Colt Gold Cup Trophy

[Robinson]

This week I purchased a new Colt Gold Cup Trophy 9mm. With recognition that Colt's management, QC, and customer service problems are genuine, I plan to post info here on the quality of the pistol and its performance in case anyone has interest.

So far I can report that the pistol appears to be well made and put together. There are no apparent flaws in the finish or fitment. There is no slop in the slide to frame fit. The 25 LPI front strap checkering is very nicely done.

At least for the near future this will be one of my main range/practice guns along with my new Beretta Inox Brigadier and the two will just stay in my range bag. I will report how things go once I start putting a bunch of rounds through the gun.

I may end up replacing the dual recoil spring assembly with a standard RSA but I won't make that decision until I see how the pistol shoots as is.

[Robinson]

So the first range trip with the GCT was successful. I only fired 200 rounds through the gun but there were no malfunctions of any kind. I used the magazines supplied by Colt as well as a few Wilson Combat ETMs. Ammo used was Federal American Eagle 147gr FMJ. Prior to shooting the gun was cleaned and lubed with Slip 2000 EWL.

The combination of the 9mm cartridge, all steel Government model, and front strap checkering make accurate shooting easier -- I really can't deny it. The adjustable rear and fiber optic front sight work well, and the Series 70 trigger is very good by my standards.

Not enough rounds through the gun yet to prove much, but I am pleased that it shot so well and I hope it proves to be reliable for the long term. And nothing against my Brigadier but shooting the Colt after the Beretta really is like cheating.

[Robinson]

Another couple hundred rounds through the 9mm Gold Cup Trophy today.

The good:
I continue to be impressed with how this gun shoots.

The bad:
I had one malfunction when a round failed to go all the way into battery. This was when using one of the cheapo magazines supplied by Colt. Disappointing but not too surprising. This illustrates why I use WC ETMs pretty much exclusively in my Colts. Also, I think the 9mm pistols with the dual recoil spring setup may be slightly over-sprung. I am more and more inclined to replace it with a standard 10# recoil spring and guide rod.

[Robinson]

This will be the last update here since there is not much to talk about.

Another 200 rounds through the GCT all using Wilson Combat ETM magazines. There were no malfunctions of any kind.

I really like this pistol and it will remain in my range bag and see a lot of use. It shows good build quality, is easy to shoot well, and is proving reliable -- though I only have 600 rounds through it so far which is just a good start. Ejection is totally fine with no brass to the face at all.

[HCM]

I've been eyeballing one of these but they are close to a DW in price.

How is the 25 yard accuracy?

[MSparks909]

@Robinson how is your bushing to barrel fit? I’ve got a Custom Shop tuned M45A1 and the barrel to bushing fit is very sloppy. Visibly loose and I can wiggle it back and forth easily on the barrel. Might try a drop in Wilson bushing to see if I can tighten the fit a little. How positive is the thumb safety?

[Robinson]

@MSparks909
The bushing rotates easily around the barrel so I would not call it a tight fit. However, there is no side to side or up/down play in the fit. The slide is also nicely fit with zero side to side movement.

The thumb safety is positive both on and off with a crisp click.

I really like Colt's front strap checkering, especially with its double border.

These Gold Cups don't have much hand fitting done to them, but I can believe the factory pays attention when they are assembled to make sure the parts fit properly. It's also possible I lucked out and got a really good example.

[Robinson]

I've been eyeballing one of these but they are close to a DW in price.

How is the 25 yard accuracy?

During the time I was thinking about buying this gun I had also been examining a Dan Wesson Pointman 9 at a LGS. The PM9 is super nice and made it a tough decision. I do prefer Colt's front strap checkering over Dan Wesson's but that is simply a matter of preference.

My shooting with this pistol has all been at 7 and 10 yards so far. Your question reminds me that I should shoot it at 25 yards using a rest to determine accuracy. All I know so far is that the gun is easy to hit with at 10 yards, which is different than intrinsic accuracy of course.

[Balisong]

During the time I was thinking about buying this gun I had also been examining a Dan Wesson Pointman 9 at a LGS. The PM9 is super nice and made it a tough decision. I do prefer Colt's front strap checkering over Dan Wesson's but that is simply a matter of preference.

My shooting with this pistol has all been at 7 and 10 yards so far. Your question reminds me that I should shoot it at 25 yards using a rest to determine accuracy. All I know so far is that the gun is easy to hit with at 10 yards, which is different than intrinsic accuracy of course.

I would also like to hear your 25y accuracy results. Lately I've been having some very ill advised thoughts of sticking my face in the 9mm 1911 rabbit hole....

[Robinson]

I'll try to make some time for that in the coming weeks.