I'm a sucker for Colt .38 Supers. Don't know why and don't care for the reason why. It just is.
Therefore, when Colt announced that the Competition Model Series 80 being released in .38 Super and in both blued & stainless steel, I simply had to have both.
What's a Colt Competition pistol? Is it as high falutin' as it sounded? Not really. Now and then Colt jazzes the M1911 line up a bit to generate interest and that's about it.
Beavertail grip safety: it ain't new to Colt. The XSE line and other lines have had it before.
Fiber Optics front sight: That's new, but really, not that big of a deal either. The gun cases come with several replacement inserts in different colors too.
Novak rear sight: Novak rear sight isn't new on Colts either, but this is an "adjustable" rear. It looks to me that the elevation is adjustable via screw but windage probably had to be pushed over with either a sight pusher or a brass punch and mallet.
New rear slide serration: This is a true improvement. The new style does seem to help the shooter grasp the slide better than before.
Front slide serration: Thankfully none unlike the old XSE series. The gun is simply less ghey that way.
Undercut trigger guard: Probably a significant improvement and much asked for. I'll cover this feature a bit more later with the shooting impression.
Double Recoil Spring: Essentially it's another spring inside the original spring - very cheesy in execution. I thought that it'd be like a captive double spring ala HK but it's just a smaller spring slide inside the standard spring. Colt claimed it aided shooting, I say no - more on this feature later with the shooting impression.
Front grip serration: Thankfully none. For those that want such a feature, they can always get a smithy to do it. However, once checkered from the factory, it can't be undone. I like smooth front grip and that fits me just fine. The Wiley Clapp series has front grip serration and I hate that feature. Alas, can't undo it.
Markings: Colt changed the styles and fonts a little bit. Doesn't matter to me one way or another. I'm sure that some will like the new markings and some will lament how Colt had fallen again or some such diatribe.
Finishes: The SS model has the same typical finish as previous models - matte on the rounded portions and brushed on the flat portions. The blued model is matte throughout now instead of matt on the rounded portion and brushed on the flat portion. It looks like a parkerized finish but it's still blued. I don't like it. I think that the matte & brushed combination is more attractive. Not big deal enough for me to lose sleep over.
Barrel: The barrel is supposedly National Match as opposed to non-National Match barrel. Does it aid in mechanical accuracy? Not that I can tell. The gun shoots great but then my non-NM barrel Colt .38 Super shoots just as good. So there. This is why I always laugh my ass off whenever a manufacturer or a company brags about "match grade" barrel or "match grade" whatever. You can call it whatever the hell you call it because there's no law forbidding you to do otherwise. However, it doesn't mean squat in real life.
Grip panels: Oh yes, they're G10 now. Colt is putting G10 grip panels on practically every stinking thing except for the Delta Elite which still has the rubber grip panels (minus the ghey ass rubber front wrap-around though). How do I feel about G10 grip panels? They make the guns weigh more. How much more? I don't know and don't care enough to find a kitchen scale to measure but if one were to pick up a wooden grip model, one can tell the weight difference immediately. The blue color doesn't look as lame in real life as in picture, and they seem to be functional enough. If it bugs me that much, I'd probably slap on a couple pairs of wooden grip panels. As it is, I'll leave them on the two pistols.
I can't think of anything else that is "different". Hell, the changes are mostly cosmetic anyway. I'm still happy with the plain jane no nonsense basic Government Model.
Therefore, when Colt announced that the Competition Model Series 80 being released in .38 Super and in both blued & stainless steel, I simply had to have both.
What's a Colt Competition pistol? Is it as high falutin' as it sounded? Not really. Now and then Colt jazzes the M1911 line up a bit to generate interest and that's about it.
Beavertail grip safety: it ain't new to Colt. The XSE line and other lines have had it before.
Fiber Optics front sight: That's new, but really, not that big of a deal either. The gun cases come with several replacement inserts in different colors too.
Novak rear sight: Novak rear sight isn't new on Colts either, but this is an "adjustable" rear. It looks to me that the elevation is adjustable via screw but windage probably had to be pushed over with either a sight pusher or a brass punch and mallet.
New rear slide serration: This is a true improvement. The new style does seem to help the shooter grasp the slide better than before.
Front slide serration: Thankfully none unlike the old XSE series. The gun is simply less ghey that way.
Undercut trigger guard: Probably a significant improvement and much asked for. I'll cover this feature a bit more later with the shooting impression.
Double Recoil Spring: Essentially it's another spring inside the original spring - very cheesy in execution. I thought that it'd be like a captive double spring ala HK but it's just a smaller spring slide inside the standard spring. Colt claimed it aided shooting, I say no - more on this feature later with the shooting impression.
Front grip serration: Thankfully none. For those that want such a feature, they can always get a smithy to do it. However, once checkered from the factory, it can't be undone. I like smooth front grip and that fits me just fine. The Wiley Clapp series has front grip serration and I hate that feature. Alas, can't undo it.
Markings: Colt changed the styles and fonts a little bit. Doesn't matter to me one way or another. I'm sure that some will like the new markings and some will lament how Colt had fallen again or some such diatribe.
Finishes: The SS model has the same typical finish as previous models - matte on the rounded portions and brushed on the flat portions. The blued model is matte throughout now instead of matt on the rounded portion and brushed on the flat portion. It looks like a parkerized finish but it's still blued. I don't like it. I think that the matte & brushed combination is more attractive. Not big deal enough for me to lose sleep over.
Barrel: The barrel is supposedly National Match as opposed to non-National Match barrel. Does it aid in mechanical accuracy? Not that I can tell. The gun shoots great but then my non-NM barrel Colt .38 Super shoots just as good. So there. This is why I always laugh my ass off whenever a manufacturer or a company brags about "match grade" barrel or "match grade" whatever. You can call it whatever the hell you call it because there's no law forbidding you to do otherwise. However, it doesn't mean squat in real life.
Grip panels: Oh yes, they're G10 now. Colt is putting G10 grip panels on practically every stinking thing except for the Delta Elite which still has the rubber grip panels (minus the ghey ass rubber front wrap-around though). How do I feel about G10 grip panels? They make the guns weigh more. How much more? I don't know and don't care enough to find a kitchen scale to measure but if one were to pick up a wooden grip model, one can tell the weight difference immediately. The blue color doesn't look as lame in real life as in picture, and they seem to be functional enough. If it bugs me that much, I'd probably slap on a couple pairs of wooden grip panels. As it is, I'll leave them on the two pistols.
I can't think of anything else that is "different". Hell, the changes are mostly cosmetic anyway. I'm still happy with the plain jane no nonsense basic Government Model.