Colt Delta Elite 10mm
Model: O2020XE
Colt Delta Elite 10mm
Model: O2020XE
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Colt Delta Elite is a brushed stainless single-action 10mm 1911 built for hunting and range work. It has an MSRP of $1,349. Frame, slide and barrel are all stainless steel, the gun weighs 35.0 oz empty, and the rear sight is a genuine Novak Low Mount Carry that sits low and rounded so it does not catch on a cover garment.
Two magazines and a cable lock come in the box. The safeties are the full 1911 set, an extended thumb lever and an upswept beavertail grip safety, plus Colt's Series 80 firing pin block, which puts a plunger in the trigger path and lengthens the take-up. Colt lists the three-hole aluminum trigger between 4.5 and 6 lb. Nothing on the gun adjusts, since the Novak rear sight is fixed, and there is no optic cut and no accessory rail. Colt sells an optics-ready Delta Elite as its own product, so moving to a dot here means a different pistol, not a plate kit.
Against its rivals, the Dan Wesson Razorback is the same single-stack layout built heavier at 40.1 oz and 8.75 inches overall, with cocobolo panels and no firing pin block. The Sig Sauer P320 XTEN runs a polymer frame at 33.0 oz with 15 rounds and a factory optic cut, so it carries a dot and seven more rounds while weighing 2.0 oz less than the Colt.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The thumb safety is extended and the grip safety is an upswept beavertail, so a high thumbs-forward hold reaches the lever and the hammer cannot bite the web of the hand.
- No part of the gun is coated, so a holster scuff on brushed stainless shows the same metal underneath instead of exposing bare steel through a finish.
- The grip panels are black composite with Colt's Delta medallions and sit on the usual 1911 screw pattern, so wood or G10 replacements are a screwdriver job.
- Without an accessory rail, a weapon light has to come from a grip-mounted unit or a rail adapter that clamps to the dust cover.
- Lightening the trigger means taking the Series 80 parts out of the path, which gives up the firing pin block that comes with the gun.
- Colt quotes the pull as a range, 4.5 lb at one end and 6 lb at the other, so two guns off the same line can feel different in the hand.
Category Rankings
How the Colt Delta Elite 10mm ranks among full-size 10mm Auto handguns.
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Alternatives to Consider
Similar full-size 10mm Auto handguns ranked by similarity.
| NAME | BEST PRICE |
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Kimber Camp Guard 10 10mm
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Sig Sauer P220 Hunter 10mm
Sig Sauer
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Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra 10mm
Rock Island Armory
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Springfield Armory 1911 TRP Operator 10mm
Springfield Armory
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Dan Wesson Razorback 10mm
Dan Wesson
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is the barrel rifled?
Left-hand 1:16 over six grooves, which is the standard 10mm rate. Left-hand twist makes no difference to ammunition choice.
How is the optics-ready Delta Elite different?
Colt lists it as a separate product with a slide cut for a dot. This gun has a solid slide, so the two are different purchases.
Will a 1911 holster fit it?
A holster cut for a government-length 1911 fits, because the Delta Elite keeps that outline with its 5-inch barrel. The Novak rear sight is a low carry profile, so it clears a reinforced holster mouth.
