I am a rank for a city PD. I am allowed to carry a personally owned weapon instead of the issued Glock 19 therefore I am opting to go with a full size 1911. I have chosen the Colt Gunsite current production model with a series 70 safety. Price is absolutly not an issue for me and I dont want to worry about having to get a smith to make it run right. I go out on calls when there are really bad situations and not enough officers to cover calls that cant be put off such as a bank robbery. Other then that I am mainly in the office and work in with investigations. Any input is appreciated.
Talk Me Out Of A Colt Gunsite 1911 For Duty
- Thread starter RPD
- Start date
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Black Majik
Member
Why? 
Get one, you wont be disappointed.
Get one, you wont be disappointed.
Smoke
Member
Black M,
My thoughts exactly....
Smoke
My thoughts exactly....
Smoke
Billy Sparks
Member
If what you want is a Colt Gunsite buy it. I have both the full size and the commander length one. I wouldn't trade them for the world. The full size one is the only pistol I have not changed ANYTHING right out of the box.
HighVelocity
Member
Go for it! It's a fine weapon and should serve you well.
Brian Williams
Moderator Emeritus
Only other suggestions would be a genuine US GI Colt or a CCO or a Yost built Titanium Commander
The CCO or Commander since you will be mostly in investigations.
The CCO or Commander since you will be mostly in investigations.
The Gunsite series are in effect custom built guns. I would suggest you use this forum's search feature a look for threads posted by "1911Tuner," who is our resident (and highly qualified) 1911 armorer. The reading of his posts and threads will go along way toward helping you understand what makes one of these pistols work, and why they don't sometimes.
Then I would go out and run at least 500 rounds of whatever ammunition you plan to carry through whatever you end up getting. When you get done you will know that the pistol works (or doesn't, as the case may be) and should be very familiar with it.
The basic 1911 Government Model pistol is an excelent sidearm, and in the hands of someone trained and practiced to use it, it is seldom bettered. Unfortunately some of those built today are more into gadgets, and less into reliability. In particular it is important that the extractor be correctly fitted, and that you have good magazines.
Then I would go out and run at least 500 rounds of whatever ammunition you plan to carry through whatever you end up getting. When you get done you will know that the pistol works (or doesn't, as the case may be) and should be very familiar with it.
The basic 1911 Government Model pistol is an excelent sidearm, and in the hands of someone trained and practiced to use it, it is seldom bettered. Unfortunately some of those built today are more into gadgets, and less into reliability. In particular it is important that the extractor be correctly fitted, and that you have good magazines.
Nothing beats a good 1911 period. GLocks are great for the average shooter but for the skilled a 1911 is the best choice. I used to like DA SA crunch tickers before I knew better. Now I sold all of my HK's Sigs and Berettas . You can keep them. Give me a good 1911 like my Wilson CQB or my Kimber Custom Classic over any other pistol. Glocks are a close second for me with all the other DA Crunch tickers being way behind.
Pat
Pat
I totally agree with the glock compared to 1911. If I was looking for something to use under and in 10 yards I would use the Glock because of high ammo cap. I am going to the 1911 at the cost of jealousy of some of the few non glock infatuated basic patrol officers, to get accuracy/shot placement that I personally can't get out of any other handgun within reason. Even thow I am mainly in investigations I still go on dangerous calls or in situations. I would prefer to get the 5'' and don't care about the weight and size as my life is more important to me then me being comfortable which is why I ALWAYS wear my ballistic vest even if going to court. Is there a need for night sites? I have not ever had them on any of my equipment.
IZinterrogator
Member
Nope, won't do it.
Powderman
Member
Heh heh heh....
You are now forsworn to buy a Colt. You will have the horsey in your holster.
Beware--the lure of the Tupperware is strong and seductive. Fire many rounds of .45 ACP through an all steel Colt to banish the evil thoughts.
ALL YOUR COLT ARE BELONG TO US!!!!!!
Seriously, I carry a Colt Enhanced for a duty gun, and would not trade it for the world. It is as reliable as my G22 (did I just say that? HORRORS!!!), which is to say that it has not had ONE malfunction since I purchased it that was not a magazine spring or bad reload on my part since I purchased it new in 1994.
Beware, though--if the Colt has extended controls on it, it will not work too well in an 070 or 6280 holster. I had a speed safety and slide stop on mine, but took them off to ensure that they functioned well in my holsters.
You are now forsworn to buy a Colt. You will have the horsey in your holster.
Beware--the lure of the Tupperware is strong and seductive. Fire many rounds of .45 ACP through an all steel Colt to banish the evil thoughts.
ALL YOUR COLT ARE BELONG TO US!!!!!!
Seriously, I carry a Colt Enhanced for a duty gun, and would not trade it for the world. It is as reliable as my G22 (did I just say that? HORRORS!!!), which is to say that it has not had ONE malfunction since I purchased it that was not a magazine spring or bad reload on my part since I purchased it new in 1994.
Beware, though--if the Colt has extended controls on it, it will not work too well in an 070 or 6280 holster. I had a speed safety and slide stop on mine, but took them off to ensure that they functioned well in my holsters.
rock jock
Member
To each his own. I started out CCW'ing a Glock 23 and the Commander/Officer size frame best approximates the G23. There are a lot of people who actually shoot the shorter frame 1911's better because they are ever so slightly more manuverable.
Aguila Blanca
Member
Wilson quality seems to have been on a downturn recently. Baers, IMHO, are target pistols. The company won't even talk to you about problems until you have run 500 "break-in" rounds through the pistol. If I spend that much money on a pistol, it better be 100% reliable from the first round.
Get the Gunsite
DHart
Member
In general I would choose a Colt over any of the semi-customs for defense work anyday. Colt 1911's are just not finnicky... they run, with any quality ammo, with any quality magazine... clean or dirty.. they just run. GO with the Colt.
The Baer, Wilson, and Brown semi-customs are nice guns, but certainly no more reliable (and in many cases less reliable) than a Colt. I think Wilsons are over-rated and over-priced. In the semi-custom category, Baer or Brown would be my choice, particularly as a bullseye gun... but neither would be selected over a Colt as a fighting gun. Get the Gunsite, get to know it with a few hundred rounds of 230 gr. Golden Saber and hit the streets.
The Baer, Wilson, and Brown semi-customs are nice guns, but certainly no more reliable (and in many cases less reliable) than a Colt. I think Wilsons are over-rated and over-priced. In the semi-custom category, Baer or Brown would be my choice, particularly as a bullseye gun... but neither would be selected over a Colt as a fighting gun. Get the Gunsite, get to know it with a few hundred rounds of 230 gr. Golden Saber and hit the streets.
Colt's quality has gone up and down over the years sometimes they have made quality products at other times pure trash. If you spend the money of a Wilson for example you always get quality and reliability its nota gamble like with Colt. Plus Colts just plain don't look that good. Their Fugly.
Pat
Pat
Gordy Wesen
Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2003
- Messages
- 422
RPD,
I would go with the Gunsite Caspian with Heine straight 8 night sights and Wilson 8 round mags. Period.
I would go with the Gunsite Caspian with Heine straight 8 night sights and Wilson 8 round mags. Period.
DHart
Member
There is no more of a gamble with recent Colts than buying a Wilson or a Baer, or a Springfield, or a Smith. You pay your money and take a chance. A lemon can be found from any maker indeed! There are plenty of people who can attest to needing factory service to make ANY recent production 1911 run right and, fortunately, all of these companies will work to make their guns run right if they don't out of the box.
Nice thing is that you can typically rely on Colts to run right without a bobble of any kind, straight out-of-the-box. And Colt doesn't expect you to spend hundreds of dollars on ammo and hours of potential shooting frustration to "break-in" a 1911 that should have run right straight out-of-the-box in the first place. Colt specializes in making "fighting" guns, not finnicky target guns.
Several of these other makers believe you should have to shoot 1000 rounds or so before their 1911 will run reliably for you. That may be typical and even acceptable with a bullseye competition gun, but it's pure horse-hooey for a guy who wants a fighting 1911.
Colts are fugly? Now that's humorous... as for looks... well, we all know there's no accounting for taste! Colt doesn't need me to mention that in the eyes of countless 1911 lovers, nothing will ever match the look of a Colt!
As for reliability, no maker has perfected that! Wilson's stumble and fall just like guns from any maker you can name. Of course, few would doubt that Wilson makes a good quality pistol, in fact no doubt that many Wilsons can actually be as reliable as Colts, given particular ammo and particular magazines... but at a very steep price indeed. This is no slam on Wilsons; while I wouldn't pay the money for one, I wouldn't mind having one either. But it wouldn't be a replacement for any of my Colts.
The fact remains that Colt's have demonstrated that a fine quality production gun, made of good quality parts can be made and sold for a reasonable price that will gobble up whatever you choose to feed it without being fussy. And be quite respectably accurate as well. And fortunately, with a Colt, you don't need to spend DOUBLE the price to obtain a perfectly reliable fighting 1911.
Colt doesn't make much effort to woo and wow with whiz-bang, fru-fru doo dads or gizmos, they just make solid, reliable, affordable fighting 1911's that any gun owner can be proud of and trust his life to.
Nice thing is that you can typically rely on Colts to run right without a bobble of any kind, straight out-of-the-box. And Colt doesn't expect you to spend hundreds of dollars on ammo and hours of potential shooting frustration to "break-in" a 1911 that should have run right straight out-of-the-box in the first place. Colt specializes in making "fighting" guns, not finnicky target guns.
Several of these other makers believe you should have to shoot 1000 rounds or so before their 1911 will run reliably for you. That may be typical and even acceptable with a bullseye competition gun, but it's pure horse-hooey for a guy who wants a fighting 1911.
Colts are fugly?
Now that's humorous... as for looks... well, we all know there's no accounting for taste! Colt doesn't need me to mention that in the eyes of countless 1911 lovers, nothing will ever match the look of a Colt!As for reliability, no maker has perfected that! Wilson's stumble and fall just like guns from any maker you can name. Of course, few would doubt that Wilson makes a good quality pistol, in fact no doubt that many Wilsons can actually be as reliable as Colts, given particular ammo and particular magazines... but at a very steep price indeed. This is no slam on Wilsons; while I wouldn't pay the money for one, I wouldn't mind having one either. But it wouldn't be a replacement for any of my Colts.
The fact remains that Colt's have demonstrated that a fine quality production gun, made of good quality parts can be made and sold for a reasonable price that will gobble up whatever you choose to feed it without being fussy. And be quite respectably accurate as well. And fortunately, with a Colt, you don't need to spend DOUBLE the price to obtain a perfectly reliable fighting 1911.
Colt doesn't make much effort to woo and wow with whiz-bang, fru-fru doo dads or gizmos, they just make solid, reliable, affordable fighting 1911's that any gun owner can be proud of and trust his life to.
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Johnny Guest
Moderator In Memoriam
I suggest you consider another sidearm.
RPD, this is written with ALL due respect - - No flames, no joking, and certainly with no thought of demeaning your quest for knowledge.
If your desire to use this particular type pistol is such that you even contemplate being "talked out of it" by a bunch of strangers on an internet forum, then perhaps you should stick with a Glock or a SiG in .45 ACP. Both of these are good, reliable handguns, and either would serve you well.
Agency issue aside, the only justification for choosing to pack a 1911-type is a dedication to, an affection for, this sort of pistol. It requires a certain amount of training, a through knowledge of the manual of arms, and a good deal of range time to make a tyro safe and comfortable with it. Good police instruction is easier to obtain for other types of autoloaders than the big bore single action.
It is not a difficult task to learn to shoot a 1911 accurately, nor to learn to keep one's finger off the trigger. It's fairly easy to take one to the range, or to shoot a match with one. These, however, are quite different from carrying one in a holster, locked and loaded, for years on end, and doing the administrative manipulation needful for practice, qualification, and cleaning.
Now, lest you think I dislike the 1911 personally - - I've been shooting then for nearly five decades. In 1972, when I could choose my own duty sidearm, it became my full time main battery. I am a firm advocate of this type pistol, but I feel it should be carried only by those with sufficient motivation, training, and practice to do so effectively and safely.
Whatever your choice, I wish you safety and success in your career.
Best,
Johnny
RPD, this is written with ALL due respect - - No flames, no joking, and certainly with no thought of demeaning your quest for knowledge.
If your desire to use this particular type pistol is such that you even contemplate being "talked out of it" by a bunch of strangers on an internet forum, then perhaps you should stick with a Glock or a SiG in .45 ACP. Both of these are good, reliable handguns, and either would serve you well.
Agency issue aside, the only justification for choosing to pack a 1911-type is a dedication to, an affection for, this sort of pistol. It requires a certain amount of training, a through knowledge of the manual of arms, and a good deal of range time to make a tyro safe and comfortable with it. Good police instruction is easier to obtain for other types of autoloaders than the big bore single action.
It is not a difficult task to learn to shoot a 1911 accurately, nor to learn to keep one's finger off the trigger. It's fairly easy to take one to the range, or to shoot a match with one. These, however, are quite different from carrying one in a holster, locked and loaded, for years on end, and doing the administrative manipulation needful for practice, qualification, and cleaning.
Now, lest you think I dislike the 1911 personally - - I've been shooting then for nearly five decades. In 1972, when I could choose my own duty sidearm, it became my full time main battery. I am a firm advocate of this type pistol, but I feel it should be carried only by those with sufficient motivation, training, and practice to do so effectively and safely.
Whatever your choice, I wish you safety and success in your career.
Best,
Johnny
Dr. J Frame
Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2005
- Messages
- 60
Kinda in a hurry and haven't read through the entire thread yet.
I purchased a new Colt Gunsite a little over a year ago. Make sure you handle it before you buy. I special ordered mine and it was REALLY loose. All the movement was between the slide/frame. The barrel & bushing was tight, though, and overall was fairly accurate.
The biggest problem I had was front sight drift. The dovetail was cut too large for the Novak front. It started drifting the first time at the range. I did the dimpling trick to the bottom but it began moving about a week later. I finally glued it in place with Acraglass.
Mine was the blued version. I love the blued over bead-blasting look, but it was the fastest wearing finish I've ever encountered on a firearm. I have the same finish on a custom falling block and it hasn't worn over several years.
One day I finally had enough and it wasn't really the fault of the gun. I was competing in the DPMS Tri-Gun Challange and the trigger stuck rearward during a course. In the end I found it was simply a piece of sawdust from their LumberJack course that had wedged between the trigger bar and frame. I ended up selling it a few days later and chalked it up to bad luck.
I purchased a new Colt Gunsite a little over a year ago. Make sure you handle it before you buy. I special ordered mine and it was REALLY loose. All the movement was between the slide/frame. The barrel & bushing was tight, though, and overall was fairly accurate.
The biggest problem I had was front sight drift. The dovetail was cut too large for the Novak front. It started drifting the first time at the range. I did the dimpling trick to the bottom but it began moving about a week later. I finally glued it in place with Acraglass.
Mine was the blued version. I love the blued over bead-blasting look, but it was the fastest wearing finish I've ever encountered on a firearm. I have the same finish on a custom falling block and it hasn't worn over several years.
One day I finally had enough and it wasn't really the fault of the gun. I was competing in the DPMS Tri-Gun Challange and the trigger stuck rearward during a course. In the end I found it was simply a piece of sawdust from their LumberJack course that had wedged between the trigger bar and frame. I ended up selling it a few days later and chalked it up to bad luck.
horge
Member
Great post, except for the above perceived bobble.
There ARE mechanical superiorities found in the 1911 format,
the trigger being one of the foremost.
Mabuhay, y'all.
Johnny Guest
Moderator In Memoriam
Huh?
I'm always open to having my grammar corrected, though. I guess it could have been phrased, "Aside from a situation in which the agency [specifies and] issues the duty sidearm, the only justification for choosing the 1911 pistol is either a dedication to [OR] and affection for the type." Thats an either/or phrase, not dedication AND affection.
Best regards,
Johnny
What bobble is that, horge? You quote,
I like to be pretty precise in my choice of words, the occasional typographic error notwithstanding.
I'm always open to having my grammar corrected, though. I guess it could have been phrased, "Aside from a situation in which the agency [specifies and] issues the duty sidearm, the only justification for choosing the 1911 pistol is either a dedication to [OR] and affection for the type." Thats an either/or phrase, not dedication AND affection.Best regards,
Johnny
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