Colt Double Eagle?

[texas bulldog]

howdy,

so yesterday i was in a gun shop outside of town that i had never been to before. they didn't have much, really, but the prices seemed pretty damn good to me. in particular, there was a double eagle officer's model priced at $345. i didn't look closer at it, so i can't comment on the bore or anything else. at the time, i had no idea what ballpark price was on these, but after checking gunbroker and auctionarms, it appears that this would be a STEAL at the listed price.

can anyone comment on this model? i did a search and didn't come up with much. what i did find was a mixed bag. one poster referred to it as a "marginal design". not sure what that meant exactly. is this worth owning, or would a regular ol' single action 1911 be a better choice?

any and all comments welcome...thanks in advance.

 

[Trebor]

The Double Eagle is really an orphan now. I don't know if Colt can support it with parts if it needs repairs or if mags are still availalbe. I'd check on that first, myself.

The pistol sold so poorly that it was dropped fairly early. I've never fired one, so this is conjecture, but I assume there is a reason the design was a failure.

Then again, the price is low, if the gun is in good shape. Hmmmmn.

 

[Warlokke]

I have a full size Colt Double Eagle and it shoots like a dream. Colt had problems with the decocking lever and mine broke right after I bought it - had my gunsmith fix it and 2-3K of .45 ACP later it still is shooting strong. I would love to have a Officers Model size so if you pass on it let me know how to contact those guys selling it.

BTW, that price is a steal if it is in good shape. And if you google Colt Double Eagle on the internet you can find parts if something is broken although I can't remember the names of the people I found that way that had them.

It isn't a 1911 and doesn't grip like one, so if you are looking for something like a 1911 that is DAO, go for something different.

Good luck

 

[Jim Watson]

That is a good price IF it is in good condition and IF you REALLY want a small DA-SA .45. A friend owned one and it had as good a DA trigger as any non-gunsmithed Sig, Beretta, S&W, etc. as I have ever seen.

Many parts are different from a Government Model, but it takes standard magazines.

 

[ryan b]

let me at it ill buy it at that price

 

[Texastbird]

I actually have two of the full size ones. I haven't had any problems with either one. As far as marketing goes, I think they were a bit ahead of their time with the decock and da/sa. And the 1911 purists shunned them as not being real Colts because they departed from the Browning design. Otherwise, for that price it is a steal.

 

[DFW1911]

My brother has one of these in 10mm. Given the fact that they seem to be harder to find he just keeps it in his safe and carries various other weapons for CHL.

Take care,
DFW1911

 

[Vern Humphrey]

When it was in production, it was duhbbed the "Double Turkey." It certainly would not be my choice for a carry gun. But at that price, it's a steal. Buy it, put it in the safe, and consider it an investment.

 

[KenW.]

I bought a 5" for use in the police academy, and carried it as my first primary sidearm for about three years.

I really like the gun. Other than the double action pull requiring a little concentration, there's nothing wrong with it except there's no thumb safety. Didn't care much for the plasic (zytel!) grip panels. I put a slip on grip over them. Able to because there's no grip safety. I've upgraded to 1911s now so it lives in the bottom of the safe right now. Only maintenance it ever needed was a new recoil spring; just like a 1911.

Takes the same mags, and handles the same as a 1911. Instead of engaging the thumb safety, you decock it. A S&W 4506 duty holster fits mine perfectly.

 

[texas bulldog]

thanks for the replies, guys. i'm still a bit torn on this, but i'll probably head out there again this weekend to take a closer look at it.

 

[KurtC]

At that price it would even make a good parts gun for someone who actually collects these.

Several of us tried them when they came out. The one thing that everyone agreed upon was that the grips design was pretty lame. They had to extend the right one forward to cover the trigger linkage. It seems that they could have come up with something better, such as with a Beretta.

 

[bannockburn]

texas bulldog

See if there's a MkII/SERIES 90 rollmark on the slide. This would indicate that it is an improved model over the original design which debut in late 1989. The MKII version featured changes in securing the decocker and the trigger draw bar, so they wouldn't come loose when the grips were removed. Other complaints about the Double Eagle dealt with the configuration of the grips (the rather ungainly shape in order to cover and protect the inner workings), and with the trigger pull (SA could range from 6 to 8 lbs, while DA could be anywhere from 12 to 14 lbs.). I think if Colt had utilized Seecamp's DA design, instead of doing it in-house, the gun probably would have been better received by the gun buying public.