Colt Defender...What do I need to know?

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fireman 9731

fireman 9731

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So I used my tax refund to buy a gun :D

A Colt Defender to be exact. I happened along a nice used one at the local gunshop. Price was $699. I talked him into knocking off the tax, throwing in 2 new magazines, and a box of ammo! Seeing as I just turned 21, and had some cash, I couldn't pass it up!

So I got a nice Colt Defender, 3 mags, and a box of PMC ammo out the door for $649.06! :D

It has some holster wear and a few very minor scratches but thats it. I have put about 100 rounds through it without a single problem. It has cycled PMC, Blazer brass 230 grain solids and Winchester hollow points flawlessly. About 1 in every 20-30 rounds the brass will fly back and hit me in the head, but I don't really care. I really like the gun. The grip is great and the whole things just feels comfortable.

I plan on reloading for it whenever I can finally find some 45 ACP brass in stock anywhere...

This is my first handgun, and I plan on getting my carry permit in a few months. I picked up a Galco Jak slide holster and like it a lot.

So is there anything I need to know in particular about the Colt Defenders? Any common problems? Any Upgrades?

I have also heard of getting a 'carry bevel' job done, Does this just smooth off the hammer, grip safety, and end of the slide? Also the bottom outside edges of the slide seem kinda sharp and grab the holster a little, can I get them beveled too? And whats the average price?

And does anybody know of a good 1911 smith in central or eastern KY?

Thanks!
 
Congratulations.

I get my 45 ACP off Cabelas. What I do is check during the weekends on thier webpage when it's time to buy a specific model of thier .45 ACP Thier websites tend to update on Saturday nights when the item returns to stock and ready to ship.

I dont have anything to offer you on your particular weapon, mine is a S&W 45 ACP M&P Model which is different in some ways than your gun.

You probably enjoyed the savings on the extra accessories with the gun.

Give your weapon a good cleaning when you can, it may have been handled by many people before you got to it.
 
congrads
i got mine when they 1st came out--#12xx. it also hit the forhead about 1 in 35. i live 3 miles from colts and dropped it there for repair. got it back the next day and the smith had 'taken an interest' in it and tweaked the ejecter, beveled, changed springs and....well a lot of stuff.
it shoots all ammo and very accurate also.
so, tweak [file: let a smith do it] the ejector and enjoy.
bit of a hand-full, no?

 
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Give your weapon a good cleaning when you can
Click to expand...

I already have :)

Which brings up another question, that is often asked on here but rarely receives a straight answer... and that is what to lube the rails with. It seems to me like a lot of friction, especially with a stainless slide on an aluminum frame. I used Lucas gun oil, and it seems to be doing fine.... but is there anything special that needs to be done for the aluminum frame/stainless slide lubrication?
 
The first I did to mine was to get rid the cheap plastic trigger, another the cheap plastic mainspring housing, and another replace the hogue wrap grips. Everything on the Officer Frame will fit on your Defender, except for the slide and barrel. Most thing like trigger, magazine catch, sear, disconnector, thumb safety, hammer, sear spring, and series 80 (90?) safety levers will be universal fits.
 
The first I did to mine was to get rid the cheap plastic trigger, another the cheap plastic mainspring housing, and another replace the hogue wrap grips
Click to expand...

The only thing that might be considered plastic on my gun would be the Hogue grips, and I'm not getting rid of them, they fit my hand like a glove.
 
If I remember the question lube correctly, according to my S&W Manual there are 7 lube points. End of barrel, forward of barrel at slide, both safety bar ends, rear of hammerless housing underneath and both rails under the entire slide.

I use just a drop or two of rem oil after a cleaning on my handgun. And it has always worked well so far... 400+ rounds and counting. And I think once gun is clean, just a drop is all you need in the various locations.

If you had a manual with yours, you probably will see where to oil it.

One place I special mention about oiling last and always before a shoot is the action over the chamber. The slide will ride up and over it while ejecting the shell and so far... Ive had no trouble with it... but think if I fail to keep it oiled, it will rust there eventually. stainless steel or not.

Short Barrels dont leave much... room for the burning powder and acceleration of the bullet. Your recoil may be a bit harder depending on what loads you are firing.

My gun is a long barrel.. something like 5 inches plus. The durn sights are like 8 inches away from each other on the whole weapon. I dont mind. But it seems forever for the 45 to leave the weapon compared to my much longer shotguns.

If that doesnt make sense, disregard it. The coffee pot has worn off for the night.
 
Quote:
The short recoil

Can you elaborate
Click to expand...


The slide travel is reduced by the amount inches of the barrel and slide.The barrel length of a full size 1911 is 5'' inches, where as, the barrel length on a Defender is 3" inches.
 
I've had mine forever it seems (xx43) and it still runs like a striped ape. I ditched the Hogues (they stick to your cover garment like glue) for a pair of Double Diamonds. I did need to use a BW extended slide stop 'cause God shorted me in the thumb dept but other than that it's bone stock. Mine prefers 185 grain anything and will give me 2.5" groups off the bench to POA @ 25 yards and gets better as the distance decreases.

DO NOT let anyone sell you on a feed ramp job.... The ramp in these guns is anodized over the aluminum and if some one polishes it away you're in big ($$$$$) trouble. Enjoy it and don't be afraid to shoot the crap out of it......
 
Enjoy your Defender, Fireman! I've had mine for about two years, and it has become my primary carry firearm.

My Defender functions reliably with any weight bullet; but something about its timing makes it cycle very smoothly with 185 grain rounds. RN, HP, SWC all function flawlessly, and a few good personal defense loads are available with 185 grain bullets.

It wasn't necessary, but I have replaced the MSH and trigger with metal parts, and have also replaced the mag release with an oversize part, as I have on all of my 1911s; otherwise I can't release the magazine without shifting my grip.

Concerns about short-barreled 1911 type pistols were valid ten years ago, but refinements in the design and timing of the 'snubbies' have provided a firearm with no more reliability issues than the full-size 1911s.
 
I replaced the Hogues with some grips from VZGrips. I felt the Hogues were too wide and it did not holster correctly. Plus, I think they look better. I need to get the the slide edges beveled as they are extremely sharp.

200904091.jpg
 
Congrats. Only beware of short 1911's that don't work. Yours does, so no worries. :)

It is a bit trickier to make a short 1911 run, no doubt about it, but when they are right, they run great. Colt Defenders have a great rep for running right. Heck, it's a Colt. They know 1911's. ;)
 
Prior getting my Defender, I had a Colt's Officer's ACP. I took this pistol with me to the range for two years. I would often spend 400 rds shooting this pistol, just enough warrant the installation of a Millet dual crimp front site; after my stake on front site kept popping off.
The Officer is a 3 1/2 " barrel and a steel frame. Colt has been good to me with pistol, so I thought of raising the bet.

OFC05.gif

The Commoli Frame Saver Rod, Wolf Spring, and Reverse Plug.
COMINOLLI01.gif

COMINOLLI02.gif

King's Heavy Duty Barrel Bushing

OfficerBushing.gif ​
 
Slide travel length on 1911s

DoubleAction said:

The slide travel is reduced by the amount inches of the barrel and slide.The barrel length of a full size 1911 is 5'' inches, where as, the barrel length on a Defender is 3" inches.
Click to expand...

This is actually a myth that is often repeated on gun chat sites. The slide on any 1911 has to go back far enough to allow the magazine spring to elevate the next round in the magazine so that the slide can snag it and push it up into the chamber. So the slide only has to go back by slightly more than the length of a loaded round of .45 ACP.

I have taken 1911s with barrel lengths of 3, 4, 4.25 and 5 inches and locked back the slides, then measured the distance the slide moved relative to the frame. It is roughly the same for all of them.
 
+1 to Pogo2.
He is exactly right

The slide has to travel about the same distance for the gun to operate. The shorties make up the distance with shorter dust covers on the slide, and cone-barrels instead of barrel bushings.

The only down-side is the shorter recoil springs don't last as long and need to be replaced more often then on a full-size gun.

The barrel also ends up at a more acute angle to the feed lips of the magazine when it is unlocked.

Some shorties are a little finicky on what ammo they will feed because of that.

rc
 
The 5" guns slides go back further and have a little more "running room" to get momentum up before the breechface contacts the round in the mag, not to mention the extra mass it has when it does get that momentum going, making it easier for it to chamber a round. I'll bet a cold drink on it. :scrutiny:

Let's all check it out later, sooner if you can. It'll be 4:00ish for me. :)
 
This is true, but slide travel is not reduced by the number of inches the barrel is shortened, as Pogo2 was refuting above!

rc
 
DoubleAction said:


Quote:
The slide travel is reduced by the amount inches of the barrel and slide.The barrel length of a full size 1911 is 5'' inches, where as, the barrel length on a Defender is 3" inches.
Click to expand...

This is actually a myth that is often repeated on gun chat sites. The slide on any 1911 has to go back far enough to allow the magazine spring to elevate the next round in the magazine so that the slide can snag it and push it up into the chamber. So the slide only has to go back by slightly more than the length of a loaded round of .45 ACP.

I have taken 1911s with barrel lengths of 3, 4, 4.25 and 5 inches and locked back the slides, then measured the distance the slide moved relative to the frame. It is roughly the same for all of them.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected :) Thanks !! I was thinking too much of front barrel and instead the rear. That's happens if I'm not too straight. Thank's a lot for watching my back.
 
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