Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80 .45 ACP

Description
Gun Review: Colt 1911 Government Series 80 .45 ACP
Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80- On March 29, 1911, Lt. Col. John T. Thompson of the U.S. Ordnance Department sent a letter to Colt’s in Hartford, Connecticut. The purpose was to inform them that the military testing held at Springfield Armory just two weeks prior had concluded and John Moses Browning’s 1911 design produced by Colt had come out on top.

Just like that, a legend was born. The M1911 served as the standard sidearm for American soldiers for the next 74 years.

In the decades following the gun’s rise to fame, dozens of companies have put their own spin on the platform, but there’s an allure that still surrounds the pistols made by Colt.

The gun up for review is a newly-manufactured Colt 1911 Government Model. Plenty of reviews are done for 1911s from all kinds of manufacturers, but we don’t seem to see as many honest-to-goodness Colts put through their paces.

Many a keystroke has been dedicated to the differences between the Colt Series 70 and Series 80 pistols. I’ve shot both and like them both. While Colt has reintroduced the Series 70, the gun reviewed here is a Series 80 model, which has an MSRP that is $100 less than the Series 70.

Unboxing

The Colt Series 80 is an eye-catcher, right out of the box. No, it doesn’t boast a luxurious, polished blue sheen, but it does have a clean, almost black finish to it. The entire gun, all the way down to the grip screw heads, has the same uniform finish. It’s a good-looking gun, classic to be sure with cues taken from the original including the spur hammer, solid trigger and non-flared ejection port.

The fit between the slide and the frame is excellent. Unlike the stories you hear of pistols that literally rattled in the hands of GIs in WWII, this gun makes no such sound. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

Each pistol ships with two, seven-round flush magazines, both bearing the company name and the Rampant Colt on the floorplate.

At the Range

The 1911 is a fundamentally uncomplicated gun. Insert a mag, release the slide, and hammer away until the single-stack magazine is empty. It’s that simple. The 1911 was designed to go bang when you need it to, and it does that extremely well.

Based as it is on the original military design, this new Colt 1911 is very much a no-frills gun. The almost-black bluing I mentioned previously has a bit of a shine to it on the sides of the slide and frame. The top of the slide, however, has a matte finish. This cuts down on glare when you’re aiming the gun in bright sunlight, which is certainly appreciated.

The sights are simple, too; just your standard three white dots. Two on the rear sight and one on the front. It’s an arrangement that’s worked for decades and continue to do so.

I had LASIK last year, so it’s easy for me to pick up the sights and get them lined up on the target. If you’ve got older or less sharp eyes, you may find yourself wanting something a little bigger or brighter.

The traditional single action trigger isn’t anything fancy. It’s got a very noticeable take-up before you hit the wall – and hit it you do. Once that wall is reached, though, there’s no stacking or creep to be felt. Steady trigger pressure results in a very crisp break. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

Some people say the trigger-actuated firing pin block on these guns makes for a trigger pull that’s anything but smooth and crisp. I disagree. My particular gun felt no different to my trigger finger than when I’m shooting a Series 70. YMMV.

Performance

This is a 1911, after all. That means the gun is heavy, weighing in at more than two pounds empty. It fires the .45 ACP cartridge as God and JMB intended. The .45 ACP, regardless of what anyone will tell you, is a harder-hitting round than the 9mm and that difference can certainly be felt when shooting a 1911.

That said, it’s far from an inaccurate gun. If you’re used to shooting 9mm, it might take a little getting used to when you start shooting .45 ACP. Once you get the hang of it, putting shots on target is just as easy.

Since the 1911 semi-automatic pistol was designed to be used in combat, it’s the quintessential self-defense handgun, so that’s the distance at which I chose to do most of my testing.

At 21 feet, I was getting groups that averaged 1.5” overall. Some better, some worse, but a 1.5” grouping is shown here inside a 3” circle. Definitely good enough for government (model) work.

The gun ran flawlessly on a diet of various bullet weights and compositions. As long as you don’t have a limp wrist, the 1911 will go bang each and every time you pull the trigger.

You will find fancier 1911s and you will find less expensive 1911s. But there’s something to be said for having an affordably priced (about $750 retail) original Colt Government model that’s not much different from the one your grandfather had on his hip when he was in the army. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

Specifications: Colt 1911 Government Model

Action: Single Action Hammer Fired Semi-Auto
Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel Length: 5 inches
Capacity: 7+1
Safety: Thumb Safety, Grip Safety, Firing Pin Safety
Grips: Double Diamond Rosewood
Sights: 3-Dot
Weight: 35 oz
Frame Finish: Blued
Features: Service Hammer/ Long Trigger

Ratings (out of five stars):

Reliability * * * * *
There’s a reason the 1911 holds the record for the longest-serving sidearm of the American military. The design just works. Simple as that. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80
Ergonomics * * * *
A 1911 is a whole lot of gun in terms of weight. It’s well-balanced and points easily, but the size and weight can be a bit much for some shooters.

Customize This * * * * *
The platform wasn’t designed with customization in mind. There are thousands of ways to change this gun if that’s what you want. You can invest time and money and make this into a BBQ gun, but why would you do that to a standard government model like this? If you’re looking for a gun that lets you change out so many aspects of it that the final product is hard to tell exactly what you started with, buy a GLOCK.

Aesthetics * * * *
Most people say the M1911 is an elegant gun, due to its flowing lines and overall clean appearance from the mainspring housing to the barrel bushing. For a gun that was designed to win wars and save lives, the focus wasn’t on making a pretty pistol, but Browning succeeded in doing just that whether he intended to or not. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80
Overall * * * * *
It’s a Colt 1911. Sure, it doesn’t have the fit and finish of one made by Cabot or Wilson Combat, but that’s not the point of this model. This is a Colt 1911, and that says everything that needs to be said.

A 1911 by Any Other Name Would Be . . . an M1991A1 —Shooting Review

A word for the shooting enthusiast: This review is geared toward novices in general and writers of fiction in particular. If you’re a shooter or a fan of the M1911 you’ll still enjoy it, but please bear with some of the more extraneous background stuff. For someone looking for a review of the M1991A1 with a purchase in mind, read through to the end for a detailed look at the fit, finish, and other particulars for this model.

Last Monday we took a look at John Browning’s handgun masterpiece — the Colt Model 1911 — and later advancements made to his original design by the company that commissioned him to develop it. Today we’ll take a look at what it’s like to operate and actually fire a modern version of this century-old design. But before we do, let’s make a size comparison of the M1911 with another favorite of mine, the Walther PPK/S. The PP-series of pistols are much smaller, and they are straight blow-backs designed for smaller calibers such as the .32 ACP/7.65mm and .380 ACP/9mm kurz.

That “ACP” designation in .45 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP stands for Automatic Colt Pistol, and all ACP cartridges were designed for either Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FNH) of Belgium or the U.S. Colt’s Manufacturing Company by one man — again, John Browning. Other Browning designed ACP cartridges are the .25 ACP and the all but discontinued.38 ACP. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

If you compare the size of the M1911 to something considerably more concealable you’ll find that the M1911 is by no means a small pistol. It is in fact quite large and very heavy. The PPK/S you see below weighs in at around 22.4 ounces/635 grams, including an empty magazine. The M1911 on the other hand tips the scales at almost 2½ pounds — 39 ounces/1.1 kilograms with an empty magazine for the original government model. The modern M1991A1 in standard configuration beats that, but just barely at 37.78 ounces/1071 grams according to my kitchen scales.

Does that make the standard M1911 impractical for concealed carry? Not at all. I know several people who conceal the full-size version, and others who pack smaller versions. Despite it’s 8.6-inch/217mm length the M1911 is particularly well suited for inside-the-waistband carry because it is relatively narrow — around 1.34 inches/34mm at the grip and an almost unbelievably narrow .91 inches/23mm at the slide. The only real downside to concealed carry would have to be a hefty weight which requires a very good belt. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

The M1911 is normally carried in the cocked-and-locked configuration (also called “condition one). Cocked-and-locked means that there is a live round in the chamber and the hammer is fully cocked and ready to fire. A thumb-operable external safety is engaged in condition one to prevent accidental discharge.

So, should you consider adding an M1911 to your collection? Absolutely. It’s the iconic U.S. semiautomatic, and has been since, well, 1911 (see: Historical Firearms — The Colt Model 1911). It’s simply a wonderful range toy even if you opt to carry something more modern — intuitive to aim, fun to shoot, easily controlled despite being chambered in .45 ACP, and it’s one of the most accurate handguns ever devised. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

Which brings us to some of the features incorporated into the M1911. In addition to the external thumb safety there is an additional safety built into the grip. If the grip is not properly held and the grip safety depressed, the weapon will not fire. In what has become a familiar standard here in the U.S., the magazine is released via manipulation of the magazine release button located on the frame just aft of the trigger. Internally, at least since 1983 on Colt Series 80 pistols such as the M1991A1 depicted here, there is also a firing pin block that only disengages when the trigger is pulled, which in turn can only occur if the external safety is disengaged and the grip safety is squeezed into the grip. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

That last Series 80 feature is a bit controversial. Some claim that it unnecessarily complicated the original design, degraded the trigger by making it stiffer and adding an almost imperceptible (in my view) amount of trigger creep before the hammer trips, and gunsmiths complained that the new design is more difficult to tune to competition standards. My personal opinion? It’s still one of the best triggers out there, and according to my research any gunsmith worthy of the title will be able to tune your trigger with just a bit more effort. But even out of the box, I’d be hard pressed to understand why anyone would think this weapon needs any tuning whatsoever. If the shooter can’t hold this weapon on target, then it’s the shooter who has a problem rather than the trigger and firing system on this weapon.

Range review: I’ve fired other M1911 models in the past, including a Series 70 Gold Cup with National Match barrel. And while it’s been awhile since then, I have no complaints concerning the current M1991A1 Series 80. Trigger take-up is in the neighborhood of ⅛ inch/3mm. The aforementioned trigger “creep” is less than even that. As such, the hammer trip is very clean and exceedingly crisp, especially when compared to most modern trigger designs. Trigger reset is equally short with a very positive tactile feedback and audible “click.” Reliability is superb with the two ammo types I fed through it — full metal jacket and jacketed hollow points. As for accuracy, this pistol without any modification whatsoever is capable of better accuracy than most any shooter who will fire one, and you can’t ask for better than that. Indeed, take a look at this demonstration video from one of my favorite handgun reviewers, Hickok45:

Don’t Fear the Recoil: Many people unfairly in my view criticize the .45 ACP cartridge as being “uncontrollable,” and thus fairly inaccurate especially on followup shots. A lot of that is not born out by the physics, however. The original .45 ACP design called for a 230-grain/.526-ounce/14.9-gram bullet traveling subsonically at around 830 feet/253 meters per second. That works out to around 352 foot-pounds/477 Joules of force. Compare that to the original specifications of the “much more controllable” 9mm Parabellum. That cartridge was designed around a 115-grain/.263-ounce/7.45-gram bullet traveling at the supersonic velocity of 1,300 feet/390 meters per second. Total energy from that round is 420 foot-pounds/570 Joules. Bear in mind that 9mm weapons are for the most part considerably lighter than the M1911, yet as you can see they transmit more recoil force back through the weapon and ultimately to the shooter’s hand. In my opinion the 9mm has a sharper, quicker recoil whereas the .45 ACP imparts a steady, even, thrust-like reaction. Recoil management is thus easy to accomplish and target reacquisition is very quick.

A little side story on that slower .45 ACP velocity. Back in my younger uncorrected vision days I could actually follow with my eye a .45 ACP bullet heading downrange, especially when shooting in bright sunlight at long ranges against a light-colored backdrop. It was a truly bizarre experience, and I cannot recall being able to do that with any other bullet I’ve ever fired.

But back to what it’s like to fire an M1911 in .45 ACP (fiction writers in particular take note): The noise from a .45 ACP is unlike most smaller caliber handguns such as the 9mm in that it imparts a slightly deeper, almost cannon-like “boom” rather than a sharp “bang.” That’s not to say the .45 ACP is louder. It isn’t. What I’m describing is just a slightly deeper, lower frequency with less “crack,” probably as a result of comparing a subsonic round (.45 ACP) to one that will emit the “crack” of a sonic boom (9mm). Recoil is surprisingly light. Muzzle flip is negligible, especially with a proper grip. Target reacquisition is quick and efficient, and followup shots are easily managed. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

Now a look at the current fit-and-finish of the “New Roll Mark” post-2001 version of the Colt M1991A1: If you’re considering adding an M1911 variant to your collection you can do a lot worse than this particular version. This is first and foremost a real Colt and not a pretender. Slide-to-frame fit is extremely tight with almost no perceptible play. Barrel-to-bushing tolerance is so tight that I cannot induce any wobble at all in my example. Colt 1911/1991 Government Series 80

As for finish, the satin bluing is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen in recent years, and light-years beyond the Parkerized finish of the original “Old Roll Mark” version of the M1991A1:

The grips that come with the Colt M1991A1 are nicely textured, beautifully stained, semi-gloss rosewood:

Specifications:

Length: 8.54 inches/217mm
Barrel Length: 5.03 inches/128mm
Slide Width: .91 inches/23mm
Maximum Width: 1.34 inches/34mm
Weight with empty magazine: 37.78 ounces/1,071 grams
Capacity: 7+1