www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57894

THIS is the New 70? I'm really trying to maintain my composure. My therapist harps on me to focus on the positive. Last weekend at the Crossroads gun show a new stainless 70 reached out and tripped me in the aisle. While I've been happy with my two other older Colts, I swore off the newer ones until now. Hope I didn't make a mistake Sunday! I've become embroiled in the feeding frenzy here with guys waiting for, lusting after, and the unavailability of the new Series 70. Serial #78 came home with me. I'm disappointed. In appearance, the gun is beautiful! Nicely packaged, two mags (amazing), great contrast between the blasted and buffed finish, and really nicely grained grip panels. The return to spur hammer and downturn grip safety feels kinda nice, like going home, after all my doo-dah pistols lately. I was starting to sneer at my Kimbers. Then it happened. I cut the band. The gun is bone dry. The brown crud many others are complaining about is missing, thank God. Thankfully Colt's final inspectors left me all the metal filings inside, are they collectors' items since this is such a sought after gun? No wonder most dealers won't let you disassemble a pistol before taking it home! I've always wondered what guys meant when they said "it slides like glass". Yeah, broken glass. At least all the machining marks go in the same direction. In fairness, after some lube and about 500 hand cycles, it did quiet down a little. I hate the sound of coarse metal grinding against itself. The bump as the slide rides over the disconnector jars your teeth. As others have said, the bushing fit is dismal. Apparently Colt decided to elevate the "loose combat fit" to a new level. Add to these items the ten-pound trigger pull and blindfolded, you'd be hardpressed to tell this gun from a sand-filled LLama. When I bought this pistol, I wasn't sure if I would shoot it, or just put it away to pass on to my daughter as a special collectable. Now I know the answer...neither. It's embarrassingly shoddy internal QC wouldn't do either choice justice. If this piece is representative of Colts' new dominance of the 1911 market, the other manufacturers don't have a thing to worry about! If you're into the Series 70's, buy one of the originals. I guess this will make a great platform for my new neighbor, Ted Yost, to start from. Now THAT'S gonna be one expensive pistol!

www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57761

Got up this morning and did my normal puttering around and chores. I wanted to do some cleaning on the gun, but I figured I had plenty of time. Normally a good strip down and cleaning on a 1911 only takes me about an hour to complete. Boy was I in for a surprise. Started the take down process and tried to remove the plug and barrel bushing. Needed to haul out a bushing wrench to get things moving. Thought "Wow, they really did a job on fitting this tight". Got the bushing turned and was easing the plug out and suddenly had a lap full of brown flaky crud. "What in the h*** is this?" Recoil spring was absolutely caked in this stuff. It somehow managed to be flaky, sticky, and greasy all at the same time. I managed to get everything else apart and much to my chagrin, this crap is everywhere. OK, I can deal with it, I'll just hose it down with Gun Scrubber to get the worst off and then go back over it with Shooters Choice to finish up. No go. This stuff is just sitting there laughing at the Gun Scrubber. No effect. I spent an hour and a half scrubbing this crap out of the slide and all its parts with Q-tips and nylon and bronze brushes. I even pulled the firing pin and extractor and found the crap in there. What the heck is this stuff? Managed to get it off the slide, slide stop, recoil spring, and recoil spring guide. Had to give up after that and head in here to work. The plug is absolutely filled with it, and I'm probably going to soak it overnight in mineral spirits to loosen it up. I haven't looked into the whole frame assembly yet, but I'm praying that it's not loaded with this stuff. I figured that I'd detail strip this gun at some point, but I didn't plan on it being this soon. I just have to wonder though "What was the guy at Colt thinking when he did this to my gun?" I have never seen any new firearm this loaded with preservative. I've seen older surplus guns loaded with cosmoline, but nothing made this recently.

I have been reading about a lot of issues with these pistols. I REALLY want one, but I refuse to buy one sight unseen and I can't find a dealer who stocks them in my general area so I could check it out before I buy it.
It seems to be a intermittent QC problem, one that a company such as Colt shouldn't have a problem with. I mean really, how hard is it to inspect each pistol before it's shipped ?? Especially for problems like mentioned in the post above.
The Gunsite pistol, a series 70 put out by the custom shop, doesn't seem to have these problems, but it's a good bit more and has extras I don't want.
Anyone know where I can check them out in the Tucson/phoenix area ??

Dear Armed Liberal,
I've been trying to explain to people that Colt's Manufacturing Co. has been living off of their grand 130 plus year history and reputation long after it has died.  You can probably thank the United Auto Workers Union for the crud in your pistol.
WHAT THE HELL HAS COLT DONE IN THE PAST 30 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can anyone out there help me with this???
Okay, let's see....They've declaired chapter 11 bankruptcy at least twice, they designed the new 2000 9mm pistol which set the firearms world on fire......NOT!!!!!  They came out with a .44 Magnum revolver a zillion years after everyone else.  Am I missing anything?????
Oh yeah, almost forgot, they have line of grossly overpriced repros which don't seem to work as well as copies from Italy costing one quarter as much.  Don't let me forget the new 1911 G.I. repro which sells for about $995.00........THIS IS A MIL.SPEC. PISTOL fer Chrissakes!!!!!
WAKE UP GUYS!!!!!
No wonder Colt hasn't published a catalog in years.  They don't want anyone to know about their damn crap!
Hopefully, the U.S. Military will decide to transition to the H&K G36 for their new battle rifle and put the find nail in the coffin of Colt's Manufacturing and we can all finally say GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!
Coolio

What'd ya expect? It is a Colt autopistol made after 1970!

I feel like I have to stick up for Colt a little bit.  I have a 1991 stainless that is one of the best handguns I own. I also have a mt6700 ar that I varmit hunt with.  My dad has a Python.

I have also seen some crap from Springfield, Kimber, esp Kimber. Ya know who make the slides and frames for Kimber.. S&W. I'm not going to send money their way on politics alone.

I don't mind the weapon being full of grease as much, as long as it works.  Granted the prices we all have to pay these days, they should clean the weapon after the test fire.  I buy a car and they at least wash it before they let me have it.

I think it would be a shame to see the company go down.  Instead of riding down the name, call or write Colt.  They all will do what we let them get away with.  

A nice phone call asking the question, "what do you use to remove the internal brown crud" would be a good start, dropping the ball in their court and getting the conversation started.
I'd be disappointed too, that should never happen.
I have had S&W SS revolvers with the same thing, brown crud and metal chips, which you normally would never see without popping the sideplate.
Hopefully, they will make it right, eitherway, I'm sure you will give us the update.
My recent series '80 Colt's have all been fine, I guess I do have some luck.

Gee, QC control problems at Colt? Who woulda thunk it?

Every Colt product I have seen that was made in the last 5-7 years has SUCKED big time. All colt products are overpriced.

We do agree on at least one thing. Could this be a trend?

Quoted: Dear Armed Liberal, I've been trying to explain to people that Colt's Manufacturing Co. has been living off of their grand 130 plus year history and reputation long after it has died.  You can probably thank the United Auto Workers Union for the crud in your pistol. WHAT THE HELL HAS COLT DONE IN THE PAST 30 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can anyone out there help me with this??? Okay, let's see....They've declaired chapter 11 bankruptcy at least twice, they designed the new 2000 9mm pistol which set the firearms world on fire......NOT!!!!!  They came out with a .44 Magnum revolver a zillion years after everyone else.  Am I missing anything????? Oh yeah, almost forgot, they have line of grossly overpriced repros which don't seem to work as well as copies from Italy costing one quarter as much.  Don't let me forget the new 1911 G.I. repro which sells for about $995.00........THIS IS A MIL.SPEC. PISTOL fer Chrissakes!!!!! WAKE UP GUYS!!!!! No wonder Colt hasn't published a catalog in years.  They don't want anyone to know about their damn crap! Hopefully, the U.S. Military will decide to transition to the H&K G36 for their new battle rifle and put the find nail in the coffin of Colt's Manufacturing and we can all finally say GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!! Coolio

Don't forget about the ever so popular Double Eagle.  I had one sit in a safe for years and noticed the prices guys are asking for these things lately.  I thought cool, I can finally get back more than I paid for a gun.  The end result was that I was happy to get 500 bux for the thing.