Colt Series 70: Worth It?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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Are the CURRENT PRODUCTION Colt Series 70 1911s any good? I am thinking about getting the blued model:

O1970_A1_CS-2.jpg

How is the quality on these? Should one consider them reliable out of the box, or do they need gunsmithing to run? Are these considered a quality 1911? They are going for between $850-$900 new. Are they really any better than a $450 Rock Island Armory for example?

Just wanting to hear some feedback on the 1911s Colt is making these days, and if they are worth it or not.

Thoughts?
 
I bought a National Match several months ago which is a Series 70. It's bluing is not has nice as my 1980 vintage Government Model but it is acceptable. More of a mat finish as opposed to high gloss. Fit looks fine to me as well.

I never shot it as a 45 ACP, re-barreling it to 38/45 Clerke. So far, it has performed flawlessly but round count is quite low so far.
 
If you want the bells and whistles the series 80 XSE's can be had in the same price range.

I have series 70 and 80 Colts and they're both fantastic.
 
Yes, the new production Colts are generally pretty good, at least based on the ones I've handled and the 2 I own. If the Series 70 version has the features you want, it would be hard to go wrong. Plus, it has the Pony, which the Rock Islands never will. (Honestly, I've handled a couple of the different Philippine 1911s and been quite underwhelmed.)

I have one of the newer Series 70 Competition Models in .45 ACP. The bluing is a little flat, the grip safety rattles a bit, but it has run like a champ on everything except a few rounds of my 200gr SWC reloads which weren't crimped enough. The pistol DID attempt to feed them though, right up to the point the cases crumpled. Eventually I'll get some pictures of the better targets to post, needless to say it's a shooter, running very close to my beloved S&W K-frames in offhand shooting.

Of course, gratuitous photo required:

alZLQR.jpg
 
The 1980 Series is safer and less prone to parts breakage than the 1970 Series.
Me like 'em 1980 Series !;)

OBTW, I have an arched mainspring housing, if I want to turn my 1980 into a 1911A1.:cool:
 
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Good to go? Of course they are. No gunsmithing required. Mine have been highly accurate out of the boxes ...
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Cooldill

When I went looking for a new 1911 a few years back, I thought about getting a new Series 70 but liked the feel of the enhanced features of the 01880 XSE model just a little bit better. Also picked up a Model 01991 for a range gun (couldn't resist the "100 Years of Service" inscription on the slide). All of my more recently acquired Colts have been top-notch in terms of overall fit and finish and build quality.

ckYTS5r.jpg

PNHHFu3.jpg
 
I bought a current production stainless Colt two years ago. The thumb safety was poorly fitted, but I replaced it with an extended one anyway. I have been pleased with the quality of mine otherwise. Accuracy is probably better than I'm capable of holding, and reliability was good out of the box with my lead bullet hand loads.

I don't regret the purchase.
 
Cooldill said:
Are the CURRENT PRODUCTION Colt Series 70 1911s any good? I am thinking about getting the blued model:

View attachment 760898

How is the quality on these? Should one consider them reliable out of the box, or do they need gunsmithing to run? Are these considered a quality 1911? They are going for between $850-$900 new. Are they really any better than a $450 Rock Island Armory for example?

Just wanting to hear some feedback on the 1911s Colt is making these days, and if they are worth it or not.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I recently bought an Iver Johnson Hawk. Commander length, as a carry gun. I've bought and adored many Series 70 Colts. I just can't bring myself to carry a gun daily with that grade of fit and finish. If you like them, you are right, they are gorgeous. I don't have to worry about holster wear, scratches and dings on the Iver.
IMG_2548.jpg
 
drband said:
What parts are prone to breakage? Curious minds want to know!
Click to expand...

Granted I'm a small data set, but the only parts failure I've had with a Series 70 1911 was with one collet bushing. I ran a replacement collet bushing for a while but replaced it with a solid bushing.

I do not have a lot time with a Series 80, but I'd suspect the extra parts required for the firing pin block cold be a source of reliability issues.
 
I ran a collet bushing from 1975 to 2002 before replacing it with a standard bushing. The collet was more accurate, even when installed in GI M1911A1 pistols so I liked it. I took a course with Bill Jeans (the early shotgun guy at GunSite when Col. Cooper ran it and regular on the handgun classes) and he made me promise to replace the collet with a standard bushing "for your son" as he feared they would fail at inconvenient times.

Yes, even gun folks sometimes use the excuse that their argument is "for the children!"

-kBob
 
That narrow tang grip safety pictured in OP would be punishing on my hand, beavertail grip safety (reply #5) for me.
 
I have the new S70 Gold Cup National Match and it is excellent in every way.

Great trigger.
Very accurate.
Fit and finish are great.
This is the first 1911 I ever needed to use a bushing wrench (provided) on. It's not super tight, but nice and snug.

it has become my favorite hand gun.
 
cfullgraf said:
Granted I'm a small data set, but the only parts failure I've had with a Series 70 1911 was with one collet bushing. I ran a replacement collet bushing for a while but replaced it with a solid bushing.

I do not have a lot time with a Series 80, but I'd suspect the extra parts required for the firing pin block cold be a source of reliability issues.
Click to expand...

The collet bushing was my main concern.
 
Gun Master said:
The collet bushing was my main concern.
Click to expand...

I agree, it would be a concern. The finger that broke off my collet bushing jammed things up and cracked the dust shroud on the front of the frame. Not really a structural issue in this case as the dust shroud could fall off and it would not affect the operation of the pistol but more damage could have been done to the pistol.

I retired the frame to 22 LR service where the recoil is not severe.
 
Never had a problem with the collet bushing on any of my Series 70 guns but didn't really miss them when Colt went back to the solid bushing. It seemed to me that the tensioning finger on the collet bushing was sort of a hit or miss arrangement; in some guns it worked like it was supposed to do, in others not so much so.
 
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