Posted: 3/28/2015 7:20:24 PM EDT
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This afternoon I stopped by a local gun shop to browse. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I've been wanting a Colt Combat Elite since I was a freshman in high school in the 80s. Lo and behold, I spied this gem in the case with a 'used' tag on it. I'm not up on aftermarket parts as much as some, and this one's got a lot of them on and in the gun.
Pics! 
The serial number is CG084XX, and I'd like to know when it was made. It has the original-style Commander hammer, Wilson Combat fixed target rear sight, Pachmayr mainspring housing and Colt medallion grips, Wilson GI guide rod and plug(I put them in there), and the split bushing that makes disassembly/reassembly a pain in the butt. There is a small smudge/scratch on the 'Combat Elite' emblem on the right side of the slide, but it is otherwise in VERY good condition. The front strap looks like it's been striated, maybe checkered, but I haven't pulled the grips off yet to see. It looks like a previous owner put a lot of work into this pistol. Any help in identifying the parts and approximate age of the gun would be very much appreciated. This one has all the parts I would have eventually changed, like the ambi safety and original-style hammer, and everything on it is smooth. The tag said that it had a trigger job, and I believe it. Smooth, crisp, a huge improvement on the combat trigger on my Detonics Combat Master. I got it with two mags, one Colt stainless 7-rounder and a blued Pachmayr 7-rounder, for right at a grand out the door, including sales tax and TICS fee. |
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Quoted: Yeah, I paid almost $100 in sales tax on the gun, too. I've been looking for a pre-enhanced Combat Elite for awhile, and this one has the features I wanted, so I'm not going to sweat the fact that I might have overpaid a bit. |
At the range with Fin today. The target rear sight takes some getting used to, and it's set for 25 yard bulls-eye shooting. I may replace it with a fixed combat-style sight at some point, but not yet. The pistol was 100% reliable today, and so was the Detonics Combat Master, which was surprising. Last time I had it out I had nothing but feed/eject problems, but replacing the recoil springs seems to have cured the issue. I was ripping off mags as fast as I could pull the trigger with both guns, and only caught a single spent casing to the nose from the Colt. Fin's Champion Operator is also the proverbial shit, as I enjoyed shooting it, too. It's stupid-accurate and coming close to edging out his TRP as my favorite 1911..... that Fin owns. Dave: The aftermarket parts I've identified so far are a Wilson Combat ambi-safety, King's #206 grip safety, Wilson Combat fixed target rear sight, Wilson Bulletproof GI guide rod and plug, and Videcki trigger. |
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According to Colt this pistol was made in 1987. It took just a few minutes for them to look it up, and I spent less than 45 seconds on hold.
A word on some of its aftermarket parts. The pistol oroginally had a FLGR installed, which turns out to be an older one-piece Dwyer Group Gripper. These were once used as a way of tightening up the rear of the barrel's fit to the slide lugs. I've read both good and bad about them, but most of the detractors' arguments are "a poor substitute for a custom-fitted barrel". Wilson still makes the GG, though in a two-piece that should make field-stripping the pistol much easier. I'm putting it back in for now, and I'm betting the pistol will shoot better the next time it goes to the range. This gun is a late 80s/early 90s "shooter". Nothing has been permanently modified except for the frame where the King's #206 grip safety was blended/fitted. I may or may not keep the rear sight, an old Wilson Combat "Deluxe High Visibility" piece. I don't care for its looks but it presents a clean sight picture. The finish is too nice to CCW, so I should probably find a nice gun rug for it. |
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Quoted:
Yeah, I paid almost $100 in sales tax on the gun, too. I've been looking for a pre-enhanced Combat Elite for awhile, and this one has the features I wanted, so I'm not going to sweat the fact that I might have overpaid a bit. You never over pay, you just buy too soon. Quality fire arms if kept in the same condition go up in value at or faster than the inflation rate. |
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Quoted:
You never over pay, you just buy too soon. Quality fire arms if kept in the same condition go up in value at or faster than the inflation rate. Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah, I paid almost $100 in sales tax on the gun, too. I've been looking for a pre-enhanced Combat Elite for awhile, and this one has the features I wanted, so I'm not going to sweat the fact that I might have overpaid a bit. You never over pay, you just buy too soon. Quality fire arms if kept in the same condition go up in value at or faster than the inflation rate. New Combat Elites aren't cheap, and I don't like them as much as the old pre-enhanced ones. Mine is just retro enough to make it cool, yet has the nicer blued finish of older Colts and no front cocking serrations, which I prefer. |
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Quoted:
I don't think it would have been possible for me to take that to the range without at least pulling off those weird rubber grips and dropping in a set of wood double diamonds first. The weird rubber grips are correct for the gun, and feel good in the hand. They cover up checkering on the front strap which Colt did at the factory, which is odd. I think black grips looks better on two-tone 1911s, so they stay on for now. They also match the Pachmayr mainspring housing, something I've been looking to add to my Detonics Combat Master, as it originally had one. |
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Quoted:
The weird rubber grips are correct for the gun, and feel good in the hand. They cover up checkering on the front strap which Colt did at the factory, which is odd. I think black grips looks better on two-tone 1911s, so they stay on for now. They also match the Pachmayr mainspring housing, something I've been looking to add to my Detonics Combat Master, as it originally had one. Quoted:
Quoted:
I don't think it would have been possible for me to take that to the range without at least pulling off those weird rubber grips and dropping in a set of wood double diamonds first. The weird rubber grips are correct for the gun, and feel good in the hand. They cover up checkering on the front strap which Colt did at the factory, which is odd. I think black grips looks better on two-tone 1911s, so they stay on for now. They also match the Pachmayr mainspring housing, something I've been looking to add to my Detonics Combat Master, as it originally had one. I had a Pachmayr MSH on my first Delta Elite, haven't seen one in years, I liked it a lot, and I like Pachmayr grips as well. |
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That is some old school eighties flair, right there!!! I am not extremely hip on how the grip safety was fitted to the frame tangs...BUT...for an eighties piece, it makes it look almost spot on. As long as it all works 100 percent...I say keep it that way. As far as it being too pretty to carry? Pshaw....wear the bluing off of it, I say |
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Quoted: Yeah, I paid almost $100 in sales tax on the gun, too. I've been looking for a pre-enhanced Combat Elite for awhile, and this one has the features I wanted, so I'm not going to sweat the fact that I might have overpaid a bit. What we overpay for today, could be a steal tomorrow. Never sweat paying good money for good steel. |
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Quoted:
That is some old school eighties flair, right there!!! I am not extremely hip on how the grip safety was fitted to the frame tangs...BUT...for an eighties piece, it makes it look almost spot on. As long as it all works 100 percent...I say keep it that way. As far as it being too pretty to carry? Pshaw....wear the bluing off of it, I say I'm a child of the Eighties, so it's only right that i carry Eighties Iron. The Detonics is from 1978 and is my daily carry gun, too. I'm not manly enough to carry it on my ankle, though. 'Scuse me, gotta' warm up the Testarossa. |
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Quoted:
The weird rubber grips are correct for the gun, and feel good in the hand. They cover up checkering on the front strap which Colt did at the factory, which is odd. I think black grips looks better on two-tone 1911s, so they stay on for now. They also match the Pachmayr mainspring housing, something I've been looking to add to my Detonics Combat Master, as it originally had one. Quoted:
Quoted:
I don't think it would have been possible for me to take that to the range without at least pulling off those weird rubber grips and dropping in a set of wood double diamonds first. The weird rubber grips are correct for the gun, and feel good in the hand. They cover up checkering on the front strap which Colt did at the factory, which is odd. I think black grips looks better on two-tone 1911s, so they stay on for now. They also match the Pachmayr mainspring housing, something I've been looking to add to my Detonics Combat Master, as it originally had one. Only Colt would serrate the frontstrap and then cover it up with rubber. First thing I did with my Delta Elite was to remove the factory wrap grips,put them someplace safe, and put on dead tree though. 1911 grip frames are large enough without adding more thickness to the front. |