Code 3 Classic

I have long been a fan of the traditional styled 1911 with the spur hammer and GI grip safety, with its classic lines and old school style. One of my earliest favorites was the Colt Combat Government, Colt's 1983 vintage attempt to meet the demands of the then-new and burgeoning IPSC competition market. With high profile sights, a beveled magazine well, flat MSH, long trigger, lowered ejection port, and grooved front strap, it was a big step forward in early 1980's production guns.

However, we all know that such a format is not always a great time at the range in regards to hammer bite and the razor sharp edges typical of many Colts. Back when I used to build guns to customer order, I had a package called the Code 3. This package, named after the common designation for running lights and sirens in an emergency vehicle, was my express package - all function, no filler. I still don't do work to customer order (sorry...), but I did want to revive the concept.

The gun you see here marries the Code 3 package concept with the retro styling of the GI styled gun, yielding a setup that truly is "everything you need, and nothing you don't." While it is a less extensive build than my typical guns, it still gets all of the attention to detail as every other gun that crosses my bench.

Here's the build list:

• Colt Series 80, new production/new rollmark, stainless, 5" .45
• 10-8 NM Rear Sight with brass bead front, dovetail/roll pin install
• 10-8 mag catch with new mag catch scoop grips, grey/black G10
• 10-8 long curved trigger with premium sear/hammer and 4 lb trigger job, Series 80 components intact
• 10-8 slide stop, bushing, spring plug
• Wolff 17 lb recoil, 19 lb main, XP firing pin springs
• Caspian bar stock firing pin stop and extractor
• Brown stainless mainspring housing, 20lpi checkered
• EGW bar stock thumb safety, strong side only
• All edges thoroughly recontoured/dehorned
• All machine marks polished out
• Full reliability workover and test fire
• Matte blasted frame and slide with polished slide flats 

The magazine well is beveled and all of the edges and corners at the bottom of the frame are gently dehorned to avoid pinching or cutting your fingers during reloads.

The barrel is recessed and crowned to work in conjunction with my custom bushing and concave spring plug.

The National Match rear sight marries a .140" wide U notch with a brass bead insert front sight for a classic styled sight picture with modern efficiency. The front sight is dovetailed and roll pinned in place.

A very subtle but important series of modifications can be seen below. The Code 3 Classic (on left, with a relatively stock Series 70 on right) has a bobbed hammer to eliminate hammer bite. The grip safety tang has also been cut to remove the downward protrusion, which improves the feel in the hand. The rear edges of the frame tangs are also dehorned to improve comfort. It's not quite a beavertail, but provides many of the ergonomic benefits while retaining the classic look. These mods are also less labor intensive, which lets me put this pistol out at a much lower price point.

 
This extremely comprehensive but cost effective rebuild addresses all of the weak points of the base gun without compromising the classic style, and is ready for the range or the street. This particular example sold very quickly, but look for a few more of these to be completed before year's end. They are posted for sale only via our email newsletter, so please sign up if you are interested.