Posted: 2/6/2007 2:52:52 PM EDT
| Just picked it up yesterday and cleaned/lubed it today. Sorry, no range report yet, have to wait until the weekend for that. Overall, it seems like a quality ccw pistol. I like the light weight and although it is not as nice as my RRA, Ed Brown, or Wilson Combat, it is almost as good for half the price. |
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Got it to the range this past weekend. I was able to get all my fingers around the grip, albeit barely. If you have fat fingers, you might need a commander. And with hot ammo (Double Tap Gold Dot), it has a little more felt recoil than a non-lightweight 1911. Nonetheless, my groups were pretty tight. Two things. One, the sights are not 3 dot Novaks, they are all black. I prefer 3 dot sights and tritium is real nice on a carry pistol. Second, I tried to use some fullsize mags and they didn't work too well. One time, the whole gun locked up after I inserted a Wilson 47D. I assumed that the mag would seat just fine, but that it would stick out the bottom. That is not the case. Looks like I will need to buy a few more Officer's mags (the CCO came with two). Overall, it is a quality reliable lightweight ccw pistol for around a grand. I would prefer a checkered front strap and tritium 3 dot sights, but I can live with the serrated front strap and the black Novaks. I just have to remember not to mix my mags up... |
No, I am not disappointed in the pistol. I do have a few high end 1911s, so I tend to compare my newly acquired pistols to those that I have. I find that these forums are a great source of information for those considering a purchase. That being the case, I like to be honest and tell the whole truth. I am not trying to market a product, so I give the pros and cons. Yes, I could have bought a cheaper pistol, but then I WOULD be disappointed. I have more accurate 1911s, but they weigh more and are harder to carry concealed. I was very accurate with the CCO, no complaints. Just the observations stated above (i.e. black sights on a black paper target and me being used to 3 dot tritiums). The trigger pull was predictable with a clean break. I am not going to take pics of my range targets. No offense, but I don't have time for that. I bought the pistol from a member of this forum. I have no regrets. The pistol arrived in a timely manner and as described and for an extremely fair price. Don't apologize for questions, that's how you learn about a product BEFORE you buy it...makes sense. Yes, there are cheaper guns out there. You could buy three or four Rock Island 1911s for the same price. Me, I would rather have the CCO. To each his own. You have to be the one to trust your life to it. But then, you know your budget better than I do. If you can't afford a good 1911, you can always get a Glock for a few hundred bucks. Like I said in my original post, my CCO is almost as nice as my Ed Brown Kobra Carry and my Rock River (not to be confused with Rock Island) Pro Carry, for half the price. 
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I think it is a Gunsite thing. I know on the S&W 1911PD Gunsite edition, they use a brass bead front sight with black rear sight instead of the normal Novak 3 dot white sights that go on the other S&W 1911PDs. I think Yost Bonitz uses a similar gold line front sight with black rear sight on their 1* packages. In any event, that is one thing that I might end up changing. I generally don't like to mess with a gun that is a commemorative or a special edition, but I am not too concerned about resale, since I probably will never sell it. I might just send the slide to Novak and have them put some tritium 3 dot night sights in there. Or, I can carry the CCO in the day and the Kobra or RRA at night. 
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Maybe you should have a better command of what an absolute is. My statement that something "Should" already implies opinion. Now if I were to say any pistol that is a worthwhile CCW must have night sights... you would have a stronger argument, although many people would still clearly recognize that as an opinion. Seeing how you recognize it is an opinion and nobody else had trouble recognizing it as such it seems like nothing more than a waste of time and a needless distraction to point that out. If you take issue with what I say then by all means, chime in and add your contribution to the thread. But if all you have is a beef with how I say it you would serve the interests of everybody better if you keep it to yourself or launch a seperate rant on GD. |
I don't know of a better 1911 lightweight ccw pistol for a grand or less. Some 1911s might have better sights, but they are not lightweight. Others are lightweight, but the profile prints more than a CCO with the short grip. You get the reliability of a commander upper with an officer grip so it won't print IWB. Would I like tritiums? Yeah. Do I understand why it doesn't come with tritiums? Yeah. Is it still the best ccw pistol I own for the money? Yeah. My Ed Brown Kobra Carry and my RRA Pro Carry have tritium night sights, but they also cost twice the price and they weigh more. The only reason they are similar to carry (as far as printing), is because they are bobtailed and the CCO does not need to be bobtailed. I would like to hear some suggestions of ccw lightweight 1911s for a grand or under that come with tritium night sights... |
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There are lots of decisions that Colt has dropped the ball on IMO, but I think the CCO was one for the first ("original") design decisions that Colt can be proud of. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment about its advantages. I just wonder why they took so long -Para had the same config in LDA for at least 4 tears now and frankly, I'm a little surprised that others haven't followed suit in short order. I love my CQB compact and consider that as close to CCW perfection as I will see for decades, but if I could have chosen between the 4" BBL and a 4.25" BBL, I'd fo for the extra quarter inch, even if the difference is marginal. |
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I asked Giles Stock about the Colt GunSite a couple of years ago at a class, and one of my questions concerned WHY the non-tritium sights? He agreed it should have been an option, and that Colt likely did it to keep the cost down. Overall, he thought it was a very good pistol. |
| That is a nice looking pistol. It appears to be much nicer than the standard CCO model that Colt made. Personally, I prefer all steel 1911's but I can envision times when a lightweight would be nice. When I need something smaller than a full size 5" 1911, I have a stainless Kimber Compact, which is similar to the CCO having a 4" top with an "officers" frame. Since the "officers" frame doesn't fit my big mit very well, it has a mag funnel added which I like a lot. One thing I prefer on the Colt is the slightly longer barrel (4.25") with a bushing vs the bull barrel on the Kimber. Sure, night sights would be nice, but you can add them if you want them. Congratulations on your find and purchase. |
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Thanks guys. Very pleased with it. The only shortcoming was in my opinion, the sights, and now that is resolved. I kinda prefer a bobtail commander for the longer grip, but the lightweight officer frame is nice for extended carry. Overall, it is a great ccw platform. BTW, excuse the crappy pics, they don't do the Duraglow sights justice. |