Cant remember exactly when I got this one , but it was the late 80's, or early 90's anyway. Its a Series 80 "Enhanced" Combat Commander.
Im thinking I paid around $500 for it at the time, but CRS is creeping in quicker now, so.... It started out a carbon steel gun in a pretty bright Colt blue, but was a rust bucket by the end of the first summer, so I had it hard chromed.
It also came with a staked-in front sight, which I had changed to a dovetail when I gave it to EGW to do a reliability package on it when I first got it.
The Enhanced model was supposedly Colts idea of upgrading things, and it seems plastic triggers and MSH's were part of that. I swapped them out for steel parts right off. It also came with a sorta flat rib on top of the slide, and a fancier hammer as opposed to the traditional rowel type.
They also put what they were calling a "beavertail" on them, which was simply a slightly modified grip safety with a flattened-out spur on it. Its not a functioning beavertail in the sense you would think. It was a cheap way out of not having to modify the frames, and they suck big time. It would pinch my hand every time I shot it. I filed it down to a more traditional profile and that solved that issue.
Once I got it back from having it gone over and having the sights fixed up, I carried that gun on a daily basis for over 10 years. Still have it and still shoot it regularly.
I got this one off a boy at work who was going through a divorce. Its your basic Seris 80 Colt Combat Commander. Paid $200 for it. It was SS and was nasty looking when I got it. Just filthy dirty and covered in all sorts of scratches. I don't think it was ever cleaned and must have been bouncing around in a tool box or something. I stripped it down and bead blasted it with glass beads, replaced the plastic parts with steel, and put a set of S&A grips on it.
This one I got a couple of years back. Supposedly an Israeli police trade in that was reimported (Century Arms of all places). Im not really sure what went on with it, or exactly what it is. Its almost like its some sort of transitional thing.
It has a Series 80 serial number, which shows it was originally a blued steel gun. It doesn't have the Series 80 firing pin safety in it, nor did it ever have the frame cut for it. The slide is marked Colt Combat Commander 9mm Luger.
It must have had some rusting issues at some point, as I can see where it was cleaned up and has similar things, after effects going on that my gun had from the rust and how that cleaned up. It was also given what looks like a factory Satin Nickel finish. For some reason, they didn't do the smaller parts and barrel and they were left blue.
When I got it, someone had put what looked like a Wilson drop in beavertail on it, and some weird, flat, MSH, which I replaced with factory steel parts.
The dealer wanted $1000 for it, but I didn't pay that, and traded into it with "something" I cant remember what right now. CRS.
As I got it...
As it is now...
Most of the older Colts I see come through the shops around here these days are usually in the $1000-$1200 and up range, depending on what they are, and how clean they are. And that's obviously used guns, and without the box, etc. The new Colts are usually in the $750-$900 range for a basic gun.