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Colt Gunsite Pistol versus W. Germany P220

4.4K views 42 replies 19 participants last post by  Colt38SuperDude  
#1 · (Edited)
The .45ACP is America’s caliber. Sorry, Neeners, your caliber maybe the most popular cartridge in the US, but the .45 is as American as apple pie.

And what’s more American than a Colt .45? A Colt .45 with The Raven embellishment, of course. Nowadays you throw a stick and hit a dozen training schools staffed with Delta Seal Six Green Beret Marsoc operators. However, Gunsite is still the recognized authority on modern gun fighting.

Nonetheless the best modern fighting .45 hailed from Germany…West Germany- the good Germany. The superlative P220 American. The “American” appellation meant that the mag release is now side button instead of heel release.

This P220 is all stock other than the Trijicon night sights. Apparently the previous owner thought that it needed night sights. I can wax poetically all day long about the virtues of the P220: relatively light weight thanks to aluminum frame, clean and light SA pull after the long take up, heavy but smooth DA pull without a lot of staging, great reliability and the ability to eat hollow points like candies. A feature that is expected nowadays but nigh non-existent among American service handguns of the 1980s. Great balance and point ability. For the complainers whining about high bore axis or heavy DA pull, I say to you one and all, learn how to shoot.

The matte blued finish is well applied. Business looking but still pleasing to the eyes. Yeah, it rusts easily like a typical blued finish would. Learn how to maintain your weapon and it’s a non-issue.

Yes, I love the P220 family. The German ones and not the American fakers. Sue me.

Colt Gunsite Pistol (CGP) is the younger brother to the Gunsite Service Pistol that Gunsite used to sell. Back in the 1990s, Gunsite bought Colts and Springfields then did some minor modifications and sold to the public at rather decent prices. However in the 2000s, Gunsite had Colt and SW made Gunsite pistols straight from their respective factories with accessories that The Raven thinks these guns should feature. No Raven smithies touched these guns.

SW stopped offering Gunsite pistols for probably ten years now but Colt still makes these guns. One can buy a CGP from a stocking dealer or from Gunsite pro shop. The GCP from the pro shop would have night sights and relief where the trigger guard meets the frame. My CGP was bought from a stocking Colt dealer and I swapped out the original thin grips for standard grips. Otherwise everything else is still stock on the gun.

The CGP received a dehorned package, a handsome matte blued finish, and generally better fitment than a typical Colt. Trigger breaks clean at around 4-5lbs, thumb safety snicks on and off without grits. And yes, it eats JHPs. Actually all recent production Colt .45s that I’ve bought since 2010 have all eaten JHPs without a hitch.


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#2 ·
Started out with slow fire drills at 7-yards and 10-yards for familiarization.

I felt at home with the P220 right away. Though I must say that I prefer the stock P220 sight picture over this gun’s Trijicon night sights. Nonetheless the Trijicon set is plenty good enough for social work. The CGP also settled in nicely. It’s a nice gun but I am simply biased in favor of the West Germany P220.

the DA pull on the P220 offers zero disadvantage…unless one simply can’t master the DA pull. Good Thing that nobody ever told DA revolver shooters that the long heavy trigger pulls are bad for them.

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#4 ·
I also did strong side and weak side drills. This is where the point ability and balance of the P220 really showed the advantage. At least to me. YMMV.

I’ve noticed that with the Government Model, when shooting one handed, I have a tendency to push the groups far to the left or right of point of aim. For some reasons this tendency isn’t as bad when I do it with a Commander.

Overall, the CGP is a pretty good deal for someone who wants a Colt with only minor modifications. Plus the Raven is cool as heck. I was thinking about getting the Gunsite wooden grips but this set of Hogue feels so nice already.

The P220, a modern classic without peers. If I can find one in .38 Super, I can then die a content man.

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#5 ·
Nice write-up. Those are great firearms, to be sure. All of my .45 ACP’s are 1911’s, but I do have a couple of P226’s, in non-9mm, that scratch that itch. Thank you for actually posting real targets instead of reshooting to look better than you are.
 
#7 ·
The .45ACP is America’s caliber. Sorry, Neeners, your caliber maybe the most popular cartridge in the US, but the .45 is as American as apple pie.
Yet you post the pasta knives…
In earnest, though, nice write up and nice Lionsteels. How do you like the M5?
 
#13 ·
Great write-up, Colt38SuperDude!

I think the expression was "Speed is fine, but accuracy is final."

I almost bought a P220 many years ago, but at the last minute, the guy changed his mind.
He said just talking about selling the gun made him miss it, and he was going to keep it.

I saw him about ten years later, asked him if he still had it; and he looked around, then pulled his coat open, and there it was, on his belt.
He wasn't kidding or BSing me, he really couldn't sell it.

IMO, the raised "insurance" bump on the grip safety of that Gunsite 1911 is ridiculously large.
Perfect example of someone taking a good idea too far, IMO.
 
#17 ·
I had a made in w german 220, bought mid 90s. thought it was fabulously accurate. Easy to clean compared to a les baer i still have. Sent the 220 to sig for new sights, springs etc (they offers refurb deal), got a call telling me frame was cracked and unsafe. I replaced it thru sig with a sig refurb 220R. Imthought the trigger on the older was better, but it had been shot a lot, and I don’t need the rail. While I would rather have my 90s 220, this one is fine. Personally, i like them a lot. But I like 45s (carry 9mm usually) And got my first 9 in the late 90s to save money on ammo. it is a 226 i still have.
 
#18 ·
About 15 years ago I shot my plain old series 80 Colt GM 1911 back to back with my P220.
I walked away wondering why I ever strayed from a 1911!
The Colt had less muzzle flip, was easier to shoot more accurately (especially the first shot!) and was faster to get back on target due to less muzzle rise.
I sold the P220 not long after that.
 
#19 ·
MY old neighbor back in florida was a 35 years officer that served with the local PD and then as a deputy . He carried a p220 for 20 of those years and the sheriffs department had his old pistol sent back to sig to be updated as needed . It came back back looking almost new with all the replaced parts bagged up . hes a big guy about 6'3 and 240lb and hids a full size pistol easily .

So we went back to sw fl to help a family member move to NC and we went to a BBQ at my old buddys house while there . I was carrying a fairly new to me lw commander 04840wc I picked up a couple years before and had some monir tuning for a 3.5;b trigger . While we were there we went out out back to shoot a bit and swapped pistols .. I still was not a fan of the sig it shot well . He did not say anything special ether but a few weeks later he tells me he has a new retirement carry pistol , A used but very nice lw commander tuned up by a local custom gun smith . So one long time sig p220 guy is now a colt commander carrier and almost 3 years later still likes the colt better than the sig .

I liked s&w da/sa pistol better than sigs classic line even if a sao yet I sold my last s&w a 669 about a month ago after lots safe time .
 
#27 ·
For the two can't find a gunsite colt guys - If you want to find a colt gunsite 1911 common sense tells to go to Gunsite Academy site sorta the same as colt not advertising Colt Wiley Clapp models , there special orders for other outlets . But then other brands and models carry the branded names on them by both . How about a gunsite glock model . Ha
 
#39 ·
I'm a alumni of Gunsite, of several of their weeklong training classes. It's not the gun that matters, it's the operator.

My stock gen3 Glock 19 did just fine, with me holding it. 🐯
I’m an alumni of Gunsite too. The gun does matter. A gun that helps the shooter puts round on target quickly and accurately is better than a gun that doesn’t help. A slightly massaged Gunsite pistol does that better than all other inferior handguns.