Colt mark IV Series 80...in .40S&W?

[Daniel T]

I came across an odd beast: the Colt Mark IV Series 80 1911 chambered in .40S&W. It's got a blued slide and SS frame and looks fantastic. It has an idiot mark (), but that's the only sign that it's ever been toyed with. The owner claimed that it's never been fired, and upon cleaning, that seems like it might be true.

So, what would a gun like this be worth? Is it possible to get mags for it? Could I drop a .45 barrel & bushing in it?

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[Sean Smith]

You can get .40 S&W mags from Metalform, or just hunt down the old Colt ones (which were probably made by Metalform).

 

[Tamara]

I have nothing but respect for those who can hold one of those in their hands for more than five minutes without looking for a 10mm chamber reamer.

 

[Daniel T]

The thought had crossed my mind, Tamara. It doesn't seem like it'd be terribly expensive to get it done, but would it be safe and reliable?

 

[John Forsyth]

I have seen them before. Can you drop a .45 barrel and bushing in it? Yep, but do not expect it to work. The breach face for the .40 is smaller than the .45. You will need another slide. One more thing, the angle of the ramp is different for the .40's. It uses the same one as the 9mm/.38Super.

It would not be a problem at all going to 10mm. You can find Colt 10mm barrels out of Deltas for reasonable prices. Barrel and recoil spring can get you in with the 10.

 

[Sean Smith]

You can't convert a .40 S&W or 10mm 1911 to .45 ACP. However, you CAN convert a .40 S&W 1911 to 10mm without any problems, because a .40 S&W 1911 is basically just a 10mm 1911 with a shorter chamber. Note that this is NOT true of other handgun designs (no making a SigSauer P229 or Glock 22 into a 10mm, for instance). Figure a 20 lb recoil spring and some Metalform 8 round 10mm mags and you are in business.

 

[BigG]

10mm & 40 Convertible

I've got a COMBAT ELITE with both rigs from the factory.

 

[Daniel T]

Thanks John and Sean. I'm already scouring the 'net for 10mm barrels. I found some Safari Arms match grade barrels on Gunbroker for $118. Anyone have experience with that brand?

 

[Sean Smith]

I've got a long list of barrels to look into, and that ain't one of them.

I'd suggest looking into, in no particular order...

Kart
Bar-Sto
Schuemann
Ed Brown
Nowlin
KKM Precision

If you are as nutty as I am , you could even consider getting one of the Schuemann AET barrels... 0.850" groups shot by hand (not a Ransom rest) from a Colt (hardly a super-tight game gun) at 25 yards with cheap factory ammo.

http://www.pistolsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=17636

 

[popeye]

Speaking from experience: An Ed Brown .40 drop in barrel will not "drop in" a 10mm Delta. They then want $75 to fit it. I'm gonna say .40 to 10mm will be same story.

 

[Sean Smith]

IMHO drop-in barrels are a waste of everyone's time. The good ones don't drop in, but are accurate, and the bad ones do drop in, but are inaccurate.

 

[Daniel T]

That's something I'll keep in mind. I think I'm gonna go with the Ed Brown 925-10, since it's at a good price and comes with the bushing and link.

Sean, I was looking at Wolff Springs for the recoil spring, and they recommend a 23 lb. spring for the Delta Elite. They also require a full-diameter guide rod instead of the smaller one that comes with the dual spring setup I have now. Am I going to be able to just pick up a standard 1911 guide rod and drop it in?

Thanks for the input guys. This is going to be a fun project.

 

[Sean Smith]

Wolff is wrong about the spring weight. 20 lbs for a 10mm 1911 is better.

You can use any guide rod and springs made for a standard 1911 in a Delta Elite.

 

[Big Daddy]

I think Ed Brown is a good choice. I myself prefer to hand fit a "national match" oversized barrel myself. Having said that, the Ed Brown "drop-in" will likely require some work.

The reason I say the EB is a good choice is because expert pistolsmith Chuck Rogers fitted an EB in one gun and I believe a Barsto in another and got the same accuracy. The difference is that the EB took 45 minutes to fit and the other maker's barrel took like 4 hours or something like that.

Chuck spoke well of the quality and design of the Ed Brown.

 

[Sean Smith]

Ted Yost likes the Ed Brown barrels too... "really cool" were the words to describe a fluted one he was installing for another customer. That said, the AET barrel he tried next (mine ) outshot it. Of course, it also costs a bit more, and at this point we are kind of arguing over which supermodels are hotter looking.

 

[happyguy]

Everyone marvels at how accurate my G36 with a Jarvis drop in barrel is. A couple of folks have shot <2 inch groups with it at 25 yards. Me, I can't shoot it worth a flip and have just about given up trying.

Regards,
Happyguy