06-20-2010, 19:56
|
#1
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 377
|
Difference between Colt 1911s?
OK, basic question here, but this is something I never sorted out before (be nice to the medic, don't make fun of him for silly questions....)
What is the functional difference between the Series 70 & Series 80s? I mean, I've read somewhere about a firing-pin safety (is this even necessary for a weapon that's not carried hammer-down on a live round?) but is there a real-world difference?
If I were shopping for a nice, inexpensive 1911 to shoot IDPA with, would I be a fool to go with one or the other?
__________________
Ars Longa, vita brevis
|
|
RichL025 is offline
|
|
|
06-20-2010, 20:07
|
#2
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,820
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL025
OK, basic question here, but this is something I never sorted out before (be nice to the medic, don't make fun of him for silly questions....)
What is the functional difference between the Series 70 & Series 80s? I mean, I've read somewhere about a firing-pin safety (is this even necessary for a weapon that's not carried hammer-down on a live round?) but is there a real-world difference?
If I were shopping for a nice, inexpensive 1911 to shoot IDPA with, would I be a fool to go with one or the other?
|
Collet bushing instead of solid was added to the Government Models with the Series 70. Most people consider that to have been a step backwards with regard to reliability. The Series 80 added a firing pin block safety system, where a series of internal levers and a plunger positively blocked the firing pin from moving until the trigger was pressed, as well as the half-cock notch being redesigned. I have had a 1911, not a Colt, refuse to fire when the firing pin block rubbed just a bit too hard on the firing pin, and retarded it from a clean impact. I am not a fan.
Might be another few corners they cut.
Neither is going to be competitive, or necessarily reliable, out of the box, with anything but Ball.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
|
|
The Reaper is offline
|
|
|
07-04-2010, 11:59
|
#3
|
|
Asset
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 4
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL025
If I were shopping for a nice, inexpensive 1911 to shoot IDPA with, would I be a fool to go with one or the other?
|
No
|
|
Justice is offline
|
|
|
07-04-2010, 13:39
|
#4
|
|
Asset
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 0
|
1911
Iam a big fan of the 1911. I have a springfield trp that will shoot just as good as my wilson combat cqb, and it was half the price. They say the quality of the 80 series is not as good as the 70, I have both and they shoot equally well. You can make the 70 series safer by installing an xp firing pin spring. After attending a class at csat I learned that a double action pistol was the way to go. My timed drills with a 1911 just didnt compare to that of a da. As much as I love the 1911 I purchased a hk usp when I got home. If I ever get to shoot idpa I will probably start with my hk over my 1911.
|
|
jpb0034 is offline
|
|
|
07-10-2010, 06:41
|
#5
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: 11 miles from Dove Creek, Colorady
Posts: 3,924
|
I had a Series 80 given to me at retirement. While I'm not a fan of the firing pin safety it reliably digests Ranger and Silvertip HPs without any problems.
With a little work you should be okay using it for IDPA.
You can get a Springfield Armory for less and have more money left to slick it up though.
__________________
"...But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive."
Shakespeare - Henry V
Lazy Bob Ranch
|
|
Utah Bob is offline
|
|
|
07-10-2010, 10:02
|
#6
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 261
|
Not much difference. I won't buy a pistol with the 80s guts and the price is comparable between the two.
You can remove the Series 80 guts and place a $5 shim in the receiver to get rid of the firing pin jackassery. This will clean up the trigger break and relieve you of the patchwork of shit that can malfunction and prevent the pistol from firing.
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1...ME_SLOT_BLANK#
|
|
Sinister is offline
|
|
|
07-10-2010, 20:29
|
#7
|
|
Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Der Vaterland
Posts: 2,311
|
RichL025,
What did you buy?
Love my Springfield 1911, slightly customized with Wilson parts. It rocks.
__________________
v/r
Stras
der Kriegskind SFA LXV
De Oppresso Liber
|
|
Stras is offline
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 20:24.
|
|
|
Hybrid Mode
