Archive for Colt firearms

Colt Fourth Model Deringer

Colt Deringers can bring a premium price if they’ve never been shot.

November 15, 2011

Colt’s New Service

For the first half of the 20th Century, one of the bread and butter mainstays of the revolver line was the New Service.  A double-action sixgun of generous size, the New Service was big enough to take all of the big cartridges of the day—.476 Eley, .455, .45 Colt, .44-40, etc.—as well as .38 Spl. and other milder calibers. Made from just before the turn of the century until the beginning of World War II, the New Service was used primarily by police and military personnel. Variations included adjustable-sighte “Target” models, as well as the legendary Shooting Master of the 1930s. The gun's greatest use was in World War I, when the government bought a total of 151,800 5 1/2-inch barreled 1917s, all chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. That was the most numerous variation of the many New Service models. It is a big, rugged gun that could (and often did) take a lot of abuse. But, for reasons I have never understood, the New Service has never drawn the same interest as other contemporary handguns. 

October 14, 2011

ARTV 2010 Ep. 7: Colt Manufacturing

American Rifleman TV Visits Colt Manufacturing

October 10, 2011

Is Colt a Sleeping Giant?

Could it be the sleeping giant is stirring? Colt is sporting a prominent sign in its nicely appointed booth here at the NRA Annual Meeting in a vast exhibit hall. The sign says: “If it’s not a Colt, it’s a copy.”

May 02, 2011

How about the CCOs?

Several friends have asked me to find out why Colt no longer makes the CCO, which stands for Concealed Carry Officer's Model. I have to wonder if any readers are also interested. This little 1911 variant is one of the slickest 1911 iterations I have ever seen. Colt made a number of them in the 90s, then followed up with a short run of Gunsite CCOs. They were very popular and are approaching cult favorite status. Basically, this gun was an Officer's ACP frame with a Commander slide fitted thereto. This gave the gun the length of a Commander and the height of a Defender.

February 03, 2011

Colt New Agent .45 ACP Pistol

With the introduction of the New Agent .45 ACP Pistol, Colt offers 21st century shooters a modern adaptation of the 20th century classic.

May 11, 2009