Colt Government Model .45: 1000 Rounds Later

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

The Colt Government Model .45 looks like a nostalgia trip until you actually start shooting it. After 1000 rounds, this plain Series 70 proved that Old Slabsides still has more than history working in its favor.

Why the Colt Government Model .45 Refuses to Die

My relationship with the 1911 platform is a curious one. Although Old Slabsides still stands out in a sea of polymer, I always thought the old 1911 stayed with us through some misplaced sense of nostalgia. On the other hand, the more distant the collective memory becomes, the rediscovery becomes that much easier. Cue the double-stack 1911 platform as shooters rediscover how pointed 1911 ergonomics are. Personally, if I had to pick a 1911, it would be a nostalgia trip all the way. If it was going to be a 1911, it would have to be a .45, and it would have to be a Colt. There would be no debate about what that pistol is on the firing line when you can just say it is a Colt .45. A few years ago, I purchased a Colt Government Model .45 with the intent to use it as a photo prop. But then I shot it and kept shooting it. Amid my own rediscovery, a thousand rounds later, I had to admit that a plain Jane 1911 is still a good shooting iron.

Why Colt’s 1911 Still Matters in a Polymer World

One can argue that Colt stuck with the 1911 platform for too long. On the other hand, that also makes them the maker who has been in the business of making them longer than anyone else. In fact, Colt’s engineers are overshadowed by Browning in the initial quest to perfect a modern autoloading pistol for military use. Today, Colt’s catalog of 1911s is varied, ranging from 3-inch-barreled Defenders to 5-inch Government models with competition grades and optic-ready models thrown in. Most of their 1911s are Series 80 designs, but Colt continues to produce a few Series 70 models that are true to the original design and make for a good starting gun for custom work.

I selected just such a Series 70 Colt Government Model Classic in .45 ACP as my 1911. It lacks the high polish of a few of Colt’s offerings, but the matte blue finish, GI lines, and checkered rosewood grips set the pistol apart from the stainless and aluminum aesthetic. It is plain, yet handsome, and it is a Colt at a reasonable price.

The Colt Government Model is a GI 1911, but it borrows various elements from both the original and A1 version produced through the World Wars. It features a flat mainspring housing and a narrow hammer spur of a Great War example, but the extended grip safety, scalloped trigger guard, and short serrated aluminum trigger as seen on an A1. In a departure from any wartime gun, the Government Model has a checkered polymer mainspring housing blended to match the matte forged steel frame.

The pistol has standard, unchanging 1911 controls with a somewhat small thumb safety, magazine release button, and slide release on the left side of the pistol. The slide wears Colt’s branding and a staked front sight blade, as well as a dovetailed rear square notch. The sights themselves are higher than a wartime piece but are matte blue on matte blue, which contrasts with the polished blue slabsides of the slide. The slide wears standard parallel cocking serrations. As shocking as it sounds, there are no forward serrations to do a Steven Seagal press check, nor is there an optic footprint with screws to lose.

On the inside, Colt takes few chances with a formula that worked. The pistol wears a 5-inch stainless National Match barrel and uses a GI guide rod and barrel bushing assembly. On disassembly, it is easy to see the number of MIM parts used in the construction, ranging from the internal extractor to the magazine release, to the barrel bushing and recoil spring plug. Fortunately, Colt has decades of experience with MIM parts. These parts are often the first to go on a custom gun, but the trigger is not one of them. Since this is a Series 70 pistol, it lacks a firing pin safety and plunger that make a 1911 pistol trigger harder to tune. Out of the box, this one had a trigger that broke at 5 1/2 lbs with a moderate reset. In use, it has reduced to a consistent 3 lb. 12 oz. pull on my Lyman scale.

The Colt Government Model is available in either .38 Super with a nine-round capacity or .45 ACP with a seven-round capacity.

Colt Government Model .45 Specifications That Matter

Model	Colt Government Model Classic
Design	Series 70
Caliber	.45 ACP
Alternate Caliber	.38 Super
Barrel	5-inch stainless National Match barrel
.45 ACP Capacity	seven-round capacity
.38 Super Capacity	nine-round capacity
Initial Trigger Pull	5 1/2 lbs
Trigger Pull After Use	3 lb. 12 oz.

1000 Round Colt Government Model Test: No Safe Queens Here

To test ergonomics, accuracy, and reliability, I generally subject all handguns to a three hundred round test. This Colt Government Model lived in and out of a Steelhead Outdoors pistol box as a used handgun. I also occasionally carried it in a Craft Open Top Holster. It has seen a thousand rounds of FMJ and hollowpoint ammunition, as well as a few days in the woods. While its run was not perfect, it was better than expected and miles above the dogma some shooters use to lampoon the aging design.

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Colt Government Model Accuracy: Old-School Sights Still Deliver

In the accuracy department, the Colt Government Model is comparable to other GI 1911 handguns. It is not difficult to get seven rounds into a two-inch pattern at ten yards, regardless of ammunition. At twenty-five yards, the blocky sights still appear small, and it is not difficult to coax the rounds into a 3-4 inch pattern offhand. The Colt was fed a steady diet of Winchester and PMC 230-grain FMJ, and these seemed to be the most accurate loads; however, lighter 185-grain hollow point loads like the Hornady American Gunner and Remington Golden Saber performed well and hit close to the point of aim. It took some shooting with Liberty 105 grain hollow points to see a point of impact change.

Colt 1911 Reliability: Three Stoppages in 1000 Rounds

I get belly laughs from writers and instructors that boast about having thousands of rounds through a handgun without any maintenance. Mechanical objects are still mechanical no matter the brand on the slide or the marketing behind the latest lube. While I did not baby this Colt, it got a quarterly cleaning and lube job regardless of how many rounds were fired. I did not take any chances with magazine experimentation and stuck with generic Colt seven-round magazines, though a few MecGar eight-rounders occasionally found their way into the range bag. In the thousand rounds fired, I experienced three failures to feed. The first occurred in the first hundred rounds, while the other two happened while firing one-handed from my weakened non-dominant hand. The slow-acting recoil forces of the low-velocity .45 ACP make the pistol feel sluggish and less snappy than something in 9mm, and it is easy to see limpwristing being a problem. All things considered, it was not the jam sandwich I was expecting.

Colt Government Model Ergonomics: Why the 1911 Still Points So Well

The ergonomics of the 1911 platform are legendary, and the Colt Government Model comes through true to form. Although I am a natural southpaw, the controls are set up perfectly for a right-handed shooter. Even my short thumbs can reliably hit the magazine release, slide release, and manual safety while the trigger finger’s pad has plenty of purchase on that short trigger. If anything, a smaller hand would have an easier time with trigger reach, as I found long-trigger 1911s to fit me better.

Speaking of the trigger, there is about 2mm of take-up before a final clean break at the aforementioned trigger weight. From a stock handgun that has only been shot, that is pretty fair. The reset is not particularly strong, but I have wrestled with other 1911s whose return was more meek.

The only ergonomic rub I can point to is the grip safety. The safety deactivates easily with a half-hearted grip on the pistol, but there is some slight movement in the safety that pinches the web of the hand under recoil. After a box of fifty, that web starts to redden. After a hundred rounds, it looks like a case of hammer bite. I have since added two small scars to both hands. Unlike my other scars, at least these have a cool story.

Colt Government Model Pros and Cons After 1000 Rounds

• Pros: Natural 1911 ergonomics, good practical accuracy, a trigger that improved with use, classic Colt styling, familiar controls, and better reliability than expected.
• Cons: Basic sights, grip safety pinching under recoil, three failures to feed during the test, small controls for some shooters, and no modern optic footprint or forward serrations.

The Colt .45: Old-School, Plain, and Still First Rate

This plain Colt Government Model unintentionally got me interested in 1911 and 2011-style handguns. While I am not sold on the latter types, each brand of 1911 has something different to offer. The Turkish clones are made on modern machines and shoot quite well, while I found the Filipino Armscors to fit my larger hands better. Springfield mixes it up well in the looks and function department. And then there is Colt, an old brand to be sure, but they are still making a good 1911 worthy of the name.