Colt 1911 a1 custom series#
Today, most production M1911A1 style pistols run an 80 Series trigger style, with the firing pin lock, for liability reasons, although Colt has brought back the 70 Series for competition models Today, most production M1911A1 style pistols run an 80 Series trigger style, with the firing pin lock, for liability reasons, although Colt has brought back the 70 Series for competition models, albeit at competition model price points.įrom the beginning, Mr. On the downside, the extra workload put on the 80 Series trigger group gave what some felt was a bit of a “mush” to the trigger, and many preferred the more old-school GI trigger or the tighter 70 Series layout.
Colt 1911 a1 custom manual#
The 80 Series was pitched as offering improved safety, especially for those who carried their M1911A1 “cocked and locked” with a round in the chamber and the hammer locked back by the manual thumb safety. Fast forward to 1983 and Colt did away with the old “70 Series” for the new and improved “80 Series” guns which added a firing pin lock and plunger arrangement to the internals of the gun. Such guns became an instant hit on the competition circuit. In 1970, Colt introduced the MK IV M1911A1 which included a new type of bushing, termed a collet bushing, that tightened up the often notoriously sloppy “GI” style barrels and much-improved accuracy. While Para came and went, bought and snuffed out by Remington, the double-stack 1911 concept today exists in the 2011 by STI/Staccato. On the opposite side of the spectrum from getting smaller, in 1990 Para USA introduced their P-series double-stack 1911-style pistols which offered as high as an 18+1 capacity, although they filled the mitts and required a He-Man grip to fire one-handed. 380ACP led to the Mustang series and other, more concealed carry-friendly guns that aren’t really even 1911s anymore as they are blowback action.
Going even smaller and downgrading the caliber to.
Using a 3.5-inch barrel and a shortened grip, which dropped capacity down to 6-rounds from the traditional 7, others caught on and soon even Colt was making “Officer” model M1911s. Going even smaller, in 1976 Detonics debuted their Combat Master, based on the Army’s custom chopped-down M1911 produced for issue to generals. This is contrasted against the more full-sized original GI or “Government” 1911. Today “Commander-length” M1911s are increasingly in demand, especially for those looking to carry. 45ACP, which was more of a crowd-pleaser. In 1970, the company ditched the alloy for steel and upped the ante back to. The weight savings came from using aluminum alloys in the frame and setting the gun up for 9mm, none of which proved extremely popular at the time. He had not returned the gun to Castro when the Bay of Pigs Invasion took place in 1961 and, or course, was not able to return it to him after that.Further changes came to the family in 1949 when Colt introduced a more compact, slightly shorter, and lighter version of the M1911A1 dubbed the Commander, which used a 4.25-inch barrel and rowel hammer. Castro had admired a custom engraved Colt Detective Special that Ek had and gave him this Colt 1911 to engrave for him. Note: Florida knifemaker John Ek traveled to Cuba several times during the 1950s and had made the acquaintance of Fidel Castro.Ek's name on it and copy of Colt factory letter stating that #178121 was shipped to the Springfield Armory in 1917. Ek brought back with him, a Cuban cigar band with Mr.
Ek's police identification, copies of correspondence concerning the pistol, three Cuban lottery tickets circa 1957 that Mr. With accompanying provenance including the history of the gun (see below), copies of articles on knifemaker John Ek, Mr. Custom silver grips with applied gilt motifs including scrollwork banding, stag's heads and the heads of Aztec eagle warriors with a plaque on either side inscribed Fidel Castro. Frame and slide profusely scroll-engraved and gold-plated by John Ek, circa 1958.