other real change were the changes asked for by the military in the 1920's that earned the name 1911A1, another logical name change by the military.

 

[1911Tuner]

Hmmm...weird. Wonder why they would just start with Series 70, and have no prior Series.

Basically...marketing. Colt was behind the curve in the 70s, and Springfield was about to hand them their horsie. "Mk IV Series 70" has a certain ring to it that suggests that something special has been done to the tired, old Government Model.

All kinds of reasons for hangin' a name on a product.

Shelby's GT350 Mustang got the GT350 designation because it was 350 feet from the test track to the hangar where the cars were stored. The 428 powered GT500...because it sounded right.

And how popular would the Mustang have been had it been named just about anything besides Mustang?