Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Nickel series 70 Colt comes home

Good bud whom I've known for decades called me, wanted to talk. He shows up at my house with my old Nickel Colt 1911 that I traded him years ago. In that trade, I got his 722 Remington, .222 that I had checkered in High School (late '50's). I later fitted a Hart SS barrel now in .22-204, but a slow twist. He was concerned about personal security, his wife had a scare, so I traded him the Colt for the Remington. He knew it was a lopsided trade back then and reminded me of that. I was OK with it, wanted him to be protected in his house.

He said his relatives (grands) were circling his gun collection like vultures. He's in his 90's and wanted me to have it before they got it. He wanted to trade for something he could use for protection. He had problems racking the Colt action, so I set him up with a pristine S&W M-36 with Crimson Trace grips.

The 1911 is probably 98%, the nickel showing some minor handling scratches, otherwise perfect. He never shot it much. Blue Book shows the Colt at around $1,550 at 98%. The Smith is worth around $5-600 in perfect shape. The Crimson Trace grips, around $275 if you can find them. I showed him how to work the laser dot, told him just that laser shining on a perp's chest often makes enough of a statement that you won't have to drop'em. He liked that. I also gave him a box of ammo.

So, if the Colt is worth $1,550 and the Smith 36 with CT grips, around $875, he's down $725, but he's aware of that and happy with the trade.

Below is the 722 that I did skip-a-line checkering for him back in the day. (It was cool back then). Now wearing a 10X Zeiss instead of the Weaver K-8 he had on it. When I was too young to drive, he'd pick me up and we'd go crow shooting, killed a bunch. He's married to a cousin and they fixed me up with my wife of 47 years. So, you can see our history.

DF

Sounds like a really good friend and a good guy for letting you get the Colt back.
And the revolver with the CT Laser grips should be much easier for him to shoot and use at his age.

Always liked the 70’s series Colt models. My first 1911 was a Nickel 70’s series Commander.

Yeah he seemed impressed with the Crimson Trace. Don’t think he’d handled one before.

This revolver will be about perfect for him. That laser has gotten more than one “issue” resolved without bloodshed. The ammo he got is for short barreled .38’s.

DF

I gave him a box of Gold Dot Duty Ammo that my LEO bud had put me onto. He said it’s good for short barrel revolvers. It’s the ammo he puts in his pocket pistol, a J frame Smith.

This guy is retired SWAT sniper, knows his stuff.

DF

That Colt is a beauty.

DirtFarmer: I am glad you got that nifty pistol back in your hands.
And great job on the checkering of the 722.
Enjoy them both.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks guys.

He’s a good guy and am glad he’s doing ok at 90+ yrs young.

I think the Crimson Trace/Smith 36 combo will serve him better than the big Colt. I am glad to have it back, glad he has a better option for his home defense.

Sometimes things just work out.

DF

You’re both fortunate in your friendship.

Agree.

Lifetime.

DF

Very nice. It needs some nice double diamond, checkered, rosewood or walnut grips, though.

Agree.

Was thinking along those lines.

DF

I would not change a thing. Get a Colt letter for it. And keep it just like it is as you will think of your friend every time you bring it out of the safe.
For the rest of your life.

The Colt letter wouldn't be that spectacular.

The Colt 70, G series guns were made from 1970-1983, this one in 1975, about half way through. That's about when I bought.

One owner, not much story other than the one I shared.

DF

If you were the original owner, and the pistol is exactly as you bought it NIB then I agree a factory letter means little to you right now. It could enhance resale later if you or your family wanted to sell it later in its original condition.
It is a very nice piece, made at a great time of Colt's production.

Gonna need to look for the original box before doing anything else.

DF

My first 1911 was also a Colt Series 70, purchased new by me in the early 1980s. I actually wanted a Lightweight Commander, but the local gun store had me on the list for one for over a year, and I finally gave up and told them to get me in a Series 70 Government Model. It was there within a week.

That sure wasn't my experience with Colts of that era. Schitty sights, hammer bite, might, or might NOT, feed ammo, crappy triggers, collet bushings that broke, all that stuff. You bought the Colt, then spent 2X the price to get it running right at the gunsmith's. Sometimes Colt screwed up and shipped a gun that worked, but it wasn't a common thing. Gunsmiths made a good living on "reliability packages", and all of them started making parts to replace the crap stuff on factory guns, better sights, beavertails, extended thumb safeties, all that stuff came out BECAUSE of those vintage Colts.

All the goodness you get in most of today's 1911s come from those days, and trying not to be Colt. Yes, you still need to tinker with the extractors, but the new stuff feeds damned near anything you can buy. I know, I was a Colt fanboy, and spent the money to prove it.

The OP's pistol is nice enough, but it's been dinked with, those sights are NOT original or Colt sights, they appear to be Millett or one of the multiple sight makers of those days. It probably had other work done to it at the same time, that's how things were done back then.

My early 1980s Series 70 worked flawlessly, collet bushing and all. Admittedly, I only shot ball ammo through it. Carried it that way, too.

Nice story, DF.

Glad it worked out for both of you.

The nickel Colts from that era are very, very nice guns. Enjoy it.

MM

Ya done good