Colt M1991A1 - Police Trade In

I thought about that as I was putting it back together. Would've been very easy to take care of the Series 80 issue. However, I can't say that it's really that much of an issue for me. The trigger on this gun is already just about perfect (at least for me, might have something to do with the fact that I'm used to either a man-sized double action pull on a revolver, or a Glock trigger). Makes me wonder if a police armorer did some magic on it originally.

Regardless, my plan is to keep it as stock as I can for as long as I can, just to see what a basic no-frills 1911 can do, even with the Series 80 doo-dad. The only exception will be the forth-coming mesquite grips with indian-head nickel inserts.

I'm also going to leave the grip safety as-is. A beavertail would make sense, but I like the looks of the GI-style safety, and I don't show any hammer bite until I get near 100 rounds.

It would be a shame to not have all the stock parts, should you ever decide to sell it. But otherwise I have litte compunction about changing things. So in my Sigs I have an SRT in the 3 that are DA/SA. But I have the original sears and disconnects.

I use to get a bite mark from my 1911 target gun at the end of the match. That's only 30 rounds. I am much happier with the newer beavertails. But it changes the "stock" part. HOWEVER - Colt makes a drop-in beavertail that does NOT require milling the frame to accept it. You might consider it.

Yeah, I've already started looking at that grip safety. I might take that leap later.

As I was talking to one of my bosses at the office about my 1991, he said he'd like to go shoot his 1911 sometime. Asked if I would lube it up for him. Of course, I'd be happy to. I gave it a very thorough cleaning and replaced some very very old springs in it for him.

Turns out, it's a REAL 1911, not a 1911A1. Manufactured by Springfield Armory in 1915 (which I learned after checking the serial numbers).

And DANG, I got hammer bite from that monster just by racking the slide. That hammer hanging out over the edge of the grip safety by about 1/8 of an inch is like the tooth of an angry badger.

I am going to take him shooting, with some very light handloads, but there's no way I'm shooting that 1911 without a glove or bandaid on my hand. I don't know how those U.S. doughboys ever shot those hand-chompers.

That little beauty is worth some money. You don't find a lot of 1911's about.

I was a little concerned while taking it apart, cleaning and lubricating it. Thank God, I'd already been warned heavily about avoiding the 1911 "idiot mark" (the scratch you put on the frame if you drag the slide release upward into the locking hole).

Fortunately, his already had the idiot mark, as did mine when I bought it.

When he handed it to me, it was in a moisture absorbing GI leather holster. When I give it back to him, it will be in a gun rug, and I'm going to tell him that storing that classic in a nasty old leather holster makes Jesus cry, so stop it.

Oh, the "idiot mark" is common, even with people who know about 1911's. Some times that darn spring is really stiff, and if the gun is disassembled in the field (you DO know you can take the whole thing apart without a single tool, don't you) there is little ability to push that in with something before inserting the slide stop pin.

Thank you for the tip, TJ.  My copy arrived at the local FFL yesterday.  Discovered a bulge in the barrel, Sprague's is stepping up and addressing the issue.  Looks to be a gun in very good mechanical condition, a bit of holster wear, when the barrel issue is straightened out, should be a great shooter.  Thanks again!

My pleasure Otis. But dang, sorry to hear about the barrel bulge. I know 2 other guys who bought one of these trade-in 1911's, and they were in great shape as well. This is the 2nd used gun I've bought from Sprague's and they seem like real stand-up guys.

On a different note, I learned that my friend who has the old 1911 doesn't have a magazine for it. (Don't get me started on how that could be.) I decided to get him a Colt mag, and when I ordered it, Numrich's also had the Colt duckbill grip safety. I decided to get that, too. I'm hoping it will drop right in, or go in wih minimal filing on the grip safety. Will let you all know how it turns out.

Also got my western-style mesquite grips. Once I get those on I will post a photo.

Dang, it appears that I am gradually turning into a 1911 guy.

Tennessee Jed wrote:
On a different note, I learned that my friend who has the old 1911 doesn't have a magazine for it.  (Don't get me started on how that could be.)  I decided to get him a Colt mag, and when I ordered it, Numrich's also had the Colt duckbill grip safety.  I decided to get that, too.  I'm hoping it will drop right in, or go in wih minimal filing on the grip safety.  Will let you all know how it turns out.

Also got my western-style mesquite grips.  Once I get those on I will post a photo.

Dang, it appears that I am gradually turning into a 1911 guy.  

Funny how that happens. What it says is that the 1911 really IS an iconic weapon, with something for everyone to love.

Otis2 wrote:Thank you for the tip, TJ.  My copy arrived at the local FFL yesterday.  Discovered a bulge in the barrel, Sprague's is stepping up and addressing the issue.  Looks to be a gun in very good mechanical condition, a bit of holster wear, when the barrel issue is straightened out, should be a great shooter.  Thanks again!

Otis - Wilson Combat just sent out a notice for a drop-in 1911 barrel with bushing - $190. If it interests you.

Wow, that is a nice price for a WC barrel!  Thanks for the tip, Dev!  Sprague's is taking care of the issue.  FedEx will pick up the 1911 from my FFL tomorrow for return to AZ.  They will replace the barrel and fit a replacement.  I am certain that they want to confirm there is an actual problem, it seems to me it would be a whole lot easier for them to just ship a replacement barrel.  But I'm in no rush for the gun, Lord knows I have more than enough handguns!

Tennessee Jed wrote:On a different note, I learned that my friend who has the old 1911 doesn't have a magazine for it.  (Don't get me started on how that could be.)  I decided to get him a Colt mag, and when I ordered it, Numrich's also had the Colt duckbill grip safety.  I decided to get that, too.  I'm hoping it will drop right in, or go in wih minimal filing on the grip safety.  Will let you all know how it turns out.

Not sure which mags you picked up from Numrich.  I've always found their shipping to be rather steep.  Greg Cote LLC is usually my go to for magazine purchases.  His prices are competitive and his service can not be beat.  He has 1911 mags by ACT, Metalform, Wilson Combat and MecGar.  I've always had excellent results with the WC's, Chip McCormicks and Tripp Research.  

http://www.gregcotellc.com/cart/index.php

Dang, it appears that I am gradually turning into a 1911 guy.  

If you are ever in my neighborhood, NW Ohio, you are certainly welcome to shoot my 1911's.  I have some nice ones, my Dan Wesson in 9mm is probably my favorite gun to shoot, the SIG in 357 SIG is a beaut, and the Dan Wesson and Colt in 10mm are the hammers of Thor.  Something other worldly about a nice 1911 trigger.

Thanks Otis!  Those are good prices.  My next mag purchases will be from Greg. And if I ever get up around your area, you can count on me giving you a call to go experience some 1911 goodness.

The price on the official Colt mag from Numrich wasn't too bad, a little more than I should've paid.  Honestly, the main reason for getting it there was to combine shipping with that Colt ducktail grip safety.  I'm still nowhere near 100% on the idea of a ducktail, but if it will allow me to keep the spur hammer, even if I have to bob a little bit off the spur, I'll give it a shot.

I got the mesquite grips on last night.  Got them from a gentleman on a different forum who specializes in different wood grips for Ruger revolvers.  I have grips from him in mesquite on both a Ruger Blackhawk and my beloved GP100.  I think they add a nice Western flair to a gun that was carried by a western lawman.  It's hard to see in my crappy photo, but the insert is a buffalo nickel on one side, and an indian head nickel on the other.  

That's turned into quite a nice piece, TJ.

Those grips look beautiful! How are they when your hands get moist?

Mighty fine chunk of steel you have there, gratz!

Thanks Otis. Not sure yet about how they'll hold up with wet hands. The wood isn't super smooth, it has a little grip to it, so I have high hopes.

Devereaux wrote:Otis - Wilson Combat just sent out a notice for a drop-in 1911 barrel with bushing - $190. If it interests you.

I just received a Brownells flyer, they have Ed Brown barrels with bushings at $170 and $140 for Commander for anyone interested. Is one better than the other? Is 45 better than 9?

A man far wiser than I said that St. Paul himself carries a 45.

Less is never more.

It is just less.

Tennessee Jed wrote:

Less is never more.

It is just less.

Although how you count less and more does make a difference.

Sprague's took care of the issue. The 1911 arrived at my FFL today. Was planning on picking it up tomorrow but an industrial incident happened today at work that struck a nerve. Fortunately, no one was hurt, or worse. Regardless, it hit home and I decided to play hooky the rest of the day and get some therapy on the range.

The new barrel was perfect, the gun shoots like a dream. The gun originally came with rubber finger grip grooves, which aren't my cup of tea, so I put on a set of checkered wood grips I had laying around. Overall, I am very happy with both the gun and the service received from Sprague's in Yuma, AZ.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lwidhex2424m05p/Colt%20M1991A1.jpg?dl=0

Very nice Otis! Those grips look great. Very glad you are happy with it.

I have added a ducktail grip safety to mine that I got from Numrich's. It required a tiny bit of filing to fit and I am very happy with the $32 investment.

I have learned that the Colt mag that came with mine leads to feedway stoppages, but no problems with the Wilson ETM mags after about 450 rounds. I am going to go to your guy to get some more.

The next challenge for me is to start working on a cast bullet handload to shoot it more inexpensively.

Thanks, TJ. Yeah, I'm really happy with the gun, great buy, great shooter.

I ran 50 cast bullets through it after I picked it up. Ran the Lewis Lead Remover through the barrel, really surprised how much lead came out!

Speaking of the barrel, the 1911 purists will be happy. As you are aware, these guns are Series 80, they have the firing pin blocks, blasphemy for the purists, I realize. The barrel is marked as a Series 70, does that count for anything with the purists?

Over the weekend, I'm hoping to tear it down completely and clean it up well and give it a good lube. I have a feeling this one is pretty dirty inside.

Again, I appreciate the tip, a nice addition to my small collection of 1911's.

Update on my journey down the 1911 path:

I concluded that the sights on my Colt were a little off. I was getting tight groups, but usually consistently going to the right. So I bought a weird contraption, a universal sight adjuster:



It took a couple of trips to the range, but now my Colt is dead-on for 230 grain bullets at 800 - 850 fps.

I've also taken to handloading cast bullets for it. I first started with Magnus 230 grain LRN and 7.7 grains of AA#5. They were accurate, but resulting in some leading in the barrel near the bore. I am pretty sure that the problem is the bullets are too hard and weren't expanding sufficiently with my powder.

I'm about finished with that box of bullets and am trying Rimrock Bullets next, which are a little bit softer. The leading isn't a huge deal, it just adds a step in the cleaning process (with the trusty Chore-Boy method), but I'd prefer no leading at all.

I have also painted the front sight a bright neon green color, using some of my teenage daughter's fingernail polish.

The result, with the look-at-me front sight, the re-adjusted rear sight and the ducktail grip safety, is that it takes zero effort to keep all my shots inside a 3 inch circle at 12 yards. Since upgrading the Colt magazines with a better follower and stiffer spring, I've not had a misfeed.

For a defensive load, I've settled on the Federal Hydra Shok 230 grain jhp. I tend to put more faith in Marshall & Sanow than measurements in gelatin tests, and this round under their studies showed a 95% one shot stop rating. I don't take that as the final word, just an indicator of a round which might be more likely to be successful than others. I've fired a lot of the Hydra Shoks through the 1911, and had no feeding problems.

In case it isn't obvious, I remain smitten with this pistol. I'm not giving up my beloved wheelguns, but I am indeed a devoted fan of the 1911.

?Did you convert it to a Series 70 with the spacer in the frame.