Rifleman Review: Colt Gold Cup National Match
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Designed for competition use, the Colt Gold Cup National Match is one of the classic M1911 pistol configurations, but this particular Gold Cup has more of a story behind it than most guns. Watch our "American Rifleman Television" Rifleman Review segment above to learn about how Colt has made the latest rendition of the Gold Cup a gun worth having.
"When I first met Paul Spitale, who's the vice president at Colt, I knew there was a new sheriff in town," NRA Publications Editorial Director Mark Keefe said. "And Colt is one of the great names in American firearms, but he had a personal story about his own Colt Gold Cup National Match that was really disappointing. He bought the gun, thinking of the heyday of Colt, and he ended up having to send it to a gunsmith to get the gun absolutely right for competition. And it was his personal mission, frankly, to fix the Gold Cup. The result of his ambition is the gun I have in my hand today."
Colt's Gold Cup National Match is built on the company's Series 70 operating system, which ensures a clean, crisp trigger pull. Outfitted as a standard Government model gun, the pistol features a 5" barrel sitting inside a blued slide that's matched to a blued, carbon steel frame. A set of checkered double-diamond stocks completes its classic look.
"This gun has what you're looking for in a high-end competition gun, in terms of finish," Keefe said. "This gun is a seven-shot .45 ACP. There are 9 mm versions of it because a lot of guys seem to think that's a good idea. But you have, of course, a target-style trigger. When you get back to the hammer, you've got grooves on the back of the hammer. You have, of course, a beavertail-style grip safety, again, a hallmark of the Colt."
Other notable touches include vertical grooves on the backstrap, which help to anchor the gun in a shooter's hand. It being built like a classic Colt, controls are located in traditional locations. There is a slide-stop lever on the left side of the frame, just forward of the single-sided thumb safety. A round, checkered, push-button magazine release is located on the left side of the frame, just behind the trigger.
"So, of course, this gun does have a National Match barrel, and when you look at the lugs, of course, this is a top-locking gun, as all 1911s should be, but they've really held the tolerances on this barrel," Keefe said. "Frankly, a lot of the accuracy comes from the fit between the barrel and the slide, but it starts with this."
It being a competition gun, the slide is topped with a Bomar adjustable rear sight, matched to a Patridge-style front sight blade. The rear face of the Bomar sight is serrated to reduce glare, and the top of the slide is also serrated to reduce glare, ensuring a clean, clear sight picture.
"There's a lot of pride of ownership with a gun like this, and frankly, I am very impressed with what they've done with the Gold Cup," Keefe said.
Colt Gold Cup National Match Specifications
Manufacturer: Colt's Mfg. Co.; West Hartford, Conn.
Action type: recoil-operated, hammer-fired, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: .45 ACP
Frame: blued carbon steel
Barrel: 5"
Rifling: six-groove, 1:16" LH twist
Overall length: 8.5"
Height: 5.5"
Width: 1.25"
Magazine: eight-round detachable box
Trigger: single-action; 3-lb., 14-oz. pull
Sights: target post front, fully adjustable target rear
Stocks: checkered walnut with gold-tone escutcheon
Weight: 37.5 ozs.
Accessories: owner's manual, carrying case, lock
To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.
Пікірлер: 22
I bought two of these Colt Gold Cup National Match Pistols in 45 ACP. I am quite happy with these guns. Total 1911 and Gold Cup National Match pistol I have all together is 7 of them. These Guns shoot to point of aim. Awesome.
I bought my Colt Gold Cup 45 acp new the day I turned 21 in Dec 1974 and the next year I bought a new Colt Gold Cup in 38 spl, yes 38 spl. I still have the 45, wished I would have kept the 38 spl but I let a friend talk me out of it. He still has it.
@ou812also5
8 ай бұрын
I used to have one of those 38 Special wadcutter National Match pistols!
@robgraham7238
7 ай бұрын
Saw and fired a wad cutter.... wish he would have sold it to me rather than have someone steal it few weeks later
@enricomandragona163
3 ай бұрын
You don't mean 38 super!!??
My GCNM Series 80 is an absolute “match- lighting / tack-driver” and I’ve loved it for 4 decades now. It’s the only one of my five 1911’s that’s a Series 80 and that should be a “trigger negative”, but it’s never been.
My company has tuned/modified/customized Colt products for years. Right now, Colt means business. We performance-tune Colt, S&W, Ruger, and Dan Wesson revolvers. The new series Colt double-action revolvers offer the highest degree of precision available, even surpassing the precision of the older Colts. We have accuracy-tuned their newer 1911 pistols. Their NM barrels are fantastic. Colt's Gold Cup barrel-to-slide fit is unsurpassed in the $1.5K - $2K range. The out-of-the-box triggers are fantastic. Where a Kimber is set up to "sell" on the sales floor, the newer Gold Cup is meant to assure and satisfy at the range.
@weinerexplosion
3 ай бұрын
Good to know, thanks! Am thinking of buying one as a present for my son, seems like a good value for a real Colt
@enricomandragona163
3 ай бұрын
What is your company sir?
It's the perfect semi-automatic gun, the series 70 in black
Basically this is a Colt Classic with a better slid top. I plan on getting this gun but hopefully the mainspring housing is steel not nylon!! As well as the trigger. 😮
I bought a 9mm Gold Cup Stainless and I am very happy with it I replaced the blue stocks with laser grips Nothing wrong with the 9mm at all I suggest you revisit the Gold Cup 9mm
Good information and entertaining, the problem are not all Golt cup 1911 have acceptable levels of quality control, many people have expected superb quality from Colt only to discover later poor-quality control, when the work on Colt's so badly fitted and finished, then their reputation dwindles into the pages of history, Colt is doing itself no favors, with such poor-quality control sadly, more and more people are shown their grievances and gripes on KZread, images don't tell lies.
Thank you for this information 😎
Beautiful
I have one of these I bought earlier this year and I am very disappointed with it. Right out of the box the trigger was 6 ½ lbs, and I called them about it and they said it should be about 3 ½. I sent it back, but the "tech" claimed it should be 5 ½ lbs, but when I got it back, it was a very consistent 6 lbs...So I guess I get to go spend money on a trigger job so it'll be something besides a Government model with a wide trigger...It won't surprise me if Colt goes bankrupt again. They certainly won't ever get another penny out of me. I also hate that blacked-out front sight because I can't see it against a dark target, but there's not much you can do about it besides paint it. The base of the sight matches the width and height of that flat top feature of the slide and third-party sights do not, so they wouldn't look right on the gun. It needs a gold dot, or even a white dot.
@tylerchristel9087
8 ай бұрын
The front sight is a joke, slide to Frame fit very sloppy. Had about 4 failures in the first 100 rounds. It’s just a beautiful gun though so I put up with it
@NWeagle888
Ай бұрын
I am glad I’m not having issues like you guys. Mine shoots smooth and very accurate.
Sounds nice but Colt barely making any 1911s
8 +1 shot capacity 😮
So how do I get one.
@NWeagle888
Ай бұрын
Buy one.