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series 70 vs series 80 1911

5K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  dsk 
#1 ·
Not fully undestanding the actual difference between a series 70 and series 80 1911 . I would like to know if #1 can a series 80 be converted and #2 would I want to do this conversion and why.
 
#3 ·
Thank you i have heard so many rumors about the series 80 having more parts to fail . I have both types . Older colts and an ED Brown as well as kimbers and series 80 colt gold cups . They all seem to fire and fuction well the only difference i can see is the small plunger in the series 80 slides . I was curious as to the origin of the rumors about series 70 being better and why.
 
#4 ·
The Series 80 "system"'comprises a plunger, spring, and lever as extra parts.
Some allege that the extra parts complicate obtaining a quality trigger pull, while others allege that this is hooey and the Series 80 trigger can be just as acceptable as one without the block.

There's no question that the fp block offers protection from an AD following a dropped pistol. Other manufacturers provide similar but not as total protection, with light firing pins and heavy fp return springs, while others ignore the whole issue. So--take your pick.
 
#5 ·
Call it a lot of whining by 1911 purists. Some folks may prefer the S70 because the mechanism is simpler, but there is nothing wrong with the S80 system.
 
#10 ·
I tend to agree, i'm not so sure that the FPB wasn't just another successfull move by the anti gunners to drive up the cost of manufacturing guns.

Patrick Sweeneys' Book of the 1911, describes a test conducted by he and Ned Christiansen where they drop a 1911 muzzle first on concrete from over 8 feet without so much as a dented primer.

My series 80 Colt Commander trigger is much better after removing the FPB. I did other things to it as well so the FPB removal did not account for all of the improvement, but i'm sure it helped.
 
#9 ·
It was just a year or so ago dead set against the series eighty, then I shot a slightly older ISPC tuned 80's series Commander and it shot as well as the owners 70's series Combat Commande that he used as a backup. Yeah, I think the 80's series was far from a gigantic revoltion in the 1911 world but it isn't the bitter end of the line and I've even been looking at a Remington R1 now.
 
#11 ·
#12 ·
A 1911 lacking a FPS can discharge if dropped, but it normally requires a lot of force and also impacting at just the right angle. If the FP spring is worn it can happen a lot more easily, which is why the Army documented a lot of discharges from dropped pistols. I've bought vintage pistols where the spring was completely collapsed, including the last one (a Sistema) I bought just recently. Had that pistol been loaded and dropped on a hard surface I'm sure it would've discharged in the condition I found it in. That's why I always put Wolff extra-power FP springs in all of my shooters. With a Series 80 an extra-power spring isn't normally necessary, as long as the FPS system itself is working properly.
 
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