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 Critique of New Colt M1911A1 Reproduction
By Four2Niner
This is a non-shooting ("collector")
review of Colt's new reproduction of the WWII-era M1911A1. It is a long post, so please forgive and/or bear
with me, but I think it worth reading and considering. It is presented
largely for the interested and/or prospective buyer of this limited
edition ("collector item") firearm.
As soon as the new M1911A1 was announced
("over there") by Mark655, et al, I pretty much decided I
had to have at least one of them. I followed the postings (here and
"there") on the subject and recently caught word these
M1911A1 reproductions were finally on the market.
I immediately notified my local dealer, who found
two (2) of them at a large distributor in Reno, NV. I ordered, and
committed myself, to purchasing both.
The pair was received by my dealer on 07/16.
First thing I noticed upon inspection was that the guns were untouched
(original packaging was fully intact) and the pistols were all but
swimming in oil. Second thing I noticed was they were shipped with one
(1) magazine each in contradiction to the two (2) magazines promised
on Colt's website.
No matter, as I was "hooked" long
before I ever saw these two guns. Besides, the guns APPEARED to be
otherwise as advertised (parked finish, wide hammer, steel trigger,
serrated/arched m/s housing with lanyard loop, Kraft boxes, etc.). So,
I purchased both of them (at $949 each, plus tax).
Once at home, I looked both over more carefully
and determined one had slightly lesser-quality roll marks than the
other, so I decided to strip it down and remove the oil in preparation
for burning powder. (I was thinking of saving the other one for
posterity, or, possibly, as a base gun for a future full-house
custom.)
Detail-stripping and degreasing the
"lesser" of this pair of Colt CUSTOM SHOP guns revealed the
following:
(1) virtually all small
parts (slide stop, thumb and grip safety, magazine catch, disconnector,
etc.) are CAST
(2) finish on cast parts
does NOT match others (cast parts BLACK, others, such as slide, GREY)
(3) all small parts show
numerous surface scratches
(4) both the thumb and
grip safeties exhibit visible casting flaws (i.e., cut-thru
"bubbles") on exterior surfaces
(5) the mainspring
housing retainer pin (i.e., the part @ bottom of mainspring) is
PLASTIC
(6) numerous surface
scratches were also evident on major parts (i.e., slide and frame)
(7) the pistol is
mounted with 1911-type (not 1911A1-type) sights
(8) the gun was replete
with nearly razor-sharp edges (e.g., the rear edges of the slide) --
this is not how "originals" were made
IMO, this pistol is hardly worth $500, much less
$949 (plus tax).
So, yesterday (07/17), I returned both pistols to
my dealer and requested reimbursement. I realize this is just about
unheard of, but I am a loyal customer, so I thought it worth a shot.
Luckily, there were (are, at least) two other
SUCKERS standing in line for these M1911A1 reproductions, so I got off
the hook (minus $25 for the time/paperwork my dealer invested in the
transactions).
Bottom Line: If the NEW pistol I detail-stripped
and degreased is any indication, these M1911A1 reproductions are not
worth serious consideration. I have seen "original" M1911A1
PARTS GUNS that looked better.
As for base guns, I now believe that new Colts are not worthy candidates -- not
even those that begin life as Colt CUSTOM SHOP pistols.
Finally, let me state that, although I got off
easy in this case, I remain sorely disappointed in Colt. I had very
high hopes for the M1911A1 reproductions (and even bigger plans), but
reality butted in on them.
I also learned an important (if rather late) lesson here. From now on, I will never again buy a gun smothered
in oil (whether new or not). Compared even to bead-blasting, copious
amounts of oil must surely be the ultimate means of hiding flaws and
poor workmanship.
As always, YMMV (but beware, nevertheless).
Regards,
Four2Niner |
