[RED]

Hello, everyone I'm new to this forum but have been lurking a little (maybe a whole lot). I currently have 2 Colt Officers ACP, both fine pistols. I decided to trade off one of my plastic Glocks for a Defender. I was forced to do this by my overpowering urge to own nothing but Colt auto pistols. I may have missed somethings on this forum about Defenders, what I want to know is what types of upgrades to you recommend for it? I know for sure the trigger has to go but what would be a good substitute? I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet but will try to get out this weekend. I use my Officers ACP for CCW but would like to use the Defender for that purpose.

 

[DaStray]

First thing I did was to have it "dehorned" as the edges of the slide were too sharp. I feel that Colt should`ve done this anyway and have heard that it`s now done by the factory. As far as the trigger goes, it`s all about preference. While it is plastic, that does not impair functioning in the least and I haven`t heard anything about breakage problems.
I`ve also installed some "Ultra-Thin" grips for it which decreased the width of the grip considerably more than I expected. You also have to change out the factory bushings too but this isn`t much of a problem. The thin grips are definitely something to look in to as is the dehorning if not already done by the factory. Enjoy your Defender, it`s a nice gun.

 

[E the B]

Check this link for some great pictures of Defender customs:
http://www3.wargameclub.com/gun-folder/defender.htm



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The Humongously Adventuresome * E the B *

 

[E the B]

Yesterday I saw a nice Defender at a Cincinnati gun shop. It had a Smith & Alexander mag well added which gave the handle a little extra length (+/-), highly polished slide, black coated frame, nice wooden grips, wilson mag. A real looker, for sure. $899.

I know the added handle length hurts concealment, but I liked its feel in my hand. The overall handle length was a little shorter than a Commander.

EtB

[This message has been edited by E the B (edited 11-15-2001).]

 

[ishootblanks]

Thanks E the B for the great Defender pics.

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If it wasn't for the NRA, the second ammendment would already be gone!

 

[RED]

What about the factory mags. are they Ok or do I need to replace them? The one thing that I can always count on with my Officers ACP is it is reliable and shoots everytime. Any type of feed problems I should be aware of with the Defender.

 

[col132]

What upgrades? None.

 

[RED]

Thanks for you help! I'll take it out this weekend and see how it shoots.

 

[DaStray]

The factory mag works fine in my Defender. I also picked up a Chip McCormick Mag which works equally as well. I`ve heard that Wilson mags are the best and will pick some up in the near future.

 

[Paveway]

Originally posted by E the B:
Check this link for some great pictures of Defender customs:
http://www3.wargameclub.com/gun-folder/defender.htm

Hey, wait a ding dang minute! Where can you buy these??????? I drooled when I saw the combat elite looking setup with the wooden palo alto style grips!

 

[Grey]

Those Defender customs are nice. Too bad they are airsoft guns. Good Ideas though.

 

[E the B]

If you can dream 'em, you can do 'em.

All of those finishes and parts are on the market.

All it takes is time & money.

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The Humongously Adventuresome * E the B *

[This message has been edited by E the B (edited 11-28-2001).]

 

[RED]

I finally got out and shot the new Defender and was really pleased with it. The only problem I had was the white dot came off of the front sight blade and was gone forever. The gun shot flawlessly with 230 grain hardball ammo. It was very accurate and felt very nice. I may need to replace the grip but that will come later. Is there a better sight that I can have installed?

 

[GCT00427]

I love my Defender. It has been my most carried gun. It is accurate, very dependable and easy to carry in a Galco Concealable holster. I recently replaced the mainspring housing and trigger but it was personal preference and not necessity as it works fine in stock form. I used a Wilson msh and a Chip McCormic trigger and both work very well. While I had it apart, I polished the trigger rails, sear, and disconnector with metal polish for an even nicer trigger (which was far from bad from the factory). Really couldn't be happier with the gun. Took it to the range and it did great. Something else I did when I first got the gun was break the sharp edges with a small file that I have. If you take your time and use a stone or file you can do this and not hurt the finish. I just decided that it was my carry gun and would probably get dinged up a little anyway so I didn't have much to lose. It ended up turning out nicely and still looks as new. Good luck on your Defender purchase. I hope that your experience will be as good as mine.

Chuck

 

[Ken Neal]

Stick with the Defender, its a darn good gun. I have not done much in the way of upgrades, just a trigger replacement and that is all. I added several Chip McCormick mags and each one works quite well, the Wilsons are over rated and over priced and I dont like the plastic follower that Wilson uses.