The only differences that I know of between a pre 70 pistol and an "EARLY" 70 series pistol are the collet bushing, the stocks and the roll marks. The Colt verified proof mark may have been moved as well. Also, differently marked magazines with a weep hole were introduced but I don't know when.
Springfield 1911s have not been made in Brazil for some time.
Of all the 1911s I have worked on in the past year, Springfields have the best fit barrels of any. That includes Colts, Kimbers, Ed Browns and Les Baers.
In fact, Colts have consistently been the worst with typical loose breech of .020".
The original Series 70s were distinguished by the collet barrel bushing and matching barrel with a slight step-down behind the muzzle as 1saxman described. A lot of people don't realize that the collet bushing system wasn't discontinued until around 1988, so early Series 80 pistols have it as well. The current trend of calling any 1911 w/o a firing pin safety as a "Series 70" probably began when parts manufacturers like Wilson Combat and Kings Gun Works had to distinguish between parts they made for Series 80 models and Series 70 and earlier, like firing pins and extractors. Eventually everyone started calling anything w/o a FPS as Series 70, which was technically inaccurate. Unfortunately even Colt rolled with it and now calls all their pistols w/o a FPS Series 70 models.
Oh well, it was their name to begin with so I guess they can use it any way they want.
The barrel and collet together made up the 'Accurizer' set-up. The special barrel is frequently overlooked but is critical, because it was machined behind the muzzle to a smaller diameter so the gripping fingers of the bushing could relax, allowing for easier manual cycling of the slide.
I think your estimate is about right. in order to worth more, it would have to be near perfect and totally original, with the original box, book and papers. I don't know if it would be cost-effective to spend anything on it because it might not get you more in return. Many don't like the early 'large roll-mark' models and the correct grips are pretty ugly.
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