Opinions Wanted on Colt Frame

[DrHenley]

See, I have this Series 80, and I have figured out that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the frame itself. Being that it's a forged SS frame, I hate to trade the whole gun on something with a cast frame, which I came very close to doing several times.

What I really want, of course, is a Valor, but can't afford it right now. And even if I traded the Colt there are no Valors locally to trade for. And being the Luddite that I am, I'm not into buying things on the Internet.

So...

Should I hang onto the Colt until I can hava a custom 1911 built on the frame, or maybe try to find a Valor locally (preferably a VBOB) to trade it on when I have the dough? (THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION IN ANY SHAPE MANNER OR FORM)

I'm thinking of having a Bobtail conversion done, which, with a good slide might make the Colt a carryable piece.

I would really prefer to trade it on a VBOB, but that requires an alignment of the heavens that doesn't occur often (both having the money and having a VBOB available locally for trade at the same time)

I figure with a custom I can do it whenever I have the money.

Opinions please...

[CalWhit33]

At this point I'd say the cheaper route would be have a good commander frame and a Bob done by a good 'Smith and you'll have a quality piece done up to your specs. Unless the frame has no attachment or you just want a vbob this is the way I would go since you have half of it in your hand already. Plus if you have a local Guy you can do steps like fit the barrel and slide to frame. Then gets sights you want. Then have it bobbed. All on a pay as you go type thing. Hope it works out for ya

[DrHenley]

The pay-as-you-go is probably what is most attactive about having it customized.

It is a Government frame, but the Bobtail will still make it a little easier to carry.

Is there any way to put a slightly shorter slide on a full length Government frame? Or should I say, is it advisable to put a slightly shorter slide on a Government frame? Is there even such a thing? Sort of a semi Commander Bobtail.

[DrHenley]

Well, it's settled...the Colt will stay like it it!

I Finally got up the courage to use it in an IDPA match today, and it performed flawlessly. I didn't really notice the Series-80 trigger even though it is much rougher than my DW's trigger. Now that I've decided it's a keeper, I may try a trigger job on it.

This is the Series-80 that I spent 3 years tinkering with, and I think I finally got it to the point where it's usable - still not up to snuff with my DW, but usable...

When I first got it, it was a basket case:

- Empties consistently hit me in the forehead

- Jams:
-- FTE jams - where the slide just pushed the empty back in the chamber
-- FTF jams - where the slide didn't pick up a round from the mag
-- "3 point" Stem bind jams
-- Nosedive jams
-- Stovepipe jams
-- And jams there aren't even names for...

- The point of impact was a couple of feet low at 25 yards.

What it took to get from there to here:

Polishing the feed ramp
19 lb main spring (the original 23 pound spring was retarding the slide too much)
Reshaping the ejector (to keep the cases from hitting my forehead)
Wilson Combat "Bulletproof" extractor (no amount of tweaking on the old extractor would make it work right)
New Colt magazines (HUGE difference just with the mag change)
New Colt barrel (now even SWCs will feed reliably)
New Colt bushing (the old collet style was cracked)
New Colt rear sight (the original was was too low causing the point of impact to be way way low)
Flaring the ejection port (to keep the cases from hitting my forehead)
Wilson Combat tactical mag release (so I don't have to shift the gun to release the mag)

[NAMVET72]

When you get a Chance can you post a Pic of your Colt......

[DrHenley]

Did post it a while back, but it won't hurt doing it again

[NAMVET72]

That is Really nice, so when are you going to get new shoes for it?????

[DrHenley]

Those aren't the original grips, they are Hogue palm swell grips.

I generally don't like anything other than wood on my guns, but the Hogue grips fit my hand perfectly. My DW came with them, and I liked them so much, it is the only grips I use on 1911s now.