Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Colt Series 80 FPS

For all those who disassemble the Colt Series 80 firing pin safety, or have the parts fall out on detail stripping the pistol, and then wonder about reassembly.....

7 comments:

  1. great
    Hey I meant to post this before
    you can rent dvds of how to for 1911 at smartflix
    http://smartflix.co/store/category/71/1911
    Colt 1911 Armorer's Course
    Customizing the 1911
    Clark Custom Guns: Complete 1911

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:26 PM

    Here's a tip: Make darn sure that the little spring is all there when you re-install it. That plunger should be firmly pushing against its retainer(rib on the extractor). If it feels wimpy, replace it.
    At a recent range day with a friend, I was cleaning a couple of his .45's while he was working on a rifle. After assembling the slide, the plunger felt odd, occasionally sticking. Comparing springs between the 2 Colts, it was obvious that one had broken, with several coils missing. First time I've encountered this. Function of the gun would have been compromised for sure. BTW, the spring should have closed coils at both ends.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:39 PM

    Best place for those 4 little parts is the junk bin!! Brownells sells a filler piece for the frame if you dont like the hole.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gratuitous gun porn of my Combat Elite, converted for .22:
    http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc68/gunnyg_photos/AR15/DSC05049Medium.jpg

    Anonymous posted what I was thinking....although I bagged the parts and put them away in the factory box, should I ever sell the pistol (perish the thought, a shiver just ran through my body).

    I put an early 80's (not a series 80, though ) Colt conversion unit on my series 80 Combat Elite, and used that part to fill the void in the frame. Several thousand rounds of .22 LR later and it's been running great. That part is only $4.95/ea through Brownells.

    Semper Fi!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The only problem with removing the thing is if you ever (gods forbid) use the pistol in a defensive shooting and the DA finds out you've disabled a safety, you could be in a bit of hot water. My opinion on it varies with which side of my pistol I'm tweaking at the time. If I'm fiddling with the fire controls, I'm swearing a blue streak at it, if I'm putting the firing pin back in, I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. cybrludite,

    I agree....even though 4/5ths of my other 1911s were never made with a series 80 firing pin safety!
    For the record, that's 3 more Colts (a 1911 US Army made in 1918, a Gold Cup NM made in '65 and a series 80 Night Officer's), a Remington Rand M1911A1 US Army, and a Kimber Desert Warrior.

    So, the idea of leaving this one particular pistol as: a) only a range pistol, and b) a .22LR that retains the capability to run as a .45ACP, is just fine with me.

    I have retained the parts so that if I ever sell it to someone else, I can return the safety to factory specifications, for the very litigious reason you stated.

    ReplyDelete

I reserve the right to not publish ignorant ill-informed and filthy comments from vile cretins who have a four letter vocabulary. Further, anonymous comments with strong opinions and personal attacks may be rejected. If you want to voice a strong opinion, at least have the courage to sign your name to it. You don't even have to use your name, make something up so the next person can address your comment without confusion.