With all of the preceding as background, what should you actually do before purchasing any M1911 or M1911A1 pistol? Start with an examination of the safety systems. The good thing about the Series 80 firing pin block is that it makes it impossible for the gun to discharge unless the trigger is pulled. All Springfield Armory M1911A1 pistols are true to the A1 design, as are stripped down, newly-manufactured receivers that are available from Caspian or Essex. Fortunately, the 1911A1 hasn’t totally vanished from production. For that reason, if no other, the owner of a used Series 70 Gold Cup usually can ask and receive a price equal to or exceeding a new Series 80.Īs a matter of fact, due to the presence of that passive safety, the preference for a Series 70 over a Series 80 runs across the Colt line. That’s not the way things ought to be with a match pistol costing $1,000.

While Gun Tests totally abhors the lack of safeties, this safety has a negative effect on trigger pulls.Īs a result, many a Series 80 Gold Cup purchaser has rated the trigger on his or her gun as unacceptable out of the box. In some quarters, full credit for the new pistol is somewhat dubiously awarded to Colt’s legal department since it is equipped with an additional safety feature, a passive firing pin block. In turn, the Series 70 was replaced in 1983 by the Series 80.

In 1971, the Colt M1911A1 was replaced with the manufacturer’s Series 70 Government Model, which differed from its predecessor in its slightly heavier slide and a modified barrel bushing. With the exception of fit, finish and their “C” prefix, they are identical to military models. Pre-WWII commercial models of the A1 can also run in the $2,000 price range. The commercial, meaning civilian, version of the same gun has a serial number prefixed by the letter “C”, was produced from 1911 to 1925, is close to the military in value and was replaced by the M1911A1. If you scan and compare a few sources on gun values, you’ll find that a Colt military M1911 can bring at least $2,000 if in very good condition and $450 if the condition is poor. Harbor no hopes of buying any used M1911 or M1911A1 at such prices today, unless it’s a total junker. Some had never been through basic training. In the late forties and early fifties, Government Models were being sold out of arsenals for less than dirt. No other handgun has been subjected to more words, tinkering, accessorizing or imitation and still survived-let alone remain in demand.Īfter World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam, thousands of 1911 pistols found homes with the Doughboys and GIs who’d carried them in combat. The unending popularity of John Browning’s Model 1911 design is due in equal parts to its simplicity, reliability and durability.

Colt 1911 value serial number