Range report: Colt Competition

[Podmonkey]

My new Colt Competition 1911. Ordered it 8/16, picked it up 8/21 and shot it for the first time today. Put 500 rounds of 230gr Federal FMJ through it and am pleased to say I encountered not one malfunction or hiccup.
It shot well for me too

This was the first target I shot, you can see me getting used to the gun as I went clockwise from the upper left to center bulls. This is at 15 yards.
This is the first 1911 I've ever owned and I am very happy with the model I selected. I wanted a traditional style 1911 with just a few refinements, the fiber optic front sight and adjustable Novak rear give a good sight picture, tge undercut on the trigger guard makes it very comfortable to get that high grip, as does the big beavertail. The magwell is just slightly beveled and does make mag insertions a litte smoother.
All in all an accurate and so far reliable piece with the cachet of having "COLT" on the side. Apparently new Colt 1911 have a spotty record for reliability, I am glad mine does not seem to be among those.
It will probably become one of my primary range fun guns.

 

[Podmonkey]

So I have heard of the "idiot scratch" and in fact asked about it when I picked my pistol up. The fellow behind the counter very helpfully demonstrated the proper disassembly and reassembly of the 1911.
Not an especially difficult process.
That said I wonder if there is also an "idiot mark" that being the mark left on your forehead after you allow the recoil spring plunger to launch itself into your face.

 

[Saltwater60]

Glad to see a report on this gun. My FIL has one he said shot like crap until he had it worked over by a smith. I’ve always liked these guns and always wanted one but stayed away from them because his comments. He’s kind of crazy so take that with a grain of salt. They are nice looking guns too.

 

[Podmonkey]

Glad to see a report on this gun. My FIL has one he said shot like crap until he had it worked over by a smith. I’ve always liked these guns and always wanted one but stayed away from them because his comments. He’s kind of crazy so take that with a grain of salt. They are nice looking guns too.

Well I certainly didn't find my 1911 wanting for accuracy. I often found MY personal accuracy wanting. The 1911 seems somehow particularly sensitive to technique. Punishing of sloppy technique and rewarding with great accuracy when I bore down on good fundamentals.
The Colt Competition does have a National Match barrel in it, if that actually means anything.
I have another 500 rounds coming in, I'll bear down and try to get some nice tight groups to post.

 

[FP1201]

I'll contend the 1911 isn't exactly an "easy" gun to qualify with let alone master, but once you do, it becomes second nature...
Looks like you were shooting an excellent group towards the end, 'course I suspect you're already a competent shooter.
I think since CZ took over Colt and put an end to a lot of their personnel and corporate choices that QC has come back into vogue, which is fine with me as I'm a fan of both CZ and Colt and Dan Wesson Arms which they also own.

 

[218bee]

The NM barrel means a lot. Properly done, team armorers would hand-fit them. You probably know this, but one of the NM hallmarks is a throated chamber face. I just robbed a few pics online to illustrate this, but the non-NM barrels have a standard, smaller chamber face as historically they were fed only FMJ’s. NM pistols with the throated chamber face can more easily digest HP’s, and Semi-wads. I have a 70-series Gold Cup NM with a throated chamber and it eats everything I feed it. Yours should as well. Congrats and welcome to the 1911 family. 22 Conversion kits are a hoot, too!

(Top pic a NM throated chamber face…bottom is standard USGI)

 

[Podmonkey]

I have 500 rounds of Speer Lawman sitting at home and 1k coming in from Atlanta Arms. I am going to be shooting the Colt a great deal while the price of .45 is as low as it is.
I also have a holster, belt and mag pouches coming in eventually too

 

[Podmonkey]

Hammer cock goes click-clack, safety goes snick snick snick snick, trigger goes snap. A most fidget worthy gun.
Also the Talon Grip on the front strap is a transformative addition

 

[KVN]

I have that model Colt. First thing was to loose the Blues and put a set of VZs on.
Being a southpaw I also added an ambi-safety. Shoots nice but I haven't had it out past 25 yards.

 

[Podmonkey]

I have that model Colt. First thing was to loose the Blues and put a set of VZs on.
Being a southpaw I also added an ambi-safety. Shoots nice but I haven't had it out past 25 yards.

I think the factory blue grips ARE from VZ.
Or at least VZ offers a Colt Branded G10 grips that looks awfully similar.
I replaced them with those Houge rosewood grips but I also ordered some balck VZs with the golf dimple pattern and the fancy screws. Black on black can either look professional and business like or boring. I'll find out which. I am going tontry and avoid changing out 1911 grips as often as I change pants, as a man once said.

 

[KVN]

I just did not like the color. The VZs I put on also say Colt. I have "olditis" so open sights are getting tough. Had catarac surgery 6 years ago and the surgeon gave me 20/20 but seeing up close is hard. I wear a cheap pair of dollar store readers under my shooting glasses and fortunately I am left eye dominant so I took the lens out on the right side and can see both the sights (2x) and the target (no magnification) clearly. Probably will evevtually go with an optic.

 

[Saltwater60]

Well I certainly didn't find my 1911 wanting for accuracy. I often found MY personal accuracy wanting. The 1911 seems somehow particularly sensitive to technique. Punishing of sloppy technique and rewarding with great accuracy when I bore down on good fundamentals.
The Colt Competition does have a National Match barrel in it, if that actually means anything.
I have another 500 rounds coming in, I'll bear down and try to get some nice tight groups to post.

That’s odd non not the best shot but I shoot the he'll out of my 1911. Everything else I shoot low and left but not 1911’s

 

[Podmonkey]

Inconsistent today. But the Colr CAN stack em in there if I do my part.
Shot @15yds with 230gr Speer Lawman.
It is a very fun and satisfying gun to shoot though with 8 rounds on tap I always feel as the fun had stopped just as it got started.

 

[Saltwater60]

View attachment 272461 View attachment 272462
Inconsistent today. But the Colr CAN stack em in there if I do my part.
Shot @15yds with 230gr Speer Lawman.
It is a very fun and satisfying gun to shoot though with 8 rounds on tap I always feel as the fun had stopped just as it got started.

Not sure I’d really call that inconsistent, all are slightly left but most are pretty tight groups.

 

[dsdmmat]

View attachment 272461 View attachment 272462
Inconsistent today. But the Colr CAN stack em in there if I do my part.
Shot @15yds with 230gr Speer Lawman.
It is a very fun and satisfying gun to shoot though with 8 rounds on tap I always feel as the fun had stopped just as it got started.

Get some Wilson combat 10 round mags. I have 16 of them just for the range.

 

[Podmonkey]

I have hit 1,000 rounds with the Colt today. I have had 2 malfunctions both failures to feed due to bullets nosdiving on the magazine follower and both times it was with the factory magazine.
I consider this level of reliability wholly satisfactory, surprising even.

 

[Podmonkey]

Get some Wilson combat 10 round mags. I have 16 of them just for the range.

 

[Podmonkey]

I am thinking of getting an extended slide release and a wider safety.

 

[FP1201]

I am thinking of getting an extended slide release and a wider safety.

I like Wilson Combat and Ed Brown stuff; very good quality, most of it is drop in...DO pay attention to the Three Fingered Flat Spring, good time to upgrade while doing the Safety.

 

[Podmonkey]

I like Wilson Combat and Ed Brown stuff; very good quality, most of it is drop in...DO pay attention to the Three Fingered Flat Spring, good time to upgrade while doing the Safety.

Yeah, I was looking at the Wilson combat stuff, not terribly expensive. I'll look into the spring too, I'll have to learn more about it first. Also I'll be replacing the factory polymer mainspring housing with a blued steel one too.

 

[FP1201]

Yeah, I was looking at the Wilson combat stuff, not terribly expensive. I'll look into the spring too, I'll have to learn more about it first. Also I'll be replacing the factory polymer mainspring housing with a blued steel one too.

If you're going to change that, might as well get a good Wolff Spring Kit...then again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I don't know exactly where or how I ended up with a Tote full of 1911 parts/pieces/stuff and even some professional grade tools for them, but here we are.

 

[JaguarJaguarGolf]

I don’t think you should change anything until you put 1000 rounds through it.

 

[Podmonkey]

This thing is just an amazing shooting piece. And the Atlanta Arms product is very good as well, I can't expect any better than that. Also I now have 1200 rounds through it and the pistol itself has been very reliable. Occasionally I will fail to ensure tge top round in a mag is not seated all the way to the rear and it will nose dive on the ramp on me but its fixable by just reaching into the ejection port with my thumb and depressing the rear of the case.
I will be taking @dsdmmat advice and will get a quantity of Wilson Combat 10b rounders for range use.

 

[Podmonkey]

Slapping steel at the range again. Still shooting tge Atlanta Arms ammo but its starting to run low.
I'm wanting to try some +P ammo. One of my favorite retailers is offering a really good price on Speer Lawman 200gr +P FMJ- $379 for a 1k case. Which is pretty good for .45 ACP. I bet those would put a good wallop on the steel!

 

[FP1201]

Slapping steel at the range again. Still shooting tge Atlanta Arms ammo but its starting to run low.
I'm wanting to try some +P ammo. One of my favorite retailers is offering a really good price on Speer Lawman 200gr +P FMJ- $379 for a 1k case. Which is pretty good for .45 ACP. I bet those would put a good wallop on the steel!

Given the prices of ammo at the last Hessney's Auction, I'd say that's a very good price...I couldn't even justify the junk/mixed lots.

 

[Podmonkey]

Given the prices of ammo at the last Hessney's Auction, I'd say that's a very good price...I couldn't even justify the junk/mixed lots.

New manufacture .45 ACP seems to be ranging between. 37 and .45 a round online depending on the quantity ordered and specific brand.
It's interesting to find +P FMJ of any type frankly, especially at a low price like that.