Colt Double Eagle in 10mm

[tlawler]

How rare and collectible is a Colt Double Eagle in 10mm? I found one listed online over the weekend at a local pawn shop and thought I might go check it out if I’m working around that area tomorrow. Asking price seems reasonable at $900 with case and one mag. Will 1911 10mm mags fit it? And I’m assuming it has the same unsupported chamber as Colt’s Delta 10mm, so no hot loaded 10mm through it. Thanks for any info and insight provided.

 

[SAFireman]

The Double Eagles were never too popular. The Commander and Officer models will bring more than a standard version. I would say that $900 is probably the top of the market today.

Yes, 10mm 1911 pattern mags will work just fine. And it has the same chamber as the Colt 1911 of that day.

Good luck!

 

[WR Moore]

The Double Eagles were never too popular. !

Gee, that's polite.

 

[Lonestar57]

Agreed the Commander and Officers models tend to outpace the full size Double Eagles but those models don't come in the 10mm caliber. The Colt Double Eagle 10mm standard has a round top slide and fixed sights and seem to run just under a Grand or so in a complete package. The DE 10mm with the flat top slide and adjustable sights (like the Gold Cup) tend to run a little more at $1000 - $1500.

 

[tlawler]

I went back and looked at the picture of it and it’s a standard.

 

[Hairtrigger]

Gee, that's polite.

Does not make them bad.... just made before double action became popular

 

[7tenz]

Here in CA I've seen a couple of different DEs in 45, they were asking $1900 and about 2300, in that ballpark. I thought my 10mm DE would be worth $3k because of rarity, but guess I got a shooter.

 

[stansdds]

I just checked the big gun auction website and I see a total of 17 Colt Double Eagles. Only one is chambered in 10mm Auto, but none have gathered any bids. In contrast, there are currently 74 Colt Delta Elite pistol up for auction and a few of them have gathered bids. The Double Eagle was not a real popular item when new and it does not seem to be a popular item today.

 

[colt_saa]

I had several Double Eagles including 3 10MM First Editions.

I still have one of the 10MMs and my Light weight Officers 45.

The 10MM First Editions were serial numbers 737, 747 and 757. I like numbers

For a time I carried the LW Officers 45 in an ankle rig. It fits the 469 holsters just fine. In fact my ankle rig and DE are sitting next to my bed right now.

I had a DE Commander 45, but it was stolen with my Suburban back in 96

The Double Eagle is mostly a copy of the Secamp conversion. It was not a bad pistol, especially for a Colt guy

The magazines are standard 1911

I wish I had bought the one I saw in 38 Super, but way back then I had less disposable income and had to pass

At the asking price I would be a buyer.

However, unless it is unfired since leaving the factory and complete in it's original packaging, I do not think it is much of a collectible. . . YET. Give it another 20-30-50 years

 

[7tenz]

I had several Double Eagles including 3 10MM First Editions.

I still have one of the 10MMs and my Light weight Officers 45.

The 10MM First Editions were serial numbers 737, 747 and 757. I like numbers

For a time I carried the LW Officers 45 in an ankle rig. It fits the 469 holsters just fine. In fact my ankle rig and DE are sitting next to my bed right now.

I had a DE Commander 45, but it was stolen with my Suburban back in 96

The Double Eagle is mostly a copy of the Secamp conversion. It was not a bad pistol, especially for a Colt guy

The magazines are standard 1911

I wish I had bought the one I saw in 38 Super, but way back then I had less disposable income and had to pass

At the asking price I would be a buyer.

However, unless it is unfired since leaving the factory and complete in it's original packaging, I do not think it is much of a collectible. . . YET. Give it another 20-30-50 years

I thought there were no 1st editions in 10mm, only 45. I never had seen a Seecamp, but did they have a de--cocker?

 

[colt_saa]

I thought there were no 1st editions in 10mm, only 45. I never had seen a Seecamp, but did they have a de--cocker?

They do exist. If I remember where I put mine, I will dig it out and do some photos.

There were no First editions for the 40S&W or the 38 Supers as far as I can recall

I think the de-cocker was one of the major differences in the lock-work that prevented Seecamp from being able to sue Colt. There was one other difference, but my memory of those days is a bit sketchy

 

[Echo40]

Does not make them bad.... just made before double action became popular

That and supposedly the retrofitted double action mechanism is extremely temperamental.

It just always made more sense to either opt for a Browning Hi-Power, CZ-75, or S&W 4506.

 

[7tenz]

Colt_SAA-Looking at mine it starts DTO (as in oh)zero4. It's dot-matrix printed.

Compared to my 1006 the grip is fatter that the 1006, even fatter than a regular 1911 and the slide is thinner. Just the opposite on the 1006.

It's a pleasant shooter having only put maybe a few magazines through it and then put it away. Bought it as an unfired consignment gun middle 90's.

Edit:I meant four-zero. I must be getting dyslexic (sp?)

 

[WR Moore]

FWIW, back when the Double Eagle was in production, my employer was looking to replace revolvers with double action semi-autos. Colt was among the firms invited to send a T&E sample. They apparently felt so confident in the Double Eagle, they sent a double action revolver instead.

 

[bigggbbruce]

Does not make them bad.... just made before double action became popular

Before double action became popular.. For real..?

To many to list that came along decades (S&W 59 for example) before Colt came up with this bizarre DA 1911. FAIL...!!!!!

 

[colt_saa]

Colt_SAA-Looking at mine it starts DTO (as in oh)zero4. It's dot-matrix printed.

Compared to my 1006 the grip is fatter that the 1006, even fatter than a regular 1911 and the slide is thinner. Just the opposite on the 1006.

It's a pleasant shooter having only put maybe a few magazines through it and then put it away. Bought it as an unfired consignment gun middle 90's.

Yes the serial number patters was DTxxxxx.

That stands for DoubleEagle Ten followed by 5 digits

Forgive the poor photos, I had to use a flash if I wanted to do this tonight.
Here is the end label on the cardboard box

Inside the box is a soft case with a holster and double mag pouch.
These hold the firearm and 3 supplied magazines.
The DE logo is silk screened on the outside of the pouch

Here are both sides of the firearm

And a closeup of the rollmark on the left side of the slide

Here is my Double Eagle Light Weight Officers Model in the Galco Ankle Glove

One departure that the Double Eagle took from the 1911 and 1991 platforms is that the DE Officers all took full sized magazines, not the shorter Officer's magazines. So that backup gun is carrying a full 9 rounds of 45ACP Federal Hydrashok +P ammunition

Here are both profiles of my DE LW Officer's Model

I never found anything fragile about the Double Action lock-work. The folks I knew that had issues were all due to dis-assemble and re-assembly errors.

It was not unusual to hear about a broken spring, but that spring did not fail during use. It broke during a full strip down cleaning.

Like I said in a previos post, we had three of the First Editions that my family shot along with a full size, commander and LW Officers that were all chambered in 45ACP

We ran more ammunition through the 10s than the 45s. We had lots of other 45S but not many tens back then

BTW, back then was 1992

Only two of the Family's Double Eagles remain with me at the moment

 

[7tenz]

The third character in my ser# is the letter O. The 0 in the number sequence has a slash through it. Figure that one out. Like David Tom Oscar four zero xx. Edit:I forgot, my slide is stamped MKII Series 90.

I went to Wikipedia and got some good info and looks like you had just about every variation. The only oddball I ever handled was the fs .40 I saw in a store, forgot all about it until you jogged my memory.