A Colt 'Service Ace' looming....

[Old Corp]

OK - kinda long story - but I'll try not to bore ya'll too much...

A few years ago I got a new Kimber .22 RF Target 1911. Shot the absolute daylights out of it. Most likely one of the MOST accurate .22 pistols I've ever shot or owned.
What I did not care fr was the 'all - aluminum' feel of the gun. TOO light - did not feel like a M1911.
I ran somewhere between 5-6 thousand rounds through it and it started malfunctioning. Mostly FTE. A close examination showed the breech face had been 'peened' out-of-round into a sort of eliptical, egg - shaped affair that was allowing too much variance in the relationship the case had with the breechface, as the tension from the extractor was 'pushing' the case out of reach.
For those unaware, the Kimber .22 RF pistol and it's conversion kits, the slide is all aluminum. And that's understandable.

BUT - a cursory examination of most of the OTHER 1911 .22's shows that their engineers had the foresight to have a steel insert for the breechface on the aluminum slide. This applies to both GSG's and the Colt/Umerex 1911 - .22's.

A call to Kimber revealed that I was the ONLY one EVER to have this problem. They replaced the slide and springs at no cost, just shipping expense.
But, with that came a new condition of being somewhat ammo - finicky.
Pretty typical of alot of .22 autos. Not real happy about this.

Have a friend who will be getting rid of a Colt .22 Service Ace in the near future. He has yet to come up with a price. It's pristine.

Any experience with the Colt Ace amongst the guys here?
If he quotes me a decent price, I'll be selling the Kimber to get the Colt.

And yes, I have the option of getting a current Colt 1911-22 at cost, working at the LGS, but do not care for them. Too 'Umerex-y' and cheap feeling.

 

[Beemerguy53]

If you decide not to buy your friend's Ace, please let me know...thanks!

 

[galena]

No experience with a true Colt "Ace"; however, I have used their "floating chamber" conversion kits for years.I have never had any trouble with them. The only issue is that the floating chamber must be kept clean so that it can move freely in the breech. It is the one .22RF I religiously clean after any outing. The conversion kits are getting pricey but worth the cost IMHO........definetly less than an Ace>

 

[perrazi]

i have a later model service ace and love it. it probably won't be as accurate as your kimber,but mine shoots anything. btw, yours is not the first kimber has heard of this problem. cost saving design feature.

 

[2152hq]

Gotta keep them clean, especially the floating chamber/bbl assembly on the Service Ace.
The older 'Ace' needs extra care to be kept clean too and just the right amt of lubrication.
Both can be picky about ammo. Usually H/S works best.
I had one of the 80's made Service Ace and it was a good shooter.
A 1930's 'Ace' (straight blowback) was pleasent to shoot and a beautiful pistol but very sensitive to ammo and needed constant attention.

Several 22/45 conversion kits have come and gone. Some work fine,,others not so fine. Not always easy to tell if it 's the 'kit' or the frame it's loaded on to that's the some of the problem.

They don't often prove to be 10X bullseye type pistols but they sure are fun.
FWIW,,I was able to interchange pre-war 'Ace',,Service Ace' and 80's production Service Ace magazines in the pre-war pistols and they all functioned fine.
I don't know if the early mags will work in the later guns though.
Pricey little things that they are,,,

 

[Bat Guano]

After using a borrowed postwar unit for a while, I lucked into a later model in 1974. It's seen a lot of use as I keep it on a dedicated Gold Cup frame; looks just like the .45 big brother.

I've found the Federal AE HV ammo to shoot the cleanest in it; at a guess it'll fire about 350 rounds and the floating chamber still drops free when the action is opened and the muzzle at the vertical. Very, very few malfunctions with that stuff.

Years ago, in a fit of temporary insanity, I put the frame and the two uppers in SGN for sale. Luckily there were no takers.

Aces, old or new, are pricey little things.

 

[Bekeart]

Have had a Service Model and a Colt conversion kit since early 80's.

LOVE them. Warning - they need to be kept cleaner than my mind.

 

[Muley Gil]

A couple of years ago, my pappy gave me the 1939 Service Ace that was left to him by one of his dearest friends. It shoots fine.

The other 1911 shown is a .45 ACP target pistol, built on an Ithaca frame. It also came from his late friend.

 

[yaktamer]

My old man had a 1980's era Ace. It was great. Dead accurate. One of his guns that disappeared after his death, along with a WWII Ithaca 1911 and an unfired Golden Spike Centennial Colt Frontier Scout. Yeah, I'm still not over it.

 

[FPrice]

Holy thread resurrection Batman!

Just came across this thread and wondered, did you over get that Colt Ace? That is one of my Holy Grails of collecting.

 

[vrichard]

I bought this one 12/9/78,still new ,never had the slide rack or the hammer pulled back yet.
Dick

 

[824tsv]

Any Colt SM Ace or Conversion Unit is a blue chip investment IMHO. Prices are steadily climbing.

 

[TenTea]

Any Colt SM Ace or Conversion Unit is a blue chip investment IMHO. Prices are steadily climbing.

Magazines too.

 

[mrrick]

I picked up an E-Nickel Service Ace last year, 1981 vintage. No problems and have yet to clean it. I'll clean it if/when functions problem start.

The prices of these are high, and rising, especially the E-Nickel ones. Not many Es made, something like 7000 IIRC.

I like it a lot.

 

[TOM BECKWITH]

Kart conversions are top of the line for target work and fit on the 1911 frame. Not made in a while, but can be found. Uses Ace or Kart mags.