Dad's 45 - Series 70 Colt Government Model

[drobs]

Dad was salesman for an aluminum foil company. He had a sales route that saw him driving to visit customers in the Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. At some point he got into a fender bender back in the 1970's with a road raging idiot. Guy threatened him with a tire iron. Dad sped off but was a little freaked out by it. He did some research and bought this pistol plus a 12 gauge pump shotgun with bulk ammo to go with both guns. FMJ for the Colt and 00Buck for the 12 gauge. He also put a year or more worth of canned freeze dried survival food under our basement steps.   

Mom tells me a story of how on one Halloween night she answered a knock at the front door and was expecting children trick or treating. Instead she found a huge black guy who started coming in the house. She yelled out to my Dad:

TOM! Get your gun I need help!!

Dad came out of the bedroom with his Colt Series 70 45 which he kept loaded "cocked and locked" and said:

"Get the hell out of my house!"

The Dude saw the gun, turned right around, and got out of there quick. 


Dad passed away when I was 12. A good family friend taught me to hunt and shoot plus stored this gun for me till I was 21 and legally able to possess it in Illinois with a FOID card. I inherited it bone stock with the cardboard box and all the paperwork including original receipt.

In the 1990's when I was in my 20's, I of course, ruined all it's collectable value by having a bunch of custom work done to it. Had the following added: Kings beaver tail grip safety, Kings ambi-safety, Videcki Speed Trigger, taller dovetailed sights, lowered and flare ejection port, polished and throated barrel, custom cut hammer bead blasted to match the color of the trigger, a insanely LIGHT trigger job, and the whole thing reblued. I later on added the non-matching color Wilson bullet proof slide stop and shot the heck out of it.

I've retired it to the gun safe for the past 10 years and shoot once in awhile. It currently has hammer follow and I'll probably replace the hammer with a commander hammer some time in the next couple of years.

[Len]

Good story, thanks for sharing

[valforgettaboutit]

Good story and a great looking pistol

[drobs]

Thanks gents.

[G Dog]

That’s a lovely piece, drobs.  I love those things, no exaggeration, and no jive.  A Combat Commander version of that bad boy has been my cool weather concealed carry arm since I was 23, no mods.  Got it new, way back in the day.  I swear by those things.  Mine has seen action from Tegucigalpa to Vancouver and in Tucson, once.  It’s one of the best friends I ever had, maybe the best.  And that’s all I have to say about that. 

I’m very partial to those and yours is a beauty.  Good post. 

[One inch stolen Nike across the threshold and I'd a greased that trickertreatn’ chimp, no problems, no regrets.  But that‘s just me and drobs dad may have done the correct thing at the time, probably did.]

[Captainkirk]

That is one FINE looker, Drobs!

[ssb73q]

Hi drobs, nice 1911. Any handgun with a pony on it is always nice.

I bobbed the hammer of my Colt 1911 to prevent hand web biting, see:



I tried a commander hammer on this 1911 and didn't like it.

Regards,
Richard

[drobs]

Nice looking Colt Richard.
I bobbed the hammer on my Rock Island GI 45 and have been considering doing the same on my pair of Israeli surplus FN Hi Powers.
I was thinking I'd add a Commander hammer to the Colt just to bring it in to the modern day as far as looks.

[mazo kid]

Very nice! My gun was purchased used; I think it was built from parts for competition shooting as it has a NM barrel, and mis-matched numbers. BUT....the price was right!!  Also had the grip safety disconnected. I put that back into use  because of possible legal issues if I had to use the gun for anything serious.

[Hawg]

Nice gun Drobs.

[drobs]

Thanks gents.


I mostly carry plastic (Block or Ruger) or one of my FN Hi Powers these days.