www.m1911.org/full_dates.htm........... and yes it will make a fine carry piece

Quoted: Ther is no such thing as a 70 series commander. It either has a firing pin saftey (80 series) or it doesn't.

Moxnix228 is correct, NO series 70 commanders/combat commanders or lw commanders. Colt never made a Commander size 1911 in Series 70.  

Quoted: Quoted: Moxnix228 is correct, NO series 70 commanders/combat commanders or lw commanders. Colt never made a Commander size 1911 in Series 70.   Page 474 of the 23rd Edition of the Blue Book lists a Series 70 LW Commander. Page 475 lists a Series 70 Combat Commander. Honest Injun.

Don't believe everything you read, it's a fairly common URBAN LEGEND

Here is another good reference page on serial numbers that the other list didn't include.  I found out that my 9mm Combat Cmdr was made between '81 and '83.  

www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/s70_colts.htm

My dad gave me this Colt when I turned 21, so I have no plans to get rid of it or otherwise customize it; I'd prefer to leave it as close to original as I can live with.  

Quoted: Quoted: Don't believe everything you read, it's a fairly common URBAN LEGEND Urban Legend from the Blue Book? Surely you jest, sir?

Seriously...............Colt NEVER made a Series 70 Commander/Combat Commander or LW Commander.

Doesn't everyone consider the Blue Book to be damn near perfect in accuracy?

NOPE...............sorry , the primary difference between a pre Series 70 Government and a Series 70 Government was the advent of the Collete Bushing. Colt never incorporated this design change into the Commander size guns, hence NO SERIES 70 Commanders.


Below you'll see no mention of a Series 70 Commander, Colt went from the original design to the Series 80.

www.m1911.org/full_history.htm

.....Soon after the war, Colt introduced a new gun, based on the M-1911 A1 "Government" design, which was a shortened version of the M-1911 A1 pistol. This new gun featured a 4.25" barrel, (compared to the 5" of its predecessor) and had an aluminum frame (for the first time this material was used in a handgun frame). The gun was called "Commander" (and not "Lightweight Commander" which was adopted later by Colt for this pistol) and was very well received by the public. In the years to come, Colt also produced the same pistol but with a steel frame, named "Combat Commander", and the term "Commander" has been used ever since to denote guns with 4.25" barrels. Still later on, Colt introduced a pistol with an even shorter barrel (3.75"), targeting the concealed carry users, called "Officer's", which also had a shorter frame, thus using 6 round magazines. Again, this model name, is used today to denote the smallest model versions, with shorter barrel and frames.

In the 1980's Colt introduced a new series of all their models, with an additional safety device, namely a firing pin safety, which didn't allow the pistol to fire if the trigger wasn't pulled to the end of its travel. The guns produced there after, are called Colt MKIV - Series 80. This safety system (click here to view an enlarged diagram, or here to see a picture of the safety mechanism), although it was deemed necessary in today's world of lawsuits, it had a bad effect on trigger pull. For this reason, it was never widely accepted by shooters who want a decent trigger pull on their firearms. This same firingpin safety mechanism is also used in the high-capacity pistols, produced by Para Ordnance.