I have a colt series 80 mk iv government 9mm with the decreased diameter barrel. I bought it used and was informed it was made in the 80's. Not sure if this is true. I love mine, and once I properly adjusted the extractor it has been flawless for over 3000 rounds. She also likes the Tripp magazines.
A blued full sized could also very well be a Series 70. In decent shape the Series 70 brings pretty good money. The 70 will have the collet barrel bushing which you'll hear all sorts of stories about, but they work just fine. (OK, most of the time.) I have an early large roll mark Series 70 9mm that runs just fine with the collet bushing. Colt made the Series 70 until 1983, but I'm not sure of the last year of 9mm production. I don't have any info on the original Series 80 9mm.
One thing I like about 9mm 1911s - they are a lot easier to rack the slide than a .45. As I get older and my elbows complain more, that makes a difference. Cheaper of course to shoot as well.
I generally don't like any kind of large roll mark, expect for the gigantic early Series 70 Colt. Hard to figure taste sometimes.
A blued full sized could also very well be a Series 70. In decent shape the Series 70 brings pretty good money. The 70 will have the collet barrel bushing which you'll hear all sorts of stories about, but they work just fine. (OK, most of the time.) I have an early large roll mark Series 70 9mm that runs just fine with the collet bushing. Colt made the Series 70 until 1983, but I'm not sure of the last year of 9mm production. I don't have any info on the original Series 80 9mm.
One thing I like about 9mm 1911s - they are a lot easier to rack the slide than a .45. As I get older and my elbows complain more, that makes a difference. Cheaper of course to shoot as well.
I generally don't like any kind of large roll mark, expect for the gigantic early Series 70 Colt. Hard to figure taste sometimes.
Remember Colt makes the Defender and New Agent in 9mm right now. Many of us wish they would do a light weight Commander also, but still Colt does sell a 9mm right now.
Remember Colt makes the Defender and New Agent in 9mm right now. Many of us wish they would do a light weight Commander also, but still Colt does sell a 9mm right now.
Yeah, liking the GIANT early Series 70 bill board is unusual. Lots of folks don't like it. Doesn't make them any cheaper though! I have a couple of Dan Wesson 1911s and I love their very clean slides - simple cocking serrations in the back, no roll mark at all. Jekyll and Hyde of 1911 roll marks I guess.
Good point about the Defender and New Agent. I saw several of them at a recent gun show and one of these days I'll have to decide between the two and pick one up. But if it is a 5" model he's talking about, it can't be either of those. I too would love to see a 9mm Commander, especially a Gold Cup version. That would be a great addition to the lineup.
If it's a model from the 90's, it may look something like this minus the VZ Grips. Mine came with original Black grips.
I absolutely LOVE shooting mine. It's more accurate and more fun to shoot than my 92FS INOX and I'm not berating the Beretta, I'm just better with the 1911 trigger.
One local gun store "lgs" I go to sold a blued 9mm Gov made in the 70s in Dec. 2011 for $750. No box or papers, but it did have the old adjustable MMC rear sight on it. The rest looked great.
I passed on a satin nickel Commander in 9mm mid 70's....all original...$625 last year...here is the kicker...it was at a gun show at a dealers table of all places...not one of my better moments.....
What do you mean by a "Bill Board Script"? I assume that some of the Series 70 era pistols had different size lettering in the rollmarks. Here are a couple of my 9mm's from the '70's. Which size are these?
What do you mean by a "Bill Board Script"? I assume that some of the Series 70 era pistols had different size lettering in the rollmarks. Here are a couple of my 9mm's from the '70's. Which size are these?
The large roll mark's are generally considered the early Series 70, which has a roll mark even larger than the 9mm pictured. The large roll mark extends all the way from the dust cover to the middle of the slide release, and nearly covers the height of the slide. Folks either love it or hate it.
$1500 for a 90% without the box seems pretty high to me, and I've been following these for a while. But prices do vary in different parts of the country. I would think that for $1500, you should be able to get a 98%+ or better, all original. Not much more should get you one in the box.
I have been debating the purchase of a series 70 full size blue 9mm, 90% condition, believe they would take 1500 out the door.
Almost pulled out the VISA card once, then ran into a patch of reality. 1500 is a lot of money even though this pistol would likely keep its value or go up.
In short 1500 is not too much in nice shape and not customized. You would not be coming home and say "look honey, I sold the milk cow and used the money to buy this little bag of magic beans."
One more thing, Colt still sells 9mm Colt marked magazines for this pistol. I know they are subcontracted but stamped with the horse and "COLT" on the base.
For some time they did have large roll marks. An example is on this 1991 (in .45) made that year. Of course I changed out the grips.
Compare to my 2007 Commander in .45 which I carry on the top and a "pre 80 series" made in 1981. When we say "pre S80s" they were guns made without the 80 Series trigger safety till 1983 by the way.
By the way, esp. in the S&W area when they talk about the "billboard" they usually mean early S&W 1911s as this Scandium framed Commander size gun below.
As Jim Watson and Todd-OR stated, Colt made a run of Series 80 M1991A1 pistols in 9mm (Model O1992) in the 1990s. The dealer I purchased mine from sent me a copy of his wholesaler's invoice for the pistol dated August 1998.
The Model O1992 has a serial number prefix of "NN." I am not aware of any 5" 9mm pistols made after the Model O1992, although page 38 of Colt's 2012 catalog mentions a Government Model in 9mm as a 2012 TALO project.
Oh man, that got me drooling. The TALO website lists a 9mm Gold Cup, but it did not make it into production. They say 'maybe next year' on their site, which I think was posted last year. The also show a gorgeous Royal Blue Gold Cup, but I can't tell if that ever made it into production. A Gold Cup in 9mm would be great, I'd put down cash money for that.
dakotaTex
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