More new offerings from Colt

[Robinson]

Colt has recently added a 9mm Railgun with stainless finish to their website. Also there is now an updated Delta Elite with a beavertail grip safety and Novak sights. The old more basic Delta Elite has been discontinued.

Along with the Combat Unit Pistol, new Lightweight Commanders, and Competition Pistols they have a pretty decent lineup. Plus you can still buy any of several basic Colts including the excellent Series 70 Repros.

I figured since there has been discussion of 9mm 1911s on the board of late, the 9mm Railgun might be of interest to some.

[orionz06]

Now if only someone will trade me for this .45 I have...

[Tamara]

Colt's last really New Offering was the All-American 2000, and I think we can all see the lesson they chose to take from that experience. ;)

[Robinson]

Colt's last really New Offering was the All-American 2000, and I think we can all see the lesson they chose to take from that experience. ;)

Okay, I see your point. I do.

On the other hand, there are some pistols in Colt's current catalog that are worthy of consideration for the pistolero. Obviously that is just my opinion. They needed to do what they seem to be doing.


Oh, and if any mods care to fix the stupid-ass typo in the thread title...

[Tamara]

Okay, I see your point. I do.

On the other hand, there are some pistols in Colt's current catalog that are worthy of consideration for the pistolero. Obviously that is just my opinion. They needed to do what they seem to be doing.

Hey, I meant no deep or hidden meanings, I was just making a throwaway funny. (Someone at the NRAAM this month quipped, in regard to the retro Colt M-16A1 and XM177 lookalikes, that "Colt's been making all their money on 1911s and Peacemakers for twenty years, so they might as well go all-in on the historical reproduction market." ;) )

It's worth noting, however, that Colt has at least fielded an all-new clean-sheet-of-paper pistol design more recently than Glock has. :eek: ;)

[BES]

Really interested in the Combat Unit in 9mm.... Plus it's got Hackathorn behind it. Somehow I don't own any 1911s anymore :(

[Totem Polar]

Has anyone PM'd Pincus the good news?

[Jeep]

Hey, I meant no deep or hidden meanings, I was just making a throwaway funny. (Someone at the NRAAM this month quipped, in regard to the retro Colt M-16A1 and XM177 lookalikes, that "Colt's been making all their money on 1911s and Peacemakers for twenty years, so they might as well go all-in on the historical reproduction market." ;) )

It's worth noting, however, that Colt has at least fielded an all-new clean-sheet-of-paper pistol design more recently than Glock has. :eek: ;)

To Colt's credit, its new offerings may not be new designs, but they do seem to be reliable out of the box, which didn't always used to seem to be the case.

Glock seems to have decided that uniform reliability is a way overrated virtue.

[Tamara]

To Colt's credit, its new offerings may not be new designs, but they do seem to be reliable out of the box, which didn't always used to seem to be the case.

Glock seems to have decided that uniform reliability is a way overrated virtue.

While Colt's average out of the box reliability across the breadth of its product lineup has seen improvement over the last decade and Glock's has similarly declined, anybody who thinks those lines have come anywhere near crossing on the graph is engaged in magical thinking.

[Robinson]

While Colt's average out of the box reliability across the breadth of its product lineup has seen improvement over the last decade and Glock's has similarly declined, anybody who thinks those lines have come anywhere near crossing on the graph is engaged in magical thinking.

I would agree with that. While any new pistol needs to be proven fit for carry, I think you can pick an off the shelf G17 and put it in your holster pretty confident that it will work properly without drama. I am fairly confident a new Colt will work okay, but each one really needs to be shaken out. I think it goes back to what a lot of folks on the forum say about 1911s for serious use. I make my choices and go through the process of vetting any Colt I carry or use for HD.

I recently traded in a 9mm Commander that ran great with ball ammo but was shaky with hollow points. I could have invested the time and expense to get it to run properly with HP ammo, but since my 9mm CCP is so solid I decided on another of those to keep with the concept of having a duplicate for practice.

[Jay Cunningham]

Oh, and if any mods care to fix the stupid-ass typo in the thread title...

Spelling NAZI to the rescue!

[Handy]

Seems like Colt stopped being a design firm about the time Browning came along. All the self loading products they are known for are contracted designs, more or less.

But I guess the same thing happened to HK, so maybe that's just the way things go for innovative companies over time as their inventive founders retire.

[JSGlock34]

Colt's last really New Offering was the All-American 2000, and I think we can all see the lesson they chose to take from that experience. ;)

Wasn't the All-American 2000 originally designed by Reed Knight and handed off to Colt?

They also whipped up an entrant for the Offensive Handgun Weapon System that ultimately became the MK23. I suppose you could argue that it was a 'new design', though it appears they took the frame from a 1911, the trigger from the Double Eagle, and the locking system from the AA2000. It, um, didn't win.

8213

[Tamara]

Wasn't the All-American 2000 originally designed by Reed Knight and handed off to Colt?

Yes, Knight and Stoner.

It was a new design that had mostly been bought (traded into, IIRC) from outside the company and then finished up in-house. I wonder if Colt has the engineering and production resources to do a new pistol from the ground-up right now?

FWIW, there was one of the Offensive Handgun prototypes in the RIA cases at the NRAAM last weekend, but I'll be damned if I can find the pics I snapped. :(

[Jay Cunningham]

Wasn't the All-American 2000 originally designed by Reed Knight and handed off to Colt?

They also whipped up an entrant for the Offensive Handgun Weapon System that ultimately became the MK23. I suppose you could argue that it was a 'new design', though it appears they took the frame from a 1911, the trigger from the Double Eagle, and the locking system from the AA2000. It, um, didn't win.

8213

It may not have won, but it certainly was Offensive.








:cool:

[TR675]

Yep, weird and junky.

https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-offensive-pistol-at-ria/


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[JSGlock34]

There's also the forgotten Colt SSP, which is best known as a historical footnote from the XM9 trials...

8214

[Handy]

There's also the forgotten Colt SSP, which is best known as a historical footnote from the XM9 trials...


I like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was mostly a Star P30.

[Tamara]

There's also the forgotten Colt SSP, which is best known as a historical footnote from the XM9 trials...

A hint at why that handgun might look familiar can be found here (http://twowheeledmadwoman.blogspot.com/2012/04/1911-esque-380s-collect-whole-set.html)...

[Robinson]

TAMARA!!! Y'all drifted the hell out of my thread with that All-American 2000 post. Of course the thread is cooler now...

[45dotACP]

Wow...some cool history factoids here!

And yeah, Colts new offerings are some of the best entry level 1911s I've ever seen. If you're looking to get into 1911s, I'd go with a Colt.

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[Tamara]

TAMARA!!! Y'all drifted the hell out of my thread with that All-American 2000 post. Of course the thread is cooler now...

I'm sorry. :(

By way of making up, I went looking for the pics I took of the new iteration of the Delta Elite but I couldn't find them. On the other hand, I found this...

8215

[Moshjath]

Looks like a 9mm Colt Combat Unit Railgun as well. Don't think that was on the product page last time I saw it.

http://www.colt.com/Catalog/Pistols/Colt-Combat-Unit-Rail-Gun

[Robinson]

I'm sorry. :(

By way of making up, I went looking for the pics I took of the new iteration of the Delta Elite but I couldn't find them. On the other hand, I found this...

<pic of trio of Colts>

Leave it to you to both further drift and reinforce the OP with a single picture... :)

[Robinson]

Looks like a 9mm Colt Combat Unit Railgun as well. Don't think that was on the product page last time I saw it.

http://www.colt.com/Catalog/Pistols/Colt-Combat-Unit-Rail-Gun


Yep, I noticed that as well. The 25 LPI front strap checkering on that model is a nice feature.

[JSGlock34]

I'm impressed with the Colt Series 70 models from the custom shop...hope they expand beyond the Level 1 and Level 2 offerings. The Level Two seems worth the extra cost for the magwell, grips and tritium sights. I'd love to see a Combat Elite two tone model...

7466

7467

Took 'em long enough though...Springfield Armory has had these for decades...

[Robinson]

Took 'em long enough though...Springfield Armory has had these for decades...

Not sure what you mean... Colt has offered other pistols with similar features. The XSE line was discontinued last year due to slow sales. The Special Combat Government Carry model is similar to the Level II but is a Series 80 gun. Not arguing, just hoping you can clarify.

[JSGlock34]

Not sure what you mean... Colt has offered other pistols with similar features. The XSE line was discontinued last year due to slow sales. The Special Combat Government Carry model is similar to the Level II but is a Series 80 gun. Not arguing, just hoping you can clarify.

That's exactly it - the XSE guns were Series 80, but there has been demand for years for Series 70 guns with custom features. The Series 70 has always been a popular base gun for custom work (mainly due to the perception that a gunsmith can get a better trigger pull from a Series 70).

[Jeep]

While Colt's average out of the box reliability across the breadth of its product lineup has seen improvement over the last decade and Glock's has similarly declined, anybody who thinks those lines have come anywhere near crossing on the graph is engaged in magical thinking.

That is a good point, and if my post had a bit too much hyperbole in it, I apologize. You also see a lot more new guns than most of us, but it is my impression at least that you can expect a new Colt to work out of the box, as you can with a G17 or G22.

I'm not sure that Glock is there with the G19, yet, though you would have a much better handle on that.

[Robinson]

That's exactly it - the XSE guns were Series 80, but there has been demand for years for Series 70 guns with custom features. The Series 70 has always been a popular base gun for custom work (mainly due to the perception that a gunsmith can get a better trigger pull from a Series 70).

Okay, gotcha. I guess it was the comparison to Springfield Armory that threw me a little.

I don't see the Series 80 thing as a big problem and I use them regularly. I will admit my Series 70 pistols have slightly better triggers though.

[Whiskey_Bravo]

I am starting to think that a 9mm Combat Unit gun milled for an RMR might be the ultimate cure for the Austrian Tupperware blues...

Or at least a badass BBQ gun.

[Robinson]

Resurrecting this thread just to mention I picked up a new Colt Lightweight Commander 9mm. All of my other 1911s are 9mm steel Government models -- once I've put enough rounds through this gun to determine it is reliable it will probably become my carry gun, carried a lot and shot a little. So far the pistol looks good, no noticeable defects. I'll report in a few weeks how well it is performing at the range.

[Robinson]

Took the 9mm Lwt Commander for its first range trip today. It was a short session -- I fired 50 Federal 147gr HST (my carry ammo) and 100 Federal 147gr FMJ rounds using a combination of Wilson Combat ETM and Colt factory magazines. There were no failures and the gun shoots very nicely. The dual recoil spring system works well and recoil is very mild for a lightweight pistol. The combination of the G10 grip panels and vertical front strap serrations provide for a good firm grip. The cocking serrations, while not traditional, work very well. Sights seem to be right on at 7 and 10 yards.

It's way too early yet, but this will become my main carry gun if it keeps performing like it did today.

[MK11]

Thanks for the follow-up. Please give an update when you can--I think a lot of people are interested in this one.

[JAD]

I have done the carry-light practice-steel thing before, and it worked OK. I usually would open each range trip with the carry gun, like a dot torture or just a couple of FASTs or whatever, before swapping in the steel gun for the main session, and then I would return to the carry gun for ten rounds before leaving.

[Robinson]

I have done the carry-light practice-steel thing before, and it worked OK. I usually would open each range trip with the carry gun, like a dot torture or just a couple of FASTs or whatever, before swapping in the steel gun for the main session, and then I would return to the carry gun for ten rounds before leaving.

Yeah I think that is smart. I will continue to shoot my all-steel Government models a lot more than the Lwt Commander but I will definitely practice with both. One nice thing is that the dual recoil spring setup really tames recoil and makes it not much different than shooting my steel guns in that respect -- it's a little bit snappier but not by much. My home defense pistol is a steel gun and is also my main practice gun.

[LorenzoS]

Is an aluminum framed 9mm 1911 subject to that much more wear than a Sig P226?

[Robinson]

Is an aluminum framed 9mm 1911 subject to that much more wear than a Sig P226?

I don't worry about it too much to be honest. Opinions vary on how durable alloy 1911 frames are, and there have been reports of the feed ramp getting dinged up from either hollow point ammo or certain magazine followers. Colt's alloy frames have a pretty good reputation for not cracking except in the area between the slide release and the top of the frame but that problem has been eliminated by a design change.

[JAD]

Is an aluminum framed 9mm 1911 subject to that much more wear than a Sig P226?
I wouldn't (and don't) worry about wearing out an aluminum 1911 too much. I think it's good to do the lion's share of your practice with a backup to your carry gun, though, and if you don't already have an identical LW then using a steel gun is fine.

[Robinson]

Another quick update on the Lightweight Commander 9mm. The gun has fired 750 rounds of Federal American Eagle 147gr FMJ ammo and 100 rounds of Federal 147gr HST ammo. Still a very low round count, but still no failures of any kind with either the supplied magazines or Wilson Combat ETM magazines. No cleaning yet either, though I did apply lube at around the 500 round count.

[LockedBreech]

Another quick update on the Lightweight Commander 9mm. The gun has fired 750 rounds of Federal American Eagle 147gr FMJ ammo and 100 rounds of Federal 147gr HST ammo. Still a very low round count, but still no failures of any kind with either the supplied magazines or Wilson Combat ETM magazines. No cleaning yet either, though I did apply lube at around the 500 round count.

I think that's a darn decent opening run for a box-stock 1911, and mirrors my thus far 500-ish rounds through my Stainless Government without issue.

I have to say, for all the talk about the finicky nature of 1911s, I've had fewer issues with my 1911 in the first 500 than I did with my M&P or my Sig 226 (which weren't many, and even then with .357 Sig conversion barrels, but still).

[Robinson]

Yeah I'm pretty happy with the purchase so far. I have decided to go ahead an start carrying it, which means I am pretty confident in it. I don't plan on making any modifications, just going to leave it 100% stock.

[JAD]

MAN I love LWCs. Carrying and shooting.

[1986s4]

I just finished a 2000 round test of my lightly modified Colt .38 Super. Solid, just solid.

[Robinson]

I just finished a 2000 round test of my lightly modified Colt .38 Super. Solid, just solid.

Yeah I owned a customized blue 1991 .38 Super until earlier this year. Ran great, very fun to shoot. I should have just bought a 9mm barrel for it.

[1986s4]

Yeah I owned a customized blue 1991 .38 Super until earlier this year. Ran great, very fun to shoot. I should have just bought a 9mm barrel for it.

I have thought of doing just that, a 9mm barrel. But when I consider the expense of not just the barrel and fitting but some 9mm specific mags I realize I could buy a lot of .38 super with that same money.
A lightweight commander in 9mm is something I am considering for carry but that is down the road for now.