Colt Gold Cup

[Hookeye]

This is what the gun looked like NIB. My my eyes the sights, trigger and grips have been changed. Sorry for your loss. I would keep it just as your father set it up.

Yup that's Elliason rear sight, the old GC standard.
Actually just found one in an envelope w some Wolff Commander recoil springs.
Pops had several GC's over the years, and the last one was stainless.
I dunno if this sight came from it or was a spare.

My preference is for the Bomar, of which the OP's Wichita is very close (close enough).

I even changed out the Elliason and ramp front on my Python to Kensight.

 

[mavracer]

Sorry to hear about your dad.
The guide rod isn't stock, I'm wondering with the era of the gun and other up grades if it might be a Wilson "group gripper" they had a little spring at the back and a special barrel link with a notch that the spring pushed up on to push the barrel lugs into the slide a bit.

I have a couple guns I got from my brother before he passed, I try to shoot one every year on his birthday.

 

[Saluki91]

Received this at my dad’s passing in August. A Colt Gold Cup National match, 80’s vintage. It has all the National Match things. Series 70, nice trigger, a nickel finish of some sort. All the things you read about the Gold Cup. A couple questions. what type of finish is this? Factory or not? Also it has some mods. Is a full length guide rod factory? Lastly, what questions do I need to ask, just don’t know to ask? The old adage “you don’t know what you don’t know”.

i shot it in September. It shot nice. I have shot it many times over the years. It’s the pistol my dad kept next to the bed until he got older and a 686 took its place. It shoots as well as my SA Range Officer. My dad had rubber wrap around grips on it. I put the wood ones on it. Found them in his stuff. Couldn’t find the double diamond ones or the wooden ones that I always remembered being on it. Haven’t finished sorting everything, so they still may show up.

View attachment 1176658

Received this at my dad’s passing in August. A Colt Gold Cup National match, 80’s vintage. It has all the National Match things. Series 70, nice trigger, a nickel finish of some sort. All the things you read about the Gold Cup. A couple questions. what type of finish is this? Factory or not? Also it has some mods. Is a full length guide rod factory? Lastly, what questions do I need to ask, just don’t know to ask? The old adage “you don’t know what you don’t know”.

i shot it in September. It shot nice. I have shot it many times over the years. It’s the pistol my dad kept next to the bed until he got older and a 686 took its place. It shoots as well as my SA Range Officer. My dad had rubber wrap around grips on it. I put the wood ones on it. Found them in his stuff. Couldn’t find the double diamond ones or the wooden ones that I always remembered being on it. Haven’t finished sorting everything, so they still may show up.

View attachment 1176658

I have a very similar gun, and got it under very similar circumstances. My grandfather shot Bullseye with a 70 Series Gold Cup National Match. He left it to my father, and with his passing, it is now mine. I don't shoot it as often as I should, but I'm in touch with them both whenever I do.

In my experience, bullet selection can be an issue. Many 1911's will eat anything... not mine. .452 230grn LRN from Brazos is pretty reliable, but not so much with others. Brazos 200grn Semi-wad cutters are also very accurate in my gun.

My front sight popped out during a range session. I replaced it with a new one... only to have that one come loose. The pistol is in time-out until that sight issue is resolved.

 

[cfullgraf]

Another comment on the full length guide rod...

I have a Colt Government Model 1911, Mk IV, Series 70 from about 1980 or so. I installed a full length guide rod in the gun. It worked but I really did not feel it made any difference.

The pistol has been parted out for other builds. The frame has a crack in the dust shield due to a failure of a collet bushing (OP see this!!!! This is why you need to swap out the collet bushing if your gun has one.). The frame is now mated to a a 22 LR slide.

The 1911 slide has had a 38/45 Clerke barrel fitted to it and it is mated to an Olympic frame.

I'm an 1911 junkie. I have mostly Colt 1911's but I have a SIG 40 S&W and 357 SIG 1911's as well a a couple 1911 that I built from parts. I even have one that is chambered for 38 Special wadcutters but it is not sorted out yet.

Besides the Government Model and Commander Model 1911, i like the Colt Mustang and some of it's derivatives.

 

[cfullgraf]

In the early 1980's, I had an opportunity to shoot an early 1960's era Gold Cup. Great to shoot and very accurate in my shaky hands.

The owner knew it was time to clean the gun when it would double fire on shooting.

As an aside, we shot at an indoor range above a parking garage in down town New Orleans. It was across the street from the Federal building. The FBI agents would practice at the range. The range had a picture of Lee Harvey Oswald standing at the entrance to the range.

The range and garage have been demolished since then.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Another comment on the full length guide rod...

I have a Colt Government Model 1911, Mk IV, Series 70 from about 1980 or so. I installed a full length guide rod in the gun. It worked but I really did not feel it made any difference.

The pistol has been parted out for other builds. The frame has a crack in the dust shield due to a failure of a collet bushing (OP see this!!!! This is why you need to swap out the collet bushing if your gun has one.). The frame is now mated to a a 22 LR slide.

The 1911 slide has had a 38/45 Clerke barrel fitted to it and it is mated to an Olympic frame.

I'm an 1911 junkie. I have mostly Colt 1911's but I have a SIG 40 S&W and 357 SIG 1911's as well a a couple 1911 that I built from parts. I even have one that is chambered for 38 Special wadcutters but it is not sorted out yet.

Besides the Government Model and Commander Model 1911, i like the Colt Mustang and some of it's derivatives.

Love my 1982 GCNM! what a beautiful gun