Review Item: Colts MFG, Model 1870 7 1/2 Inch Peacemaker 45 Colt

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  • Trapper Jim

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    Rating - 100%
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    Dec 18, 2012
    2,676
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    Arcadia
    I love Single Action Guns. 1873. The review now has arrived on the Model P1870. Colt's Manufacturing LLC This .45 Colt is the best shooter in Single Action guns that I have ever had. I am also very fond of the .45 Colt. I even carry for personal defense once in awhile in a Sheriffs Model. I do not feel under gunned but that is a different story. The Peacemaker can be a very nice piece of equipment. Or, it can be not so nice. The journey to the guns that have made it into worth me keeping forever has been a tough one for the Colt. Understand this, the company leaves a lot to be desired for civilian sales. Sad that Remington died first as they catered to all gun owners, not just the four star generals.

    I bought my first Colt SAA from Don Lengel of Wabash. It was a 45 Convertible with an auxiliary acp cylinder. It would not shoot for crap. Not Don’s fault. First, the barrel had been screwed into the frame too far and the front sight leaned so far to the left that it made the Democrats look like Republicans. Then, as is 4 inches to the right holes on paper wasn’t bad enough, the grip frame had misfit gaps up to the receiver so bad that you could see daylight through the cracks. This was sad as the color casehardening was beautiful on this sloppily built gun. I went through 3 more trying to get a good one. One had to have a new cylinder fit as I got 3 dimensions with the 6 holes in the cylinder. I measure and check every gun over carefully before I fire it. So for many years I shot a brace of Model P1840’s Colt's Manufacturing LLC in SASS matches. They shot good enough for me and held their own with the tricked out imports and Rugers in smaller calibers. I often had to loan my short tubes out to those whose Italian lookalikes went down on them during the match so they could finish the stages. Now not many shoot real Colts in the games cause to win bragging rights you need to run them hard.

    This 7 ½ inch barrel (Calvary Model) has got the look and feel of a fine shooting machine. I remember when I first cleaned it, the cylinder bushing fell out onto the bench. I thought something had gone terribly wrong. So on the phone to Colt I held for hours waiting on CS. Finally when I got through to customer service the young man whose name I can not pronounce said something about “tankuberry muches but yew will find dis is da weigh it is sposed to be”. I must have caught him at lunch as not only did he have a heavy accent, but he sounded like he was chewing on one of my tractor tires. And this is when I could still hear! It turns out that Colt made some improvements on these guns made after 2004. They went back to an earlier hammer and hand fit the removable bushing in the cylinder. Much Gooder.

    You cannot have Classic Guns without Classic grips. The Model P Colts usually come with grips that have been ground and fit to the grip frame for a perfect grip. Hello Ruger? As each grip frame is different however, one needs to have grips fit by professionals by hand. I love different grips. Call me a crossdresser if you will but I change things up once in awhile with my grips and wood on my classic shooters. I like wood so much, even my cartridge boxes are fancy. Cubed Ammo Solutions: Walnut Wooden Ammunition Storage


    The 255/260 Grain lead is my favorite round in this piece. With 6 ½ Grains of Unique they churn out at around 750FPS. Your results may vary and I am not responsible for your handloading. Bee Careful. From a rest and of course right on target with regulated sights, I print sub 2 inch groups at 25 yards. I have shot Berrys Plated, Berry's Bullets - Plated Bullets, Reloading & Shooting Supplies (berrysmfg.com) Hornady XTP 45 Cal .452 250 gr XTP® - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc and 200 Grain Acmes 45Colt (acmebullet.com) with good result in this Hogleg. Might I say the barrel cleans up rather nicely as well after shooting all this lead.

    One thing I find nice about the original Colt SAA over some copies is the recoil shield. It is very husky on the Model P’s. If you look close many of the SAA copies do not have a recoil shield like this. Is that important for longevity? I am not sure but my friend Brian Pearce From the Hip | Handloader Magazine agrees with me.

    Now I have to admit, this gun is so much more than running through some large pieces of steel at close ranges with the CAS sports. Having said that, the accuracy and sight plane along with the dependability and various 45 Colt loads available today (well maybe not today) make this a 5 round masterpiece. I typically play gong music at 100 yards easily off hand with this thing. Very sweet. To hunt with this will find it loaded with 260 premium bullets flying at 850fps. Very good energy at less than Magnum recoil.

    The country is a little crazy these days and the older I get, the more I notice that many of my colleagues and friends have either passed or knockin on heavens door. I miss and cherish the many rounds we spent together and the many shooters who have left the range. All in all I love shooting my Colts as it feels like I am holding American history in my hands. History that many of us have cherished first hand. History that is constantly being erased or fading out. I am not sure what the next 148 years will be like but for my travels, these Colts are old friends.
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