Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Colt Commander

A few years ago I acquired a Commander from a friend. I paid a pittance, some would say I stole it but I paid his asking price without hesitation. The two 100 dollar bills literally flew out of my stash.

This gun is in about 95% and is stock except for the Pachmayr wraparound grips. First thing I did was have a custom shoulder holster made. I've been shooting it this weekend and now would like to tune it a bit. What should be done with say a $300.00 budget?

Sell it. The C-O-L-T on it is worth enough that you can realize enough profit to get a really nice custom or stock gun with the features you want.

Do you not like how it shoots now? What about it don't you like? These questions really need be answered before you get any advice.

A bone-stock Colt from before about the mid-nineties? If this is what we are talking about, the first thing I'd want to do is get the feed ramp re-profiled and polished IF it's not already shooting hollowpoints and wadcutters reliably. If it is, the other mods would just be for comfort or accuracy. Higher profile three-dot sights, if not already so-equipped, usually help things, especially if you have aging eyes. The grip safety bothers some people, biting into the web of the hand. You might want to do something about that if you are one of them. Some folks like ambi-safeties. Others like extended safeties and slide releases. Others like different hammers and triggers. You can always get the trigger worked on and smooth things up.

Personally, I wouldn't do anything to it if it was shooting adequately. "Adequate" to me is feeding everything reliably. I may have a pet load with a bullet that always feeds, but what if I can't get that bullet?

Thanks for the advice. I don't particularly want to sell it, however if the price were right...

It is bone stock from the 70's, except for the grips and does shoot well. I reload all my stuff so don't worry too much about what to feed it. I will probably start with sights. I want an adjustable rear sight. What would you recommend

Honestly, I've never replaced the sights on one of mine. I prefer pretty stock 1911's and disdain extensive mods. That said, I like a good, fairly high, three-dot. The stock ones on nineties era Colt's were pretty good.

get Esmeralda or else good looking WOOD grips.

get LOTS of good mags.

replace recoil and firing pin spring.

If sights, trigger and reliability are ok, either don�t do nothing else or SELL GUN TO ME!

Hermann

What year is it? They made the Commander is all sorts of different configurations throughout the years.


Second point: The only mods it needs are those which will address something about the gun that you think is lacking. What's lacking in the gun that needs addressing?

You don't need an adjustable rear sight unless you plan to use it for target competition of some sort. The sights on it are just fine for casual shooting and self-defense. They're not the way they are because Colt was too cheap to put adjustable sight on it. They're that way because those are the best sights for a combat weapon. If you want a target gun, sell this one to someone who will appreciate it (take a huge profit on the sale, because you got a huge bargain) and buy yourself something already set up as a target gun.

+1

I've done been convinced. I'll leave it as is except maybe get some authentic wood stocks.

Blue book says it's worth $525 at 95% which seems low. Serial is 70B51xxx.

You can get more than that. Closer to $800.00. I like the idea of traditional grips.

You need to decide if it needs something to make it work better for you than as it is now.
I usually do more easily seen sights and a better trigger on guns from that era. I've got a Series 70 Colt which has had both done. But if you are happy as is, then don't. You determine what it might need.
The other thing would be to test it throughly to make sure it's 100% reliable. If it isn't, definately get that done. E

This isn't my carry piece but I sure like the way she fits the hand and shoots, just feels right and comfortable in that shoulder holster I had made for her.

That's what I hate about Colt 1911's. The basic gun was a wonderful platform from which to start to build a good shooter. But, why should a customer pay $400-600 for a starter gun? Colt exploited there consumers for far too long selling their entry level starter kits.

For those who paid the NIB price on them, they should have rcv'd a smooth & finished product ready for years of service. Instead, the first option is to spend money on it to get it to shoot.

I won't even buy a used Colt for this very reason. Never will you see a 1911 with Colt stamped on it in my collection.

I agree to an extent. That all changed in the early nineties when Norinco started underselling Colt with their "Model of the 1911" which would feed hollowpoints reliably. After about the mid-nineties, most Colts are as good as any other brand.

Part of it too was the advent of hollowpoints and high-performance ammo. Before Super Vel and then Evan Marshall's study, most folks thought Cooper was right and that an FMJ would stop a fight nine times out of ten. Whether you agree with Marshall or not, his study forced people to think about whether ball ammo was really effective. After a lot of people wanted their guns to feed something other than ball, the guns were changed to meet the demand. Most of the guns that had feed ramp jobs would already feed ball ammo reliably all day long.

Pre-1970s Colt Government Models were very sweet guns. They started deteriorating in the 1970s, like most guns made by US manufacturers did around that time. Like Cole said, they started picking up again when they had to compete with better foreign made clones.

Hmmm...lots of stuff I disagree with on this thread, but talk about a major hijack.

$300 is a tough number to start with since about a third of that will be spent in shipping (unless your 'smith will receive "machine parts"). The money left over will allow for maybe one significant change.

You can get more for your buck if you do the changes yourself, but in my case that would eliminate the machining necessary to really improve the 1911 design. Just replacing parts, like exchanging really crappy sights for kinda crappy sights, is a waste of money to me. I'd save money a little longer.

$300 will get you really nice sights installed by a top 'smith and that's the first change I always make. Another $200 on top of that would provide for another couple changes on a single shipping tab.

First of all from your serial number I would say you have a "Combat" Commander, as in steel frame, not a Commander which have forged aluminum alloy frames....correct? That serial number starts with a 70BS..., not 70B5...BS meaning "blue steel" finish.

The correct grips for your gun will be what were called "Coltwood" grips which were an uncheckered I believe resin impregnated hardwood that had a "unsmooth" finish and silver Colt medallions.

Having owned many stock Commanders and Combat Commanders since the 1970s from 1951-2008 vintage I would have to respectfully disagree with Mr. Hawkeye on his points regarding Colt's sights and quality control.

The stock sights on Colt 1911s, except the Match and Gold Cup target guns, were horrible leftovers from the 1800s. If they were so great Colt would still put them on their guns instead of the more seeable combat sights that grace most 1911s from the factory. One can chage out the sights for something much better without totally ruining the original value. The front sight does have to be removed and a new higher profile/visibility front staked in place but a look-a-like original can be put back on when restoring the gun to original. The rear sight can just be drifted out and there are several dozen styles to chose from that include small adjustable sights.

I've had many 1970s and early 80s vintage 1911s and have noted no difference in the quality, function or accuracy compared to the 1950s and 60s vintage guns I have. In the mid to late 1980s quality did slip for a while but the guns I and my friends have bought over the last 6-8 years have been excellent...

I personally have carried customized 1952 vintage Commanders since 1980. As to ruining their value...I'll let my heirs worry about that...they are here for me to enjoy now...

Bob

Dang hijackers...

..yea, we do it all the time...

This is something a poster over on the 1911 Forum asked in regards to a 9mm Commander he had just purchased...this was my reply as to sight and grip afety modifications that would not hurt the long term value but would allow the gun to be more user friendly..

Bob



A good gunsmith can replace the rear sight with something like a MMC Classic that will have much better viability but just slides into the rear dovetail without modification. As to the front...the original front sight is easily removed and a new higher visibility one staked in just like the original. I had this done on a 1952 Commander in .38 Super and to make the slide all original again I just have to replace the MMC rear with the original Colt sight and get an original small serrated front sight from Colt and if not them Brownells. No the front sight won't be original but it will be close.

The grip safety can be replaced by a Wilson Drop-In. I have one in a Colt Super Elite and it works and looks fine...

Here is the 1952 Commander...



And here is a 70s vintage satin nickel Combat Commander with the same MMC sights...



Also don't know if they are made any more but Novak made a rear sight that just dropped into the dovetail. Here is one on a Colt CUSTOM .38 Super in high polish stainless....



And here is the drop-in Wilson Beavertail safety...





Also instead of the big style beavertail, look into the small upswept hook that originally came out on the Colt Officers ACP Model. It is my favorite and I am putting them on all my guns...

1952 Custom Commander in hard chrome with the Officers grip safety...




Another one on a Series 80 Combat Commander...



1956 Commander with hard chrome frame and an Officers grip safety...and they drop right in with no frame modification...

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/1911/sheridans013010013.jpg[/img]

...and a 1951 Commander (lower gun) also all hard chrome with the Officers grip safety... This gun also has a set of the MMC Classics as it was the only way to get better sights without wrecking the hard chrome finish that was on the gun when I bought it...

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/1911/TP032606018.jpg[/img]

This is my friends new XSE Commander with an extra 9mm barrel installed with the current Colt downswept beavertail safety that will drop right in old guns...

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/RJM52/1911/SW41mags122907006.jpg[/img]

SAD:
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You must'a died and gone to Heaven ... To have ALL them beautiful Colt 45's ...


R.I.P. ~ RJM52