Is colt 1911 worth trading my Para 1911?

[tdyoung58]

Nope . . . I'd keep the Para

[DemonOfTheFall]

Speaking of drastically overpriced 1911's, I was browsing at Ace in WashCo. the other day, and they had a Wilson Combat there USED for $2300.

I'd like to repeat that just in case you missed it. USED for $2300!!!

What exactly makes this gun so expensive? Does it get up and turn on the morning coffee for you?

[kwmpa]

Originally Posted by BUCKMARK

Thats kind of a blanket statement also...

Colt never did any "mucking of the design" that every other company didnt already do. Colt, along with most 1911 makers offer a mil-spec type gun along with custom guns.

Every Colt I ever owned ran well right out of the box. The problem was never with the designs or features. Colt's problems were always about quality control. Colt has been known for years to throw some real crap out onto the market, and then wonder why they have a bad name as of late.

Hammers that lean so far to the side that they hit the slide. Colt fixes this by grinding the hammer until it clears. Sights pressed into their dovetails even when they were not aligned. Crushed sights and messed up slides sent to the dealer. Polish wheel slips on blasted finishes along the front strap. I have seen them all in rather large numbers over the years.

I'm not real sure what kind of labor issues Colt was having in the last 5 or 6 years, but I do know that their product line is nothing like it once was. I also know that their quality is nothing like it once was.

For me, the Colt name is a fond memory of a great American gun company gone so far south it may never be corrected. Winchester went down the same path, and S&W corrected its ways and is back on track.

I still buy up Colts to add to my collection, and dream of days when the Colt Manufacturing Company will rise from the ashes and become respected again.

For a working gun, I would buy a STI, Dan Wesson or Springer over a Colt any day.... and thats like having a Ford Mustang collector tell you to look into a new Dodge Charger.

I worked for colt for a few years till family health problems brought me back to PA....but i did repairs at the factory not once did they ever grind hammers or anthing like that...the hammers are a cast piece and machined to a certain spec and weight according to the piece...some of the castings either shrunk a certain way or werent machined right before they were put on the gun...management always had problems with quality control...but if there was ever a problem with hammers they were always replaced...if anyone ever would have ground anything they probably would have been fired...as for sights i only ever had one gun com across my table that had a problem with pressed sights...we had more problems with worn parts and what not...ive collected colt handguns through the years all i purchased used or through the factory...ive never had any problems with any of them...i just recent purchased(my first handgun purchase in about 3 years) a .38 super in bright stainless and the quality is great..id never purchase anything other than a colt when it comes to 1911...they are the best...my dad collected them for years i always managed to pick up some nice vintage gun at colt and got all my dads...hes got over 35 vintage and about 15 newer ones made withing the past few years and never a problem

[Jailkeeper]

Originally Posted by DemonOfTheFall

Speaking of drastically overpriced 1911's, I was browsing at Ace in WashCo. the other day, and they had a Wilson Combat there USED for $2300.

I'd like to repeat that just in case you missed it. USED for $2300!!!

What exactly makes this gun so expensive? Does it get up and turn on the morning coffee for you?

Yes. Surprisingly enough my Wilson makes the coffee. It also brings me a beer in the evening.

If you've never shot one you can not appreciate a Wilson. I used to have a Colt 1911 on my wish list until I found one at East Coast. It was not nearly as nice nor tight as my Wilson. I handed it back & saved a bunch of money.