[FP2000H]

All roads lead to Colt a stranger once said to me.

Having owned to great Springfield 1911 pistols - one Loaded and one Lightweight Champion Operator - and having sold/traded both of them away (even after a Wilson upgrade to the Loaded), I decided that I wanted to buy a 1911 to keep even as I decided to buy more. I began looking into various manufacturers and the reality was that I was not going to afford a custom or probably even a semi-custom.

I eventually "settled" on a Colt and couldn't be happier. Frame and slide forged from solid steel and only three MIM parts in the whole pistol. I've had two outing and shot about 150 rounds through it and all of them have been flawless. I added CTC grips and the degree of confidence and accuracy that is augmented by their application is unparalleled for anyone who has never used laser grips and appreciated the psychological and executable advantages they offer.

I have some Trijicon night sights on the way and that will be the last "upgrade" to what is an otherwise commendable combat pistol right out of the box. The first shot out of it was dead center bullseye. Seen below with factory Colt grips on the left and CTC on the right.

I'm more than impressed with the manufacture of this pistol. It has the 100 Years of Service rollmark on it, too, which is very nice. The slide to frame fit is remarkable and the accuracy is more than combat adequate. I haven't pushed it out to 15 yards yet... next time.

 

[steve1911]

Congrats!

On your Colt.


1911club#410

 

[bac1023]

Very nice

Congrats!

 

[never enough]

great gun!

 

[brisk21]

Very nice! Ive read several places that Colt is really putting out nice 1911s these days.

 

[okie]

Many congrats my friend:thumbsup:

 

[fnfalman]

Congrats!!! I like the way Colt did the finish on the gun with the rough finish on the round edges and satin polish on the flat sides.

 

[jrs93accord]

Congrats on your new pony. There is something about owning a Colt that makes you feel good. Currently, I own fifteen of them. I am feeling great. :supergrin:

 

[FP2000H]

I ran 20 rounds through a 10 round Wilson mag I just bought for function. It ran just fine. The laser looked like it had drifted to the left of the sights after the last range session playing around with it at home. I was dismayed at the thought that the laser could drift so easily being a Crimson Trace and all. It shot spot on today or at least well enough in the range that one would expect to practically use a laser in a gunfight. I punched a hole in a 2" x 2" diamond at 7 yards so that's good enough for me although I'll probably adjust it when I get a chance.

My Trijicon night sights arrived this week! I'll probably drop the pistol off at the local smith sometime later this week to have them put on. I would say that completes it. Pics to come.

 

[Two Guns]

Great choice man.

 

[quantico]

I like my colts , and I have several. I did not know that there was a hundred years of service rollmark. Guess I need one or two of those.

 

[nastytrigger]

Yes, please post a pic with the night sights on

Enjoy!

 

[4949shooter]

There is nothing like a nice Colt. Congrats..

 

[FP2000H]

Dropped the slide off today for night sight installation. It's going to run me $50! Dropped it off at Heritage Firearms. Hopefully, it will be ready on Saturday. Then I can take it out!

 

[FP2000H]

I just picked up the slide today from the gunsmith and the front sight is definitely dead. I just ordered these brand new through a dealer. It can't be an issue with the sights. I even looked at them in low light in the packaging and they were definitely active. I'm looking to get some perspective on how to handle this.

The rear sights were installed and are glowing. They seem to show a little wear which leads me to believe there was a substantial amount of contact during the installation process. He destroyed the factory rear sight in the process - said it was in way too tight and had to cut it. The factory front sight, having been staked on, is pretty much useless now as well. I didn't really entertain the thought of holding onto the factory sights (with some weird intention of reinstalling them someday) so that's not really a big deal. The front sight being dead, after all that work and waiting almost two weeks from the time I dropped it off, is a big deal.

So, tomorrow I will be contacting both Trijicon and the gunsmith to see how this is going to be resolved and what is recommended. I really don't think that the third party dealer has any liability for what I believe is a gunsmith mistake. Trijicon doesn't have to warranty their product against improper installation which if I send them my slide (as I very well may have to) they are most certainly free to claim as the reason for the front sight not functioning. I understand they have a right to honor their warranty as they see fit and for all I know the gunsmith doesn't even warranty his work. I certainly didn't ask him if he did. This is the first time I've used him on a referral from another local dealer. I'm really not looking forward to this. Something tells me I'm going to be paying for a new front sight and installation.

The combination of third party dealer and local gunsmith just screams get ****ed over to me. I'm leaning towards the notion of the gunsmith having to pay for a new Trijicon front sight and install it for me free of charge since the sight was most likely damaged during his installation. I'm just not very optimistic that the real outcome will resemble that notion.

Thoughts?

 

[Feanor]

Very nice! Ive read several places that Colt is really putting out nice 1911s these days.

This is my experience, particularly in the aftermath of the new CNC equipment, frame to slide fit is as good, or better then anything out there, including some very pricey custom house efforts.

However all is not perfection, some of the parts are so chincy they defy the imagination, seriously! The ambi thumb safeties are especially egregious. Nonetheless, current Colt's are very much the best I've ever seen from them.

 

[samuse]

The gunsmith hit the sight too hard and broke the tritium vial.

If he marred the rear sight, he's an incompetent hack.

IME, you gotta pay to play with 1911s. If they're not SACS or members of the APG... They're gonna hack your gun to bits.

 

[Glock_en_speil]

FP2000H,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
I'm very sorry to hear of the troubles you had getting sites installed on your new Colt. Obviously, this 'smith takes the hard charging approach since he destroyed your factory sites. It sounds like the 'smith hit the front side too hard and broke the seal on the tritium lamp. That's really the only explanation how your site can be fine one day and be dead the next. The only thing you can do is confront the 'smith and see if he will agree to buy you a new front sight. Did you pay him with a credit card by any chance? If so you may be able to dispute the charge since the services agreed upon were not rendered to your satisfaction.<o></o>
<o></o>
Advice for the future: Whenever you do business with a new vendor of ANY kind whether it's a gunsmith, an auto mechanic or even a dentist always use your credit card so that you have someone on your side just in case something goes wrong.

 

[Feanor]

I just picked up the slide today from the gunsmith and the front sight is definitely dead. I just ordered these brand new through a dealer. It can't be an issue with the sights.
Thoughts?

Demand reparations from the GS, no exceptions.

 

[FP2000H]

FP2000H,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
I'm very sorry to hear of the troubles you had getting sites installed on your new Colt. Obviously, this 'smith takes the hard charging approach since he destroyed your factory sites. It sounds like the 'smith hit the front side too hard and broke the seal on the tritium lamp. That's really the only explanation how your site can be fine one day and be dead the next. The only thing you can do is confront the 'smith and see if he will agree to buy you a new front sight. Did you pay him with a credit card by any chance? If so you may be able to dispute the charge since the services agreed upon were not rendered to your satisfaction.<o></o>
<o></o>
Advice for the future: Whenever you do business with a new vendor of ANY kind whether it's a gunsmith, an auto mechanic or even a dentist always use your credit card so that you have someone on your side just in case something goes wrong.

Thank you for the support. I paid with my Visa debit, and I know Visa allows for Quality of Goods/Services disputes so I may bark up that tree eventually.

For now, I think I am going to send the slide to Trijicon. I figure either the warranty will cover it and it will be no problem or it won't. I'm thinking it won't because they'll conclude based on my testimony that the actions of the gunsmith are to account for the sight's current condition. I'll get them to give me something in writing and be sure to explain why.

At this point, since the front sight is already installed it will probably be most cost-effective to look at having just the lamp replaced while the slide is at Trijicon and have them invoice me. If the gunsmith won't cover the cost of the lamp replacement then that will be the end of that and I will just dispute the original charge with Visa.