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Colt Series 70 Government Model

15K views 33 replies 19 participants last post by  pistolero1911 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Colt Serial number

Maybe this would help! 1974

MODEL 1911 AND 1911A1 – Commercial production
Capital “C” prefix - .45 cal., cont.
Year S er. # Start S er. # End
1967 308500C 315599C
1968 315600C 324499C
1969 324500C 332649C
1970 332650C 336169C
Mid-1970 New 70G01001 70G05550
1971 70G05551 70G18000
1972 70G18001 70G34400
1973 70G34401 70G43000
1974 70G43001 70G73000
1975 70G73001 70G88900
1976 70G88901 70G99999
Mid-1976 New 01001G70 13900G70
1977 13901G70 45199G70
1978 45200G70 N/A
 
#3 ·
awesome. looks like it was made in 1974. i assume you paid a bit more than $199.99 ? $200 then is about $875 today.

i remember when kmart and gemco quit selling ammo (and i assume guns) when i was a kid. dont ever recall payless selling guns or ammo but some around here still sell fishing gear and licenses.
 
#4 ·
My dad bought me a .22 rifle for Christmas from JCPenney back in 1983. Those were the good old days when guns weren't so evil that ordinary department and hardware stores couldn't sell them.

BTW also my dad paid $87 for his Government Model back in 1966, so it shows how fast inflation rose in just eight years.

BTW BTW nice lookin' Series 70. :)
 
#5 ·
Thanks, everybody. I did pay a bunch more than the price tag indicates! Interesting to see how the price of a pistol can more than double in less than ten years. Judging by the serial numbers Colt made quite a few of these in 1974!

jmanrogers, where did you find that listing of serial numbers?

--Piexcel
 
#17 ·
$510 for same in 1991.
 
#22 ·
Mis-shapen triggerguards and wavy slide/frame edges have been a Colt hallmark since the mid 1960's. Notice how my 1966 Government has a less than perfect triggerguard as well as a slight "kink" in the top edge of the slide (above the horsey). I once had an early large-rollmark Series 70 that had a very grotesquely mis-shapen triggerguard. Unfortunately I never took a picture of it so I can't show it to you.

 
#23 ·
Mis-shapen triggerguards and wavy slide/frame edges have been a Colt hallmark since the mid 1960's. Notice how my 1966 Government has a less than perfect triggerguard as well as a slight "kink" in the top edge of the slide (above the horsey).
I just glanced at my Kimber Classic Stainless, and the wavyness above the trigger looks even worse! It seems that more steel is left where the trigger guard meets the frame.

Very nice pre-Series 70 Colt you have there! I have one exactly like yours but with a few more scratches. The serial number indicates a 1956 production. I will photo and share with all forum patrons when I get the chance!

--Piexcel
 
#24 ·
The wavyness you refer to on the Kimber is the result of the milling machine cutting the hole that forms the triggerguard. My early Series 80 is just like that:



The shape of the triggerguard on my pre-70 is due to hand profiling by a relatively unskilled worker. No two Colts made from the mid 60's to mid 80's that I've looked at have had a triggerguard shaped exactly the same! :hrm:
 
#27 ·
I have a 1972 Series 70 in nickel that I bought new in '72.It was about 35 years later I noticed that the out side of the trigger guard is a little wavy.I couldn't believe I never noticed it in all that time.It has always been a great shooter in spite of the wavy trigger guard.
 
#33 ·
Machining glitches

dsk, thanks for pointing out the long history of uneven machining on Colt GMs. I recently bought a 100-year rollmarked .38 Super off of GB, and when it came I noticed that the left slide flat was unevenly polished, as though the polisher had made two passes at slightly different angles. Not bad, just a bit odd-looking. I was a bit unhappy about it, but apparently such cosmetic quirks are a "family tradition" at Colt. Certainly doesn't affect the way this one shoots!
 
#34 ·
Apparently such cosmetic quirks are a "family tradition" at Colt. Certainly doesn't affect the way this one shoots!
Ain't that the truth! BTW if post 1970 anyone has ever gotten a "perfect" Colt, (and not one from some reworked custom shop), post photos, please. Those of us with the "normal" guns would love to see it. Still, the slight blemishes are what make the guns unique, kind of like a "beauty mark" on a woman. I can spot MY Colt in a group of similar models in a matter of seconds, because I know exactly where to look for its imperfections.
 
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