Just bought my first Colt 1911.  It's a brand new Colt 45ACP Government Model Wiley Clapp TALO edition.  I'm really impressed with it.  I bought it in a Gunbroker auction, so I was a little nervous about buying it without getting to handle it first.  But it turns out that the slide/frame fit is pretty tight, and it really looks great.  I was excited to be able to get it brand new for exactly $1,000 shipped.



But there's two things that I have questions about, and hopefully you guys can help me out.  First, the grip safety is really loose.  I'm not sure really what to expect in terms of how tight this should be, but it seems to rattle more than I would have thought it should.  I've uploaded a short video showing the range of movement, with the link here:  

https://youtu.be/8DlOLCjPBOo

Second, the rear Novak sight has a small piece of metal that's sticking out from under it on the right side.  It looks kind of odd.  I'm wondering if this was intentional, maybe some kind of shim, or if this was accidental, with a metal shaving getting caught under it during installation.  What do you think?  I've taken a few pictures to help show this below.







Thank you for your help!

No idea on the metal shaving under the rear sight?   but my grip safety on my stainless Clapp commander rattles just as much as yours.    Congrats on the Clapp.    They are some of the nicest Colts being made IMHO.

Grip safety = normal and I think you're right about a metal shaving getting caught...I'd carefully fish it outta there!

I picked up a Wiley Clapp Lightweight Commander a few months back and think the grip safety is a little loose on mine as well.

She'll be going to Nighthawk Custom for a little love before the end of the year.

Attached File

Loose grip safeties are the norm with Colts. 

The GS is standard Issue Colt sloppy loose fitment of a grip safety.. About the only thing you can do is add more tension to the GS leaf of the sear spring. By bending outward to the GS adding my tension..

The GS on my Combat Elite rattles. But since my last 1911 had the GS pinned I don't mind because I don't worry about not getting engaged all the way. 

Thank you all for your responses.  I appreciate you sharing your experiences, which helps me calibrate what I should expect and what is normal.  I really like this Colt 1911, and it shoots awesome.  This is also the first time I've used a brass bead front sight, and I like it a lot.  I'm glad to finally have a Colt 1911.

I just picked up a Kimber yesterday. It is the first Kimber I have purchased in about 15 years. I am beyond impressed by the fit and finished. NOTHING rattles or is loose in any way. Shake it and it feels like a solid billet. The Grip Safety is tight as a drum. I was surprised. I have NOT had much luck with 1911s of any major brand in the last 20 years. I went 9mm this time and LOVE it. I put 200 rounds through her yesterday, suppressed and unsuppressed. Right out of the box, I didn't even clean or wipe her down. Ran 100% perfect! Happy camper

Here are a couple of nice shots I took this AM






Here are the first two groups I shot yesterday at 10 yards offhand. One Suppressed and one Unsuppressed:

Had one. Ceroke it or somebing the finish sucks. After a day of cc or work id had to clean it ever night or the slide and frame would start to show rust.

Sharp looking gun.

Sent to Nighthawk last week for:

Reliability Enhancment Package  

Nighthawk Match Grade Complete Trigger Job, 3.5 - 4.0 lb. (Including all new fully machined parts) Hammer, Sear, Disconnector, Trigger, and Sear Spring **Set trigger pull to 4lbs**  

Ambidextrous safety, Install, Fit and Tune

Install and Fit Blended One Piece Magwell/Mainspring Housing (Falcon), cut from forging  

Install Hex Head Grip Screws and Bushing set  

Anodize Aluminum Frame, finish small frame parts to match  

**Install customer supplied VZ Operator II grips**  

Install Nighthawk 2 Dot Rear Sight & Tritium Front Sight  

Test Fire, Inspection, and Target