Colt Government .45 ACP
Model: O1911C
Colt Government .45 ACP
Model: O1911C
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Colt Government is a full-size single-action .45 ACP built for range work and collecting. Colt still builds it as the 1911 Classic, with blued carbon steel and a 5-inch National Match barrel. It uses the Series 70 firing system, so there is no firing pin block in the trigger's path, and a Series 70 Colt has a shorter, cleaner break than the Series 80 guns Colt also sells.
It has the fittings a 1911 had before accessories. A thumb safety and a grip safety, fixed sights, double diamond checkered rosewood panels and a blued carbon steel frame and slide. Nothing adjusts. There is no accessory rail and no optic cut, so a light or a dot means another gun or a machinist.
If you're cross-shopping, the Rock Island Armory 1911 GI Standard is the inexpensive version of this idea at an MSRP of $420, 39.5 oz of Parkerized 4140 steel with eight rounds and GI blade sights. The Ruger SR1911 is the modernized route at an MSRP of $1,259, 39 oz of stainless with drift-adjustable Novak three-dot sights, a skeletonized aluminum trigger and two magazines. Against them the Colt offers the Series 70 action and the National Match barrel.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- A National Match barrel in a gun that looks like a service pistol.
- The Series 70 firing system leaves out the firing pin block plunger, so the trigger has less to push through.
- A stainless barrel inside a blued carbon steel gun, so the bore resists corrosion better than the outside does.
- Fixed blade sights with no luminous element, so there is nothing to see in the dark.
- Blued carbon steel needs oil and will wear bright at the muzzle and the slide edges.
- No rail, no optic cut and no threaded barrel, so accessories mean machining or a different model.
Category Rankings
How the Colt Government .45 ACP ranks among full-size .45 ACP handguns.
Ballistics Calculator
Calculate trajectory, drop, and energy for .45 ACP ammunition.
.45 ACP Ballistics →Alternatives to Consider
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do Series 70 and Series 80 differ?
The Series 80 design adds a firing pin block that stays engaged until the trigger is pulled. The Series 70 leaves it out, with fewer parts in the fire control group and a cleaner trigger feel.
What grips does it come with?
Double diamond checkered rosewood, which is the traditional Colt pattern and can be refinished.
What twist does the barrel use?
1:16, the standard .45 ACP 1911 pitch, in a stainless barrel with a blued finish.
Can night sights be fitted?
Yes. The rear sight sits in a standard 1911 dovetail, so night sights or a target rear sight drop in without machining the slide.
