Colt Combat Commander in Satin Nickel

[silicosys4]

I had another 1973 Combat Commander for a time but like most of Colt's Satin Nickel guns the finish hadn't survived very well and looked pretty bad, so I eventually let it go. I've always liked how the high condition Satin Nickel Colts look but its hard to find one that doesn't have a bunch of oxidization, wear, or whatever happens to that particular finish. Here's how mine looked, you can see that the finish is there, but it gets those black spots and dark smudges if you so much as look at it and with your greasy eyes and they can't easily be buffed out. Most just look plain grungy.

But if you can keep them clean and free of whatever that stuff is, they do look really nice. I've seen the Satin Nickel Commanders called "rare" but I see a lot of them for sale, more than blued. So many of the Satin Nickel finishes went bad though, that nice ones are usually fairly spendy. I was happy to find one for a good price last week, still in nice shape but not all original so was priced appropriately.

 

[Reinz]

I don’t know the exact year, but I’m pretty sure Dad had this one in the 70’s. It’s mine now.

I added the SK mammoth grips.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I don’t know the exact year, but I’m pretty sure Dad had this one in the 70’s. It’s mine now.

I added the SK mammoth grips.


View attachment 1260952

those grips? the still available?

 

[trackskippy]

I picked this 9mm Commander up a couple of years ago now. Supposedly its an Israeli police trade in and has an "import" stamp on it, and Century Arms of all places.

Whoever had it before I got it had made some "improvements", a flat fancy MSH and what looked like a Wilson drop in beavertail grip safety, which I scrounged around and found some original replacement parts for. Factory Satin Nickel parts just make that scrounging that much harder too, and its seems you pay a premium for them too.

Im not entirely sure it was originally a Satin Nickel gun. Its got some weird things going on with it. The serial number says Series 80, but it doesnt have the firing pin block, not that all of them did. The serial number also says it was a blued steel gun, and from the minor pitting in places on the frame and slide, it does appear that the SN was done "over" the pitting. When I replaced the rear sight, which was SN, the dovetail was blued, and it appears that the sight was in place when the nickel was applied . Not sure why the blued parts were just left blue, although I have seen other guns with that sort of thing.

Only other issue I have had with it was the staked in factory front sight came off the second time out with it and I had to replace it. Other than that, its been a good, reliable shooter, and no troubles in that respect. Its fed everything I've put in it and the same mags that seem to cause issues in the couple of Tisas 1911's I have, work just fine in the Colt.

 

[FL-NC]

I had one that I stupidly sold years ago.

 

[Riomouse911]

I picked this 9mm Commander up a couple of years ago now. Supposedly its an Israeli police trade in and has an "import" stamp on it, and Century Arms of all places.

Whoever had it before I got it had made some "improvements", a flat fancy MSH and what looked like a Wilson drop in beavertail grip safety, which I scrounged around and found some original replacement parts for. Factory Satin Nickel parts just make that scrounging that much harder too, and its seems you pay a premium for them too.

Im not entirely sure it was originally a Satin Nickel gun. Its got some weird things going on with it. The serial number says Series 80, but it doesnt have the firing pin block, not that all of them did. The serial number also says it was a blued steel gun, and from the minor pitting in places on the frame and slide, it does appear that the SN was done "over" the pitting. When I replaced the rear sight, which was SN, the dovetail was blued, and it appears that the sight was in place when the nickel was applied . Not sure why the blued parts were just left blue, although I have seen other guns with that sort of thing.

Only other issue I have had with it was the staked in factory front sight came off the second time out with it and I had to replace it. Other than that, its been a good, reliable shooter, and no troubles in that respect. Its fed everything I've put in it and the same mags that seem to cause issues in the couple of Tisas 1911's I have, work just fine in the Colt.

That does looks like it was buffed and refinished after the original bluing took a beating. Still, it is a sharp looking Colt!

Stay safe.

 

[sqlbullet]

Dang it I am really trying to resist the urge to buy a commander in 38 Super. This is not helping.

 

[Reinz]

those grips? the still available?

There are plenty of Mammoths around. If you go to Nighthawk or other semi custom shops you pay as much or more than the gun cost. But you can shop around and find them for considerably less.

Here’s another set.

 

[Mark_Mark]

There are plenty of Mammoths around. If you go to Nighthawk or other semi custom shops you pay as much or more than the gun cost. But you can shop around and find them for considerably less.

Here’s another set.

View attachment 1261013

is it made from Mammoth bone?

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I had pretty good results with Flitz metal polish on my electroless handguns. Doesn't fix wear and scratches though.

 

[Reinz]

is it made from Mammoth bone?

They are from Mammoth tusk, like elephant ivory. But they are not banned because Mammoths are extinct, so there is no population to decrease/kill. Thus they are legal to buy and sell, even across state lines.





Mammoth grips come from ivory that is 10,000-20,000 years old.


Now some Mammoth grips come from the molars/teeth like shown below.

 

[Vonderek]

 

[silicosys4]

I don’t know the exact year, but I’m pretty sure Dad had this one in the 70’s. It’s mine now.

I added the SK mammoth grips.


View attachment 1260952

Those are amazing and match the gun perfectly

 

[CapnMac]

During the Strike in the 80s with Managers and the Custom Shop building "for production" items, all sorts of things went out the door.

Not Commander sized, but was sold with its original box with "Blued" ticked on the box.
And, yes that smudgey gray is a vexing annoyance. Offset a bit by how the Custom Shop made a fetish out of using blued working parts.

I've seen both Officer's and Comanders out there at shows--just never when I had any dosh to carry one away.

 

[vanfunk]

Those satin nickel sure do look great when new, though the finish is extremely delicate and shows every rub, scratch and cut like it wants to accentuate them. I’ve often thought of buying one, especially the Combat Commander, but the finish frailty has put me off. The OP’s pistol doesn’t sound like a factory finish as evidenced by the blue under the sight and other details, but is a fun score nonetheless as long as the price was commensurate with condition.

 

[silicosys4]

Those satin nickel sure do look great when new, though the finish is extremely delicate and shows every rub, scratch and cut like it wants to accentuate them. I’ve often thought of buying one, especially the Combat Commander, but the finish frailty has put me off. The OP’s pistol doesn’t sound like a factory finish as evidenced by the blue under the sight and other details, but is a fun score nonetheless as long as the price was commensurate with condition.

An SC prefix on the serial number of the series 70 Combat Commanders is specific to the factory Satin Nickel finish, so its definitely the original finish. I actually used the prefix to confirm the gun was indeed a factory Satin Nickel instead of the Electroless Nickel that it was advertised as. The EN finish has a BS prefix because they pulled frames to be blued off the line for plating.

 

[Gordon]

First unemployment check I collected in Monterey California. In 1972 after leaving 6 year in regular Army, was backed up about 4 months and I purchased a Brand New Combat Commander in Satin Nickel , a new custom Made Bugaboo down sleeping bag on Cannery row where the Company started up and went to GuntherPesch the old German Gun Smith up the street for a "trigger job, feed ramp polished and two extra magazines and a box of 50 Norma 230 grain Hollow points. (which don't expand) I carried the gun in a used Lawrence holster I found in the gun shop and a two magazine matching used pouch. I lived in remote Big Sur on a ranch I soon was to become Foreman of . These King sights were added by Gunther a little later. I shot several large Wild Boar with the gun, we were close to the Hearst Ranch they came from in the 30s . I had been saved more than once by my Ithaca 1911a1 issued to me in Vietnam and trusted completely in the system.

 

[vanfunk]

Interesting, @silicosys4! Thanks for the clarity on the finish.

Years ago I had an opportunity to buy one of these that had been used in a murder, then resided in the trunk of a car at the bottom of a lake for several years. Eventually somehow or other, it ended up released from evidence and came into the possession of an FFL I used to visit. Peppery rust had broken through the finish like measles all over it, but it actually looked surprisingly good given its hard life. It was functional and would’ve made a great conversation piece; I should have bought it for the $200 he was asking!

 

[bannockburn]

This is my current version of a Colt Commander in .38 Super with a stainless steel slide and a Cerakoted Aluminum alloy frame.

 

[vanfunk]

Wow, that looks lovely!

 

[actionexpress]

I paid under $400 for this sorta sad looking Combat Commander in 9mm a couple of years ago. Mechanically sound, but not fresh from the factory by any measure..lol. I spent time with various products and elbow grease to clean it up, but it'll forever shooter grade.

 

[bannockburn]

At least with this one I had the forethought to get a complete Storm Lake 9mm. barrel assembly to make a convertible out of it..

 

[jgh4445]

I have one I adopted. The attached pic of the mag shows the one it came with. I think its bad as it causes the pistol to have FTF and FTE issues when none of my other mags do. Can this mag be rebuilt? Can't find a way to get the follower out so I can replace the spring. I've tried compressing the spring and putting a nail thru one of the holes, but the follower doesn't fall out. Ideas?

 

[trackskippy]

I have one I adopted. The attached pic of the mag shows the one it came with. I think its bad as it causes the pistol to have FTF and FTE issues when none of my other mags do. Can this mag be rebuilt? Can't find a way to get the follower out so I can replace the spring. I've tried compressing the spring and putting a nail thru one of the holes, but the follower doesn't fall out. Ideas?

Try pushing the follower down deeper when you capture the spring. You want room to be able to turn and wiggle the follower out. It comes out more turned 90° than how you normally see it sit.

@bannockburn.... Does that Colt factory quasi beavertail pinch your hand when you shoot the gun? I have an "Enhanced" Commander that came with one and it was painful to shoot with and used to pinch the crap out of the web of my hand when I shot it. I ended up filing it down to a more traditional profile. They didnt seem to be around to long and I always figured that was probably why.

 

[bannockburn]

trackskippy

No I can't say that the "Enhanced Commander Beavertail" has ever bitten my hand, nor has the "original small size Commander" ever been a problem for that
matter either..
https://i.imgur.com/pIxb2Mq.jpg[/img
] [img]https://i.imgur.com/P7kzXHg.jpg