Colt series 80 Gold Cup National Match

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CLASSIC12

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Took my 1992 enhanced bright st st GCNM out of the safe today. Got rid of the 80 safety. That little spring on the sear is a nightmare.

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Really something you don’t want to disassemble too often.

Put some new grips on it as well.

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I absolutely love the look of this pistol

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Off to the range tomorrow
 
New grips make for a spiffier gun;I know they don't make the gun shoot better but I just seem to shoot better with a gun that looks better.Nice grips;makes the rest of the gun stand out.Congrats!
 
Lost and found the spring for my series 70 gc three times...didn't find it the forth lol-gotta remember to order one!
Nice Colt by the way!
 
Thanks. She’s almost too pretty to shoot, but no queens are safe in my house [emoji16].

I try to take great care of it though, I’d hate to put an idiot scratch or a ding in it.

She’s a looker, but she’s a shooter too (or first and foremost). Such a sweet trigger, even better without the firing pin series 80 safety / contraption.

25 meters off-hand.

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Now I probably need a series 70 blued GCNM so my life is complete.

I took a few other 1911s along

2013 Auto Ordnance 1911 A1 (1911 PKZSE) - the replica

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1943 Colt 1911 A1 - the original

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2003 Colt 1911 Government Model series 70 - replica

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My vague recollection is that that spring on the sear is a Gold Cup thing, not a Series 80 thing, and that it is safety-related (the concept of safety, not the thumb safety). I believe that if you remove that and don't do anything else, you should probably use a Clark 4-leaf sear spring if you want to be sure that unexpected things don't happen. But don't take my word for it. Ask someone who really knows.

Myself, I use Clark sear springs on all my slabside .45s, and I don't remove Series 80 parts.
 
Beautiful gun! I have a series 80 Gold Cup and I hear people say the Trigger is better in then 70 series. Probably so, I guess. The trigger is already excellent on the 80 series, cant imagine it could get any better.
 
Model520Fan said:
My vague recollection is that that spring on the sear is a Gold Cup thing, not a Series 80 thing, and that it is safety-related (the concept of safety, not the thumb safety). I believe that if you remove that and don't do anything else, you should probably use a Clark 4-leaf sear spring if you want to be sure that unexpected things don't happen. But don't take my word for it. Ask someone who really knows.

Myself, I use Clark sear springs on all my slabside .45s, and I don't remove Series 80 parts.
Click to expand...

They say the sear depressor assembly is there to maintain tension in the fire control group, and that with the stock steel trigger there is a possibility of bounce if the depressor is eliminated, leading to doubling or worse. From what I have read there is no appreciable improvement to trigger performance by removing them, but some people just don't like the complication of the extra parts.

Some say they have simply eliminated the parts and have no issues, some say proceed with caution. I have never removed them from any of my pistols, but I also haven't ever had an issue with a stock S80 trigger either and never felt the need to remove those parts. I have 1911's with triggers ranging from 2-8 lbs and for the most part I leave them alone. If they all shot the same I'd only need one. I like the variety.

I'm no expert, this is just what I've gleaned from the internet and my little bit of hands-on experience with them. My 2 cents.

Very nice pistol by the way.
 
Maybe my original post was confusing.

Indeed the sear depressor and spring have a useful fonction (avoiding trigger bounce and double taps or worse), so they stay in the pistol (and are a pita to put back in, even with a slave pin)

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Whereas the series 80 firing pin plunger and actuators are just a silly lawyer proof contraption imo, and we don’t have the lawyer proof mentality (yet) here in Switzerland, so these bits go

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and are replaced by a shim

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Congratulations.
It looks Great

I have always been a great admirer of the Colt Gold Cup. I should have bought one back in the day in the Bright Stainless finish to go with my Officers ACP and snubby Python

A Series Seventy Gold Cup was the first firearm I ever purchased new back in 1977. Still own and shoot that one today even though Personal Protection shifted from my Gold Cup to my Gold Cup Commander
 
Mexican Kerry said:
I'm aware of the S80 shim modification, I thought you also removed the depressor. My mistake. Just trying to help look out for the safety of all.....
Click to expand...



No worries, you did well. As I said, I mentioned the sear depressor and the series 80 safety in the OP. That probably created some confusion.
 
Assembling the GCNM Sear Depressor and Spring is a pain but manageable after watching this well put together video. I have a Series 70 GC from 1974 and have done this a few dozen times over the years. Make a Slave Pin and it becomes a lot easier. Colt discontinued these parts about 35 years ago I believe.

I do have a few of them ( the springs ) on my Work Shop floor somewhere that are lost forever - thankfully I have a couple of spares that I bought from Brownell's when they had them in stock.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXmjFW4i4v4[/ame]
 
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I had just one GC, bought at an AF BX in 1966.

I'd tell you how well it shot with Federal's 230 grain Match ammo, but some here would get indignant and swear that no one can shoot a handgun that well. Alas, I'm not joking.

Oh, to heck with it: that would sometimes group all seven rounds in a single ragged hole at 25 yards.

But Jeff Cooper was right about Gold Cup front sights loosening. When that happened, I sold the gun.

Back then, Colt supposedly lightened the slide, thinking that most would shoot light 185 grain WC loads. I think later GC slides were normal Govt. Model thickness.

I shot comparable groups with several .357's and with a Colt New Service .45 made in the 1930's and with a S&W M-29, with full Magnum loads.

But those big .45 holes in the paper were quite impressive

The gun also fired Western's 210 grain SWC load very well, and my handload of the H&G #68 200 grainer at about 900 FPS.

I wish that Winchester-Western still made that 210 grain load. It was very effective on small animals and on paper, too.

Jeff Cooper told me that he loaded his .45 hot with a 215 grainer, prob, the H&G # 68 and killed a white tailed deer in Central America with a single shot. It was DRT, Dead Right There. But Jeff sometimes used hotter loads than I will. He used to load his M-60 snub .38 to about 1,000 FPS!

I think the Colt Gold Cup .45 is an excellent gun for informal matches and small game.

Your gun looks terrific with the ivory ? stocks.
 
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Here's my 1911 series 80 Gold Cup. I think it was born in 1984.

I bought it around 2002. It was in deplorable condition. Sent it off
to Karl Sokol for his reliability package. Ed Brown trigger and HD
extractor. Match grade bushing, Wolfe main spring, New plunger
spring, re-crown muzzle, and completed it with his Mountain Tuff finish.

I put the big dot sight up front and the Herrett's grip panels.

I probably have more in it than a new one costs, but it is probably
better than a new one. It has been 100% reliable since Karl worked
it over. Of course Wilson mags help too.
 

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