I finally got a series 70 colt gold cup. Always wanted one and I could not be happier. It is in beautiful condition, and shoots lights out.

As an added bonus I noticed when doing the paperwork that the last 4 digits of the serial number are, 1911. Pretty neat I thought haha.

What's everyone's favorite model colt 1911?

I had to sell my Gold Cup to fund the purchase of my Python...that hurt. At some point I hope to get another one.

JackVliet: Wow - good for you.
I have always admired the Colt Gold Cups.
I also am on the lookout for a "deal" on a Gold Cup.
Enjoy your nifty pistol.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Good for you Jack!

In the early 80s we had a patrol sergeant who had a really nice Gold Cup. He shot the marital water bed with it one day while his wife was out shopping She was understandably upset. When he did it the second time, she really got pissed and told him to sell it. So he shows up for shift change with a sad story and a Cup with six mags, 450 bucks. I wanted it real bad.

The Watch Commander grabbed it up pronto, but several of us were disqualified right off the bat. Me, who asked "So how big was the group on the waterbed Joe??" along with 4-5 other patrolmen who busted a gut laughing.

My Gold Cup experience wasn't so great. I used mine for matches put on by the local sheriff's department. First issue was that it wasn't reliable and would choke occasionally. Never could pin that down, the gun would jam once in awhile at random for no obvious reason. Second problem was losing the front sight in the middle of a string of fire. There one shot, gone the next. Easy enough fix, but that shouldn't happen. Then the hollow roll pin in the rear sight broke. Again in a string of fire during a match. Last thing before I shipped the gun out to a Gold Cup fan was that one of the collet bushing legs broke. No more Gold Cups for me.

Here is my Series 70, Gold Cup National Match. I had it dressed up a little but it did not distract from how it shoots and functions.
I'm left handed and have very big hands, so I asked for extra thick Ivory and an ambi safety.
This is a 1911 that looks good and shoots great.

I’ve owned several of them over the years. Both 70 & 80 series. And one Pre- 70 Series. All nice guns. Most shot and functioned well.

One of my favorites and the most accurate was actually a 80 Series Gold Cup Commander in Stainless. They only made like 500 of them. Good friend that I grew up with that was a local Sheriff’s Deputy wanted it BAD. One day he offered me stupid money for it. I let him have it. He carried it every day until his Retirement. Still has it.

The Gold Cup was well known for launching rear sights into low earth orbit when the transverse pin holding it onto the slide broke.

If you're lefty, gotta show the other side, man.

Jack, Congrats! Sounds like a great piece.

But..

Pics or it never happened. 😆😲😨

Favorite? I dunno. The Gold Cup I've got now is as good as any.

Local dirt,
Left side added to original post.
Hope you like it.

My Series 70 Gold Cup is a remarkably reliable piece of goods - I honestly don't recall ever having it mis-feed or jam (but I've only fed it a variety of 185 and 200 grain lead SWC's- I have other .45's for nastier stuff). Accuracy is superb, as proven with my Ransom Rest (which simply confirms my need to practice more).

Yeah, the rear sight pin in my 1978 vintage GC kept working loose, but for the longest time I simply monitored it and pushed it back in when it moved too far. Then I replaced it with a split pin from Kensight and now I ignore it.

Looks awesome, Jack. Love the grips. Whether they are faux or not. They look good.

You haven't lived until you've had the front sight fly off of one of your handguns and then try to find it. Lol.

I was lucky. I found the Trijicon HD that flew off of one of my Glocks.

I had exactly, EXACTLY, the same issues with mine, and I sold it and bought an Essex frame/slide gun that outshot it, and was more reliable to boot, and had nice Wichita adjustable sights already milled into the slide. The sharp edges on the slide could slice you well when clearing it, too. All in all, I don't miss that Gold Cup any at all. I've had plenty of other 1911s since then, and ALL of them outshot that particular GC, too, including two LW Commanders, which would shoot groups inside the patterns the GC shot. Currently, I've got a RIA FS that is twice the gun that Colt was (among others). No more Gold Cups for me, either.

Those maladies are common on the original '70 Series GC..............they were/are nice guns & I have one, but far from great guns.

Other than nostalgia, the current production stuff is definitely better.

MM

Chlinstructor,
I have the exact model.
They are going for STUPID $$ now.
Mine was stolen.
10 yrs. later, I got a call from sheriff deputy that investigated original call.
Found my pistols in Orlando PD evidence room.
Said call your Ins. Co., tell them it is recovered.
Ins. Co had replaced NM Commander Gold Cup w/
stainless gov. model Gold Cup.
Ins. Co. said it has been 10 yrs. , so keep the gov. Model Gold Cup.
All during the 10 yrs. I kept the original box and paperwork, just couldn’t throw it away.

Sometimes you just get LUCKY 🍀

I have been shooting a Series 70 Gold Cup since I bought it new in 1974. I replaced the collet bushing with a fitted solid bushing early on. It is still my bullseye 45. I used it in center fire also until I happened onto a S&W 52. Have had zero problems with it, guess I got a good one.

Congrats, They're great pistols. Here's my favorite 70 series pony that's in the stable. I've got it lettered as an electroless nickel out of the Custom Shop.

That's a very nice gun.

MM

Thanks MM. There's not very many of them out there from what I understand.