Posted: 1/5/2009 9:10:39 PM EDT
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Well i wanna get a commander sized pistol for my CCW. However i was wondering what you guys think.
what is the difference in the 70 series, the 80 series, the m1991 series of commanders. Which is the best and why? Also what is a good price for a parked commander thanks Chad |
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Quoted: Bob Miller has my ORM M1991A1 Commander as we speak. I am trying to patiently wait for it to return at which time it will become my primary carry gun. It is being done in Melonite in the Jeff Cooper style. A good used parked Commander (ORM M1991A1) would be worth $500-600 depending on wear but present buying frenzies may raise that estimate.Well i wanna get a commander sized pistol for my CCW. However i was wondering what you guys think. what is the difference in the 70 series, the 80 series, the m1991 series of commanders. Which is the best and why? Also what is a good price for a parked commander thanks Chad The 80 Series has a firing pin safety, the 70 does not. That wouldn't be an issue to me if I found one I liked. The ORM M1991A1 Commanders are Parkerized or a bead-blasted blue/black and were sold as an entry level 1911 (read: less expensive). The recent Commanders have conventional blue or stainless finishes. No one model is "best" as it depends on what appeals to YOU. Pre-80 Series Commanders can be found but good examples are pricey. They were NO Series 70 Commanders, no matter what anyone tells you. ETA: CORRECTED 70/80 SWITCH |
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Bob Miller has my ORM M1991A1 Commander as we speak. I am trying to patiently wait for it to return at which time it will become my primary carry gun. It is being done in Melonite in the Jeff Cooper style. A good used parked Commander (ORM M1991A1) would be worth $500-600 depending on wear but present buying frenzies may raise that estimate.
Well i wanna get a commander sized pistol for my CCW. However i was wondering what you guys think. what is the difference in the 70 series, the 80 series, the m1991 series of commanders. Which is the best and why? Also what is a good price for a parked commander thanks Chad The 70 Series has a firing pin safety, the 80 does not. That wouldn't be an issue to me if I found one I liked. The ORM M1991A1 Commanders are Parkerized or a bead-blasted blue/black and were sold as an entry level 1911 (read: less expensive). The recent Commanders have conventional blue or stainless finishes. No one model is "best" as it depends on what appeals to YOU. Pre-80 Series Commanders can be found but good examples are pricey. They were NO Series 70 Commanders, no matter what anyone tells you. Isn't it the other way around? 70 series has no Firing pin safety and 80's does? |
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Bob Miller has my ORM M1991A1 Commander as we speak. I am trying to patiently wait for it to return at which time it will become my primary carry gun. It is being done in Melonite in the Jeff Cooper style. A good used parked Commander (ORM M1991A1) would be worth $500-600 depending on wear but present buying frenzies may raise that estimate.
Well i wanna get a commander sized pistol for my CCW. However i was wondering what you guys think. what is the difference in the 70 series, the 80 series, the m1991 series of commanders. Which is the best and why? Also what is a good price for a parked commander thanks Chad The 70 Series has a firing pin safety, the 80 does not. That wouldn't be an issue to me if I found one I liked. The ORM M1991A1 Commanders are Parkerized or a bead-blasted blue/black and were sold as an entry level 1911 (read: less expensive). The recent Commanders have conventional blue or stainless finishes. No one model is "best" as it depends on what appeals to YOU. Pre-80 Series Commanders can be found but good examples are pricey. They were NO Series 70 Commanders, no matter what anyone tells you. Ok i'm confused..... |
| The 70 Series full size 1911s and pre-80 Series Commanders DO NOT have a firing pin saftety. Colt never produced a Commander-size pistol that they called Series 70, despite the fact that you see advertisements on the gun auctions and other places to the contrary. Everything made prior to introduction of the 80 Series Commanders is correctly called "pre-80 Series" Commander or Combat Commander. |
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Quoted: The 70 Series full size 1911s and pre-80 Series Commanders DO NOT have a firing pin saftety.Colt never produced a Commander-size pistol that they called Series 70, despite the fact that you see advertisements on the gun auctions and other places to the contrary. Everything made prior to introduction of the 80 Series Commanders is correctly called "pre-80 Series" Commander or Combat Commander. Sorry I turned the 70/80 around. I should have proof read it. I did , however, comment on the "No Series 70 Commanders" thing.  ETA: (SEE MY POST ABOVE FOR CORRECTION) |
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And the M1991A1 guns are simply Series 80 with a parkerized finish, huge slide rollmark, plastic grips, trigger, and mainspring housing. And the NRM 91's are S80 with better finishes and nicer rollmarks than their ORM brethern.
Also, the stainless NRM Commanders feature a couple of other additions - chamfered slide corners, downswept grip safety, combat-style hammer (as opposed to the traditional "ring") and undercut trigger guard. |
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Originally the combat commander had a steel frame and the commander an alloy, is that still true? Pretty much. It can easily get confusing. Usually, people will go with the terms "Combat" and "Lightweight" to distinguish between the steel and alloy frames, respectively. It reduces confusion, since neither term was ever used for the opposite purpose. To best illustrate the possible confusion: The manual for my NRM Commander lists the two models as "Combat Commander" and "Commander (Lightweight)". However, the case/box lists the model as simply "Commander", even though it did contain a steel-framed pistol. So, according to the box, the Commander is the steel-framed version, and presumably only one with the "Lightweight" suffix would have the alloy frame. But according to the manual, the Combat Commander is the steel-framed version, with the Commander being the alloy. ETA - Also, the roll mark states "Commander Model". |
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Originally the combat commander had a steel frame and the commander an alloy, is that still true? Yes, BUT, as with all things Colt, be aware that there ARE some commanders that ARE steel framed from the factory as I own one. [series 80] It's brand new so It wasn't changed around by anyone before I bought it but it was NOS. Hey, for $400.oo from Cabelas, I didn't argue at all. |
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Let me see if I can hash out some other poster's correct comments into one comprehensive post.
Commander versus "so-and-so" Commander. The original Colt Commander featured an alloy frame. Later, they made a "Combat Commander" (steel-framed pistol) alongside the Commander. Then they ditched the "Combat Commander" name and called steel-framed pistols "Commanders", and alloy-framed pistols got the name "Lightweight Commander". There is no confusion about what a "Combat Commander" or a "Lightweight Commander" is, but whether a "Commander" has a steel or alloy frame depends on the vintage. Series 70, Series 80, etc. Most people screw up and dub a Colt either Series 70 or a Series 80. This misnomer is based on people observing the firing system of the pistol alone. The first Colts made for wars were not series 70s, so you can classify Colts as Pre-70, Series 70, or Series 80. Both Pre-70 and Series 70 pistols share the same firing system, which is the M1911/M1911A1 setup, or "GI" setup if you will. But the Series 70 guns have distinctive features which make them unique from other pre-80 pistols. A series 70 has a distinctive rollmark, it has an accurized barrel and it has an inferior finger-collet bushing used to enhance accuracy. The Colt Commanders were born before series 70 pistols were. Thet have the "GI" or "pre-80" firing system, but they do not have accurized barrels or finger collet bushings, and though some have suspicious "SC70" serial numbers, they have no such rollmarks on the slide. Thus there are Pre-80 Commanders, and there are Series 80 Commanders. The Series 80 pistols have one thing in common, the firing pin block and corresponding internals to accomodate it. So, between "Pre-80" and "Series 80" Commanders, I prefer the Pre-80s because they are easier to (dis)assemble, they have less moving parts for more reliability and no matter how miniscule the difference may be, they offer a smoother trigger. That said, I would jump on a bargain Series 80 and would not hesitate to carry it once I put it through its paces. You also have to ask whether the advantages of a Pre-80 outweigh the fact you can only buy them secondhand. |
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More confusion; Colt produced some Series 80 pistols with the collet bushings (I have one!) Also, 'smith's cut down 5" Colts to Commander size before Colt offered the all steel "Combat Commander" which means you could possibly find an old Commander-size Colt with no Commander markings at all. It's worth your time to learn all this so as to not get cheated or buy something you didn't really want. P. S. The collet bushing isn't inferior, just different and I never cared for hash.
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More confusion; Colt produced some Series 80 pistols with the collet bushings (I have one!) Also, 'smith's cut down 5" Colts to Commander size before Colt offered the all steel "Combat Commander" which means you could possibly find an old Commander-size Colt with no Commander markings at all. It's worth your time to learn all this so as to not get cheated or buy something you didn't really want. P. S. The collet bushing isn't inferior, just different and I never cared for hash. You can tell these by the long dust cover. JD |
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Bob Miller has my ORM M1991A1 Commander as we speak. I am trying to patiently wait for it to return at which time it will become my primary carry gun. It is being done in Melonite in the Jeff Cooper style. A good used parked Commander (ORM M1991A1) would be worth $500-600 depending on wear but present buying frenzies may raise that estimate.
Well i wanna get a commander sized pistol for my CCW. However i was wondering what you guys think. what is the difference in the 70 series, the 80 series, the m1991 series of commanders. Which is the best and why? Also what is a good price for a parked commander thanks Chad The 70 Series has a firing pin safety, the 80 does not. That wouldn't be an issue to me if I found one I liked. The ORM M1991A1 Commanders are Parkerized or a bead-blasted blue/black and were sold as an entry level 1911 (read: less expensive). The recent Commanders have conventional blue or stainless finishes. No one model is "best" as it depends on what appeals to YOU. Pre-80 Series Commanders can be found but good examples are pricey. They were NO Series 70 Commanders, no matter what anyone tells you. Isn't it the other way around? 70 series has no Firing pin safety and 80's does? Right, series 80 has, series 70 does not |
