Nice review. Good job. The plain black rear sight is intentionally done that way by Colt. Nearly all custom pistols I build have plain black rear sights. The 3 dot system with two dots in the rear is a distraction. The plain rear helps the shooter focus on the front sight not the rear. Try to avoid dropping the slide on an empty chamber with no mag. It’s hard on a 1911.
As others have said, the Wilson Combat 47 series magazines are great, especially with low profile base pads. That being said, Colt makes one of the best factory 1911 magazines out there, so I'd suggest keeping them.
Nice Colt. Saw one at Cabelas yesterday. Was ready to buy. But Colt doesn't seem to like left handed shooters. So going with a Springfield TRP with the Bull barrel and ambi safety. Good luck with the Colt gorgeous. The video does it no justice. Looks great in real life.
Wilson or chip magazines. Barsto for a threaded barrel. Don't drop the slide on an empty chamber, and get that right thumb on top of the thumb safety when shooting. Very nice gun!
I have been brushing up on my 1911 knowledge, I found out about the safety thing the day after I did the video. I have no intention of fitting a barrel myself, from what I have seen it can easily be screwed up; and thanks for the mag recommendation.
Welcome to the 1911 sickness. Enjoy it. Nice start with that Colt. If you want a semi-drop in threaded barrel, look into Jarvis. I'm ordering one for my M45A1 which I think the CCU is based on. Storm Lake or other drop-ins won't drop in without fitting.
Chip McCormick mags are excellent as well as Wilson Combat mags. 10 round Chip McCormick mags function flawlessly and will give you the look you desire. Factory Springfield mags work well also; very basic but reliable. I would try a set of the Magpul 1911 grips, they feel great and the price is even better.
Thanks for the vid. Subbed right after. The colt rail gun was my first 1911 and since then I've piled on many more. It's always bothered me that the rail gun doesn't have a checkered front strap. this colt looks like colts way of competing with the Springfield Trp. Seems to be priced similar too. Anyways. Thanks a lot man. Keep up the good work. I second the chip McCormick mags too. Great mags.
MAGAZINES: Chip McCormick RPM magazine; Tripp Cobra Mag; and Wilson Combat HD/+P magazine. 7 round magazines are more reliable than 8 rounders, and both 7s and 8s are more reliable than 10 rounders.
I've got one and the first thing I did was adjust the grip safety. Cock the pistol ,push gently on the trigger while slowly pushing on the grip safety. Mine had to be pushed in almost all the way before it released and it should break at 1/3 of the grip safety travel. It's an easy fix.
One other thing. Im not an engineer. Or a scientist. Im 60. Worked around machinery my whole working life. Take alook at 1 round of 230 grain ball. See how its round at the top. That round was designed to go up a ramp that has a radius into a round hole. Period. Round Bullitt. Round barrel. Now look at the hollow point Bullitt. Its flat at the top. Filled with some kind of crap most people have not a clue what it is. Now you going to feed that flat nose Bullitt up a radius into a round hole. Need i say any more. It was designed to put a round bullit into a round barrel. Not a flat Bullitt into a round hole. Its simple for me. 230 ball is all you will ever need. Remember when you were little and played with the small wooden colored blocks. The ones that you had to match up the block with the right hole. A square block didn't go into a round hole. Have fun.
Badass bro, nice! I have the M45a1 Marine which is basically the pistol except for the finish and this has the front strap checkering. Very nice, good choice!
Hey friend. Reckon by now you already have some new magazines. The most popular for reliability and toughness are the Wilson combat. The chip McCormick ten round extended mags are nice as well. Hope your groups are tight and happy these days! Great looking side arm. God bless
BarSto for your barrel and have them fit it with a dedicated bushing so you can swap between whenever you want. For black mags try the Brownells brand. Otherwise the Vickers Duty Mag (by Wilson) is quickly becoming the new standard.
Go to a good defensive pistol class man, your grip could use a lot of work. Its a 9mm 1911 that weights 2-3.5 lbs, it should not recoil as much as it is, and much of that is on your grip. Especially if you title your channel "train like you fight" and your not even holding your handgun currently to maximize recoil control on a frankly extremely soft shooting gun. Only gun I've shot that is softer/flatter is a CZ 75 SPO1 Shadow. There is a reason this is important, as if you get good training now to fix your pistol issues early, its much easier down the line to be a better shooter. Law of Primacy, what you learn first (even if its poor technique) you learn best. Some Ron Avery videos would be a good way to start, pay attention to how the masters hold their guns. They do so for a reason. Do your due diligence on the course before you spend your money, get some good magazines, buy good ammo, and once you have enough rounds through it to be confident it wont shit the bed on you (or get a glock and run that... because nothing sucks more then having a gun that shits the bed on a course when you could be learning). For the record, I own one, was only able to put about 450 rounds through mine but had some extractor issues. Needs better magazines/followers and more bullets on it before I send it away to spend the same amount on the gun on getting it running. This is especially important if you ever want to try and carry it. Also, check out Primary & Secondary Forums, youtube channel, and FB groups. LOTS of knowledge there to pull off, from trainers, professional end-users, and experienced competitive shooters.
Matthew Meckley this model of the CCU is .45 ACP not 9mm. I have done a lot of training with it in the past few months, no professional courses but I have a buddy who was SWAT that has helped me a lot.
Mea Culpa on the 9mm/45, but still .45 ACP is not a terribly snappy gun. Still it would be worth it too seek a good pistol course that gives you a solid baseline of skill sets, as I said, specifically if you ever intend to carry this firearm as a defensive handgun. It might also show issues in the handgun choice itself when pushed hard over a two/three day class. Arguably proper function in a handgun is probably of more importance then desire for a .45. Good pick though, as it seems like a solid platform to start with, now it just means it needs to be ran hard to divine if it is solid enough reliability wise too carry. Don't make my mistake and have to work harder later to try and kill your bad habits learned without a good teacher. Also, dry fire dry fire dry fire.
I do plan on taking a defensive handgun class but not with this handgun. The 1911 is more or less my fun range gun I plan on getting an XDS for my CCW.
Pick up a Glock 19, replace the sights, and go from there. Those sub compacts in 9mm/40/45 are pretty snappy guns and not something you would want to take a legit class. I own a 43 and would hate to shoot a full course with that thing, but it fits in my 10 percent situations were the bulk of my 19 with an RMR is just a tad to much (the date/party gun). Plus with the proper holsters you can easily conceal a 19, even being a skinnier guy. You can shoot and hold it like a full size, still accepts a light and can go on the nightstand, and is easy to shoot for monthly practice. Plus its generally boringly reliable, unlike many 1911's that can be finicky if not assembled correctly. I have the 9mm version of the CCU and it shoots great. However, it hasn't made it through 500 rounds without having excessive issues with FTE, as well as some erratic extraction. Look up Hilton Yams Extractor test- 7 rounds fed from the magazine two handed (insert mag, charge slide, remove magazine, fire, observe extraction, repeat for whole magazine) then the same accept off hand. modernserviceweapons.com/?p=131 Good way to establish if you have adequate extraction without sending too a Smith.
Here is am 5 years later lol this is still my favorite 1911 I’ve seen, definitely wanna try my best to get my hands on one, I have similar goals as you, I have a nice kit set up, AR/Glocks but I’ve always wanted a tactical duty 1911, something I can suppress and have a rail for lights, 5 years later have any suggestions? Lol
Well I still love this 1911, but I've actually decided not to suppress it since it comes with a super nice barrel from the factory and I've read that 1911's tend to shake themselves to pieces when suppressed. I'm actually going to be releasing an update video hopefully before the end of the month.
@@TrainLikeYouFight that’s awesome, look forward to it! I need to find and buy one of these colt combat units, I would suppress it and have a flashlight
Damn, that's a beautiful 1911. I was bummed to see that it didn't have the Series 70 trigger mechanism however. You usually only see those in really 1911's or the super high end brands like Nighthawk, Ed Brown, Dan Wesson etc. I don't think that will stop me from trying to buy one of these though.
I don't own a 1911 yet, but the 1911 purists/experts say you can feel a difference between a Series 70 and a Series 80 firing mechanism. I've shot a few though that have the Series 80 feature and I don't have any complaints, I think the trigger feels great to me, but like I said, I don't have a lot of experience with 1911's. I still really want this 1911 though.
Wilson's are the best way to go for 1911 mags think PMAG for 1911. As far as suppressing it, you're going to spend a good amount of money on a threaded barrel that won't be as accurate, throw on a can you'll have some POI shift too. If you work on your grip and stance you'll also tighten up your shots and really see the accuracy potential of that pistol. Choke up with your left hand thumbs in line with each other extend but don't lock your arms out.
Wilson's are the best way to go for 1911 mags think PMAG for 1911. As far as suppressing it, you're going to spend a good amount of money on a threaded barrel that won't be as accurate, throw on a can you'll have some POI shift too. If you work on your grip and stance you'll also tighten up your shots and really see the accuracy potential of that pistol. Choke up with your left hand thumbs in line with each other extend but don't lock your arms out.
+ExplorinInTheWoods thanks for tips. I won't throw out the stock barrel for when I actually want to shoot for accuracy. I want the can for the fun of it and because my range won't allow unsuppresed weapons on the range before 12:30 because of a church next door.
I've always heard Wilson mags are "best" but in canastan they're kinda hard to find/expensive (like start at $75+ here). I run the blued (black, really nicely done tho) ACT MAG 8 rounders. zero malfunctions in my Kimber, 100% reliable and only $35 each
It is better in the sense that it is about $500 cheaper, both guns share a lot of the same features and I really didn't see any major differences that made me want the Springfield. I have always wanted a Colt 1911 for its historical significance, also I am an Army guy and I know I would catch some flak from my buddies in the Corps for buying a gun that said "Marines Corps".
Do you know what units actually use this gun? Would be cool to know! 😎great review. If I understand it correctly you got the 5 inch and it also comes in a shorter, officer size? Wonder if you shot that one too and if you believe it could be good for IDPA as a concealed competition gun?
I am not aware of any units actually using these, I know the MARSOC guys do use the M45A1, which is essentially the same gun just in tan. I haven't seen a shorter version of this model, but personally I wouldn't CCW a shorter version of this gun, unless they made it with an aluminum frame. As for IDPA, this gun is a great competition gun, I use it for 2 gun matches all the time.
Why would you want to change out the rear sight?? 3-dot is WAY more confusing at night, watch Chris Costa's video on the subject. Also, Tripp cobra mags are the best 1911 mag, BETTER then wilson by a mile!
Thank you for the recommendation. The reason for the 3 dot if for more accuracy on the range, I have a guy in my unit that teaches an advanced pistol course he has told me the single dot is better for fast target acquisition but 3 dot is better for accuracy and distance shots.
I will give that a try. I am not dead set on replacing the rear sight yet, so I will play around with the current sights and see if it's really necessary. Thanks!
@@TrainLikeYouFight whoever told you that is completely clueless and most likely teaching out of institutionalization as opposed to actual thought and practice
Magazines for 1911.....? Wilson-Combat, Kimber makes good magazines for 1911. I heard Cobra magazines are very reliable but expensive. Chip McCormick is reliable. Pachmayr in stainless and blue/7-rounds are good. But all this time I've shot 1911 since 1990? I've had good luck with just old-fashion G.I, 7-round magazine, plus their cheap too. Plenty in gun-shows and usually a privately own gun-store, has plenty seating in a huge pile of assorted magazines. Back in 2014, I purchased about 8 magazines. All good and functioned well.
I ended up buying Chip McCormick mags. I had been told when I was doing my research that standard 1911 mags were garbage, I continued using the Colt mags until one day they decided to stop locking the slide back (even after I stretched the spring).
Tripp Cobra have never failed me where Wilson's have. I probably have 30 plus mags of different sorts. My carry mags are the Cobra's. With that being said, Wilson now make or sell a mag fashioned like the Cobra. Be interesting to know if Tripp makes them for Wilson. Check their sight our Michael and see if you'd agree. I've used 47D for years, but still go with Cobra by Tripp which is still used by STI (or owned by)?
I have the 9mm version and it doesn't have the skeletonized trigger. In fact I have yet to see one with the skeletonized trigger. I wish mine did have one. Welcome to the 1911 sickness. (you'll know what I mean soon)
I think it depends on what batch you get. When I first saw it advertised on Colt's website it had a skeletonized trigger. I personally think that if you buy a 1911 is has to be 45 acp.
This thing is basically a blacked out version of my favorite hangun, the Colt M45a1. I know mine still has the 5" National Match barrel and dual springs, does this one come with those?
I know Sig makes a 1911 with a threaded barrel already installed and if you have the money you could get a Nighthawk. Colt doesn't make a threaded barrel so finding one and then having it fitted can be a hassle. I highly recommend the combat unit because of all the features.
Oh yeah, if you ended up with that thing extracting wrong and needing your extractor tuned, it's because you keep dropping the slide on an empty chamber.
I like 9 mm because it costs half as much as .45, the 1911 has history a history of using 45 acp that's why I got mine in .45 but you are right when it comes to practicality.
The 1911 platform is so outdated, overweight, and no longer relevant for defensive use today. Who buys guns with steel frames and hammers in 2016? I am sure you have a lot of regret buying it. Let me know if you are looking to get rid of it. You seem like a nice guy so I'd be happy to take it off your hands:)
1911 pistols are beautiful. Buying a Colt isn't so much a purchase as it is an investment in your legacy, something to be passed down from generation to generation. The Colt Government Model I bought back in 1991 will stay with me till my last days. However, the 1911 will also be relevant for years to come as a defensive pistol for a few reasons. First and foremost, the accuracy potential of a 1911 is above any other semi-auto due to the short trigger pull and crisp break. My Colt Super .38 makes me look like a much better shooter than I am. Secondly, many folks prefer to carry a pistol with a manual safety, a feature not always found on striker-fired pistols. Lastly, many states have enacted bans on high capacity magazines that make owning a 1911 far more appealing. Oh, and don't forget that nobody wants to show off their plastic gun; I frequently carry a Glock concealed in a Kydex holster, but if I am in an open carry state I wouldn't be caught dead with Tupperware on my hip. In Texas, it has to be a steel gun in a leather holster.
I love a good striker fired weapon, but you are correct nothing beats a 1911 in aesthetics and accuracy. From a military perspective I would prefer something like an FN45 over the 1911 or the garbage M9, just because FN45 requires less care and maintenance. You are also correct about the legacy of the 1911, this handgun is not going anywhere any time soon.
Train Like You Fight I have a couple of those. They run good in my Springfields but don't run worth a damn in any of my Colts. They stove pipe on the last round almost every time. Hopefully you will have better luck.
John Deed there is front strap and back strap checkering. the backstrap/main spring housing is also metal instead of plastic. This may seem somewhat pointless but once you hold the gun you will understand, the grip the checkering offers is unbelievable.
I'm guessing you meant spelling? Proper capitalization and punctuation are important too but I'm not part of the grammar/punctuation gestapo and wouldn't call someone out over a mistake.
Ralph Robles I personally have never handled a TRP but it is probably very similar, the only thing is, do you want cannons engraved on the slide or ponies?
The TRP Springfield is a very well built 1911. I was a tank driver in the Army from 1979 until 1985 with the Second Armored. And carried a Springfield 1911 for all those years as a tank driver. The Army had them for many years. As a Veteran and gun enthusiast I know that brand and historical value is important. Because of tradition. But in my opinion both these brands are excellent in those categories. Colt just has a little catching up to do after the internal issues they were having the past few years. And that's when I will get me a Colt. The one I always liked was that Walley Clapp edition or the Gold Cup. Must be because I'm an old guy . Good luck with you Colt. Like I said its a beauty.
Most 1911 enthusiast usually hate the addition of the rail; also you are right, Colt has had their fair share of problems and they need to work on rebuilding their name. I'm surprised that the Army was using anything besides Colt during the 70s but I know the Army hasn't always used Colt. When I was in basic training in 2014 I was issued an M16 made by FN herstal.
Yeah when I was in Ft Knox we had them Springfield 1911s. Think they were from the Vietnam. They rattled like a box of bolts, LOL!. Pretty abused. I like the Colt Gold Cup because it is a series 70. But that slide safety is the old smaller one. And being a lefty I have enough of an issue moving my thumb to the left side with the bigger extended slide safety. Never mind the smaller ones.
Dude, please go out and take a few classes from tactical esponse, sentinel concepts, etc... instead of buying more guns. You will enjoy your guns more after you apply proper technique. Good luck man.
No one to my knowledge, I would call Alien Gear and see if they will do a custom job. I will probably get a SERPA drop leg holster for it since I do not intend on concealing it.
Bryson Wilkinson I was talking about magazines and barrels. I had no interest in Nighthawk when buying my first 1911, they are nice but I wanted a Colt 1911 because of the historical significance.
Drop the slide all you want. It will not hurt a colt. Done it hundreds of times. If i have to worry about breaking my colt ive bought the wrong gun. My colt GOV has served me well. Keep it clean as you would any tool. It was designed to fire 230 ball. Thats all i shoot. If you cant drop someone with ball ammo. Your doing something wrong. I see alot of people polishing the feed ramp. Really? If i spend $1000.00 on a gun. The last thing im going to do is grind metal off it. Take it back if you feel you need to do that. You bought the wrong gun. Your not a gun smith. I love guys that say. I just polished the feed ramp. It feeds better? How the hell do you know? If your jamming that much there is something else wrong. Please dont play gun smith.