Re: Which 80 series 1911?
Now, I have personally seen an 80-series Colt with a cracked frame from a combination of internal toolmarks and most likely a flaw in the metal.
The slide-to-frame fit, the 4-finger bushing (designed to cut production cost) and less than optimal QC resulted in groupings the size of a medium dinner plate at 30 yards.
This may be acceptable in a WW2 scenario but not for a modern day production gun.
Why I chose a Colt as a base for a full house custom was simply the fact that it has a history behind it, and the steel in the frame and slide is supposed to be of high quality (production flaws like the one that cracked could happen to any manufacturer, that has just as much to do with their suppliers as well).
For an out-of-the-box carry piece, where you are not planning on dumping another 2+ grand into it, I would go another route though.
I regard Springfield to be a very reliable, no-bs 1911 no matter what model you choose, but if you need a dedicated firing pin catching device inside it that is out of the question, as you already know since you have one
Then you are running out of "classic" brands pretty quick, S&W make extremely good revolvers but their M&P pistol line leaves in my opinion a lot to be desired, so that would exclude them for me.
Although I find Kimber overrated and for their current line a bit overpriced, they are by all means good weapons and for an out of the box service pistol you get everything you need in one package.
I have shot Kimbers both from the original era when they were an actual custom shop, and the newer "assembly line" weapons and think that they found ways to mass produce that still provides acceptable tolerances and trigger pull,accuracy etc in the higher end of the assembly-line range.
John - out
