Colt Concealed Carry Model

Recently, I bought a COLT Concealed Carry Model 45 Automatic Pistol. This model has an alloy Officer-sized frame, Commander-sized stainless slide, fully dehorned, Novak sights, rosewood double diamond stocks, etc., in 45 ACP caliber.

I was pretty close to springing for the Kimber Ultra Elite model, very similar specifications: Commander-size, melt-down, alloy, stainless two-tone, checkered grip frame, etc. It was $969.

The Colt was $699. It was an attractive offer, but price was not my main criterion in this purchase decision. Absolute reliability was. And that’s why I chose Colt. The Concealed Carry Model was the latest in a long line of Colt 45 Automatic Pistols I have bought.

Here is why I like the Colt 45 Automatic pistol...

The 1911 produced for and by the Government or the COLT Commercial Government Model 45 ACP Pistols were and still are the finest combat automatic pistol designs made to date. This is despite 89 years of development time where designers have racked their brains to come up with something NEW or BETTER. Ain't happened yet. I don't say somebody won't come up with something someday, just that it ain't happened yet.

If we consider the development of the various automatic pistol actions, it becomes rapidly apparent that all types of actions, from tipping barrel, turning barrel, turning bolt, dropping block, prop-up, toggle, etc., etc., were designed prior to the end of the nineteenth century. The only one that survived to any extent was the John Moses Browning tipping barrel design.

But of course there were innovations, you say? Yes, I know Walther came out with double action, that's one innovation. I consider it of dubious value but others may like having to change their grip to fire successive shots (not to mention cutting your knuckles! LOL). Yes, Walther and Beretta use dropping block actions. Check out a C96 Mauser to see the same idea before 1900. But Beretta uses a turning barrel! Check out many Eastern European designs from the first decade of the 20th Century, as well as the American Savage, to see this idea well before Pietro "invented" it. Desert Eagle uses a turning bolt! Ever seen a Mars pistol? It dates back before the 20th Century, IIRC.

The polymer frame is the one innovation I can think of that really is a milestone, but that's my opinion.

But I digress; the real reason average people buy 45 Automatic pistols by manufacturers other than Colt is the combination of the do-it-yourself bent of Americans (an admirable quality in it's place), the champagne taste but beer pocket book of many Americans, the woeful disrespect of the average American for fine craftsmanship and hand work, and, frankly, the credulity of the average American consumer.

I, of course, exclude specialists who use their pistols for very specific purposes, such as IPSC raceguns, which are a very specialized instrument.

The original COLT 45 Automatic Pistols were hand fitted by skilled labor of long employ. In fact, Springfield Armory (the REAL one) could not successfully produce the Model 1911 based on the blueprint drawings they worked up until they redrew it based on the actual COLT pistol being produced by COLT. This required the eye of a craftsman, not a computer geek or blueprint engineer. These skilled laborers would be equivalent to a custom pistolsmith today, like Baer, Wilson, Clark, Bilby, Heinie, etc. You would pay much more for a COLT Gov't Model if it were hand fitted by the likes of them! But that was the average skilled employee of Colt in those days, and Colt still employs some hand-fitting in their 45s!

Because people always are looking for ways to make a buck, some entrepreneur copyrights a name, such as Springfield Armory or 1911A1!! The uninformed masses take it for the REAL Gov't Armory, which closed under LBJ. Instant recognition and credibility! Buy a Springfield M1A or 1911A1! They think they got the REAL THING. This exploits the credulity which the public so often exhibits.

Some of the other clones I'll give the credit that they do go by their own name, not hide behind a phony historical association. But then, we have the kitchen table -- monkey see, monkey do -- penchant of Americans. Hey, I can do that! Unfortunately, I believe that is exactly the attitude behind the clone makers, for a large part. Access to CNC machines does not replace a craftsman's eye and understanding. John Moses Browning could make more with a file and a bar of steel than most manufacturing concerns can make with CNC machinery, IMHO, unfortunately.

Finally, the notion that if it looks pretty, it's quality, seems to pervade many people's thinking today. This appeals to the common tendency of us all to want something for nothing. Hence, the shiny, stainless, Loaded Elite Bazoonga Models we are confronted with these days! The uninformed fail to recognize the difference between good looking and true quality!

When you buy a pistol which you may use for self defense, it pays to buy a Colt 45.

Happy shooting! :>




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