Colt MK IV/Series 80 Gov't. Model 380 Auto...That's a mouthful!

Came with 3-7rd mags and it's book.Almost the same size as my XDS 45ACP but 1/4" thinner.Wanted a .380 for a little while but never really put much effort into researching models.I'm betting that if I don't like it I can easily get my money back by selling it.

I am looking to secure a few more 7rd mags for it.Any ideas?

BTW...I'm not looking for comments on what I should've or could've bought.I did read a lot of the older posts on here and nothing swayed me one way or the other.

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Congrats on your newest!

It should be a really sweet shooter. I've wanted one for awhile, it's just about the perfect .380. (for me.)

No judgement from me! I like it. I have a stainless Mustang Plus II .380 (actually my wife has repo'd it)! It's a fine little shooter.

You might want to try CDNN for extra mags.

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paws for friendship

I have the same gun as you, only in stainless. Its a great gun, you will enjoy it. Cant help on mags, I too am looking.

Model 52

I think "handsome" sums it up pretty well.
Nice catch.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I like it! "Wanting it" is a good enough reason for me! I've "wanted" every gun I own, and several that I don't own yet. Enjoy it!

Magazines:

CDNN SPORTS - MAGAZINES COLT

I have a Colt Pocketrite I bought in 1989...It's never malfunctioned and I've carried it a lot. I would to have the model you got to go with it...It's very nice.

After my initial post I got the gun out to clean it.It's my first Colt semi so I had the book in front of me for assistance.

It wasn't a pretty sight to watch.I got the spring removed but have no idea how to remove the barrel bushing and Colt doesn't see fit to show or tell you either.Apparently the previous owner had no clue either because the gun was filthy and it didn't look like the bushing or barrel were ever removed for cleaning.

I decided to put it back together until I got advice from other owners.That's when the hair pulling began.I have three other semi's that I have no problem with but when attempting to reassemble the .380 nothing seemed to work.The slide lock pin goes in but the slide wont function after doing so.

I should've stopped at that point because on my last attempt I pushed the ejector down too far and it fell in the magazine well.The book shows how to remedy that but being the newbie that I am it was like learning to speak Chinese.

It seems a trip to the local gunsmith is inevitable.

I owned one several years ago and if I remember correctly it field stripped the same as it's big brother the 1911 with the exception that the barrel lifted out of the slide instead of pulling it through the slide. A couple of good you tube vids on disassembly. Why not watch the video and try again before taking it to a gunsmith. Just my .02

I have the stainless version of your pistol. It's one of my favorites, and was a sweet carry pistol. It's very accurate for it's size, and a soft shooter,as well. It was the perfect warm-weather carry for me in my "1911" days. Their value has really shot up over the last few years.

I remember having a similar problem with the first cleaning! I don't think it's anything major, though. Enjoy!

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Because of the metric system?

Yeah stripping them isn't bad, but reassembly is a lesson in futility. Be careful, the safety is rigged to explode and poke yer eye out if mishandled.

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paws for friendship

The barrel bushing comes right out: After removing the slide, with the muzzle facing you, turn the bushing counter-clockwise until it stops. It should pull straight out. Reinstalling is just the reverse. Turning the bushing clockwise will keep it to the side when reinstalling the recoil spring plug.

When reassembling, insure that the ejector is pushed down toward the mag well. The slide goes on like any other 1911, and you have to align the notch on the slide with the rear of the slide lock lever. Once this is done, the pistol just needs to have the recoil spring compressed with the recoil spring plug, and the barrel bushing turned about 1/8th turn.

I replaced the plastic recoil spring guide rod with an aluminum. Next up, some time will be replacing the trigger with an aluminum one.

You can also find magazines on eBay. Just search Colt Government Model .380, and you'll find lots of goodies.

PS - I found a stainless model a year, or so, ago. It's a great shooter, and it's my "summer time" carry gun. It's probably the mildest shooting of either of my four .380's. The locked breech design really buffers the recoil.

Good advice that I normally follow even before purchasing a firearm (except this time).

I have four other semi's and none have the barrel bushing like the Colt does.

I did turn it clockwise and nothing happened so I gave it a tap with the plastic handle of a screwdriver and then manually ran the bolt back and forth in the slide.It suddenly came loose.The gun was dirty so maybe a little corrosion held the bushing tight?

If I had thought to look at the schematic it might have helped me understand what I was looking at as well.

Thanks to "kozmic" and "Road Rat" for the CDNN tip. I ordered 5 mags and should have them this week.

When trying to perform the "fix" for dropping the extractor down I managed to pop the sear spring out.I think I will take my medicine and consider this a valuable learning experience.I just wish I knew why the reassembly kept failing.Lining up the slide to insert the pin is one of the easiest things I've done on my other guns.Never had one fail to function properly after reassembly.

I don't know if the gunsmith will clean the gun but they can at least fix it and make sure it's operating safely.