I see them on Gunbroker all the time. Overpriced and look like they've been dragged down a gravel road, but they're there.

I've owned a couple of the Government Models for brief periods, but the only one that stuck around is this Commander. I got it for a really good price and it shoots even better than it looks.

 

From what I remember, and my memory is fuzzy... that era of Colt wasn't very good? or was it just the 1991A1? I remember them being rough and they would be rusty sitting in the dealer's case. One of Colt's bad ideas of that era... not the worst. Not Double Eagle or All American bad, but bad

 

Colt's low point was the late 1980s to early 1990s time frame. The M1991A1 was no better or worse than the others quality-wise, but to many people they looked ugly. That huge cheesy rollmark didn't do it any favors either. On top of that the grips used on the first ones were made of a brittle hard plastic that easily cracked. Having said that however, personally I liked them, ugly rollmark notwithstanding. For many years they were the only option for anyone wanting a mil-spec Colt 1911 without all the even uglier features of the so-called "Enhanced" guns.

Whit, if I ever have to let that Commander go I'll keep you in mind, but it's not likely going anywhere anytime soon. It's the only Commander I ever owned that shot good enough for me to want to keep it. All the others were either unreliable or else I could never get them to shoot worth a damn.

 

There are recent reissues of that model. Talo had a bunch. I picked one up a few months ago.
Beautiful gun and great shooter.

 

Definitely like the newer version much better.
Hate billboard lettering on any gun.
That finish wore off easy too

 

DSK, anytime you want to thin out your collection I’ll take take that Commander to replace the one I mistakenly got rid of. I would venture to say they may have all shot better than they looked. Not the smoothest, prettiest finish around, but as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I recently posted this photo of mine in the photo thread, hope there is no issue posting it again here:

 

Well DSK, doesn’t sound like I’m going to get that Commander anytime soon! Like you, I kind of liked that series of pistols, except for the lack of a prancing pony on them.

That said, the parkerized ones, in my view, were more pleasing to the eye than the stainless versions. Personally, I just could not warm up to the stainless “finish”. The samples I handled seemed to be very rough to the touch. I had one and quickly traded it off for something. The trade took place with a dealer at a gun show. Sometime later I received a telephone call from the ATF inquiring if I was the owner of the pistol. It had been used in the commission of a crime and the bureau was tracking it’s journey to a life of crime. Fortunately I knew the dealer’s name and provided them with his information.

Yes, it was a legitimate ATF agent. I didn’t talk to them when they called me. I called the ATF to affirm who I was speaking with before providing any info (being former LEO, I’m by nature suspicious). I had purchased the pistol through an FFL dealer. Somehow they tracked it from the factory to the retail outlet to me. Still don’t know what kind of crime the pistol “committed”. Kind of hijacked my own thread!

 

I had the stainless version bought in 1995. Paid $500 new....it was between that and a Glock 17. I loved that thing. Kicking myself for selling it off in 2009.

 

Some years ago a friend bet me I could not find any Colt I would want to own in a gun store for less than $500. It took me into a lot of gun stores I had never been in and several of those I am not going to return to. Anyway I did find a Commander which Colt said was made in 1991. It had some interesting naked lady grips on it I sold to a kid in the gun store for $30. It also had a SS FLGR which I sold to a friend for $30. I put some grips from the old Ajax Co. on it and a regular guide rod and plug. It had a non metal arched MSH which I replaced with a flat non metal MSH back when you could get them for about $10 from Colt. Anyway still have less than $500 in it. I was thinking of flipping it but it really shoots well so I have kept it in my shooty collection.

 

I briefly owned a stainless 1991 with the old rollmark when I was desperate for a pre-Enhanced style stainless Colt 1911. I wanted to polish the flats for that pre-Enhanced look, but those things were so coarsely sandblasted that it took a long time to get the slide flats down to a brushed finish. I was unable to properly brush-finish the frame as the serial number was dot-matrix applied, and it started to get pretty thin even though I still hadn't managed to polish out the pits from the sandblasting. And so I just re-blasted the whole thing and sold it.

Unfortunately the Commanders and Officers ACP versions (called the Compact) are a lot harder to find than the Government-sized ones, so I can understand your frustration in finding a Commander. They are out there, just not in large quantity.

 

The newer versions still have the large trademark rollmark. Not a big deal. I like it.

 

The last version looks like this:

 

This is the only 1991 I have left. Upgraded a few things, hope the pic works. I love this gun

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VsRm6tKYvFRgQ1an8

 

Love mine. Never bothered my about billboard roll marks, can't see them when shooting it, and it doesn't effect accuracy one bit. Mine is very accurate, gobbles anything and everything. Only thing I've changed are the grips.

 

Nice, I see you're even still rocking the original plastic trigger. As weird as it may sound, I actually like the look and feel of the plastic triggers and still use them in a couple of my guns, including my Commander shown above.

 

Plastic trigger? ok I guess. It's all original cept the wood grips, goes bang every time. Never felt the need to change anything else.

 

I still have mine that my Dad helped me get back in 1997. Colt had a deal for NRA instructors where they could purchase a gun from the factory. He picked one up for me.

I was looking at selling it until I came across the bill of sale to my father the other day. The gun cost $307 shipped from the factory. I remembered the “long” wait to get my very first 1911. I lost my Dad about 3 years later. The gun looks almost brand new still. It just sets in my safe waiting to be shot, so maybe I will pass it on to my son someday. I no longer plan on parting with it.

So maybe tomorrow I will take her out again and put some rounds down range. My sone is turning 14 in a few weeks and will be getting his first 1911, of course it’s just a GSG, but at least I am getting him started in the right direction.

 

That pistol is worth 100x more to you than the next guy, so shoot the snot out of it and enjoy it.

 

My first 1911 was a 1991A1 Stainless that I bought new in 1996. I had some customizing done to it. The other is a park'd one that I got used a year or two ago. It is stock minus the trigger, mag release, grips, and MSH. I wanted to give it a USGI look.

 

Overpriced and look like they've been dragged down a gravel road, but they're there.

Well , that model was meant to be carried and used hard. Better a durable yet inexpensive finish for an economy priced working gun than the fine finish Colt's are known for. Get a few beauty marks on that mirror-like Colt blue and :bawling:!

 

I have a Series 80 from 1989 that is one of my favorite handguns. Aside from the slide/frame fit being very loose it is very well-made and the polishing on the flats is gorgeous. Regrettably I did some custom work on it when I was in my early 20s, and now wish I had simply left it alone. I wanted another one just like it and finally saw one for sale at a local Cabelas. The serial number was only a couple thousand off from mine. Unfortunately it was about the worst example of Colt quality I had ever seen, with very rough polishing and several noticeable machining flaws. Apparently my pistol had been made on a Friday when the workers were in a good mood about the coming weekend, and the Cabelas one was made on a Monday when everybody showed up for work with a bad hangover.

 

It came out as a Low frills gun and Sold for $500 - $600 range.
It was a great gun at that price point.

Now when they show up for sale the asking price is usually around $800.
At that price you can buy a new Colt with a nicer finish.

Don't really understand why these command a price that high.

You would figure if it sold for $500 new it should go for about $300 used?

 

When they first came out that $500 was in 1991 dollars, which by the way is $947.56 in today's dollars! As the years went by the price did go up on these, and Colt finally threw in the towel and came out with the new-rollmark guns with the polished flats and wood grips to help justify the price. At that point the 1991 ceased to be a "budget" offering and simply became Colt's flagship product.

I personally would not pay more than $600 for an old-rollmark M1991A1, decent pistols as they are. New and used new-rollmark 1991s and Colt Classics can easily be had for $800 or less, and who wouldn't want the one with a nicer finish and improved quality control over the past 10-15 years?

 

I have two 5" M1991s - one a .45 (a favorite carry gun) and a recent find, in Super .38. I happen to LIKE the military look, the rollmarks don't bother me and both of these guns are well fitted w/o any cosmetic issues I can see, despite their "vintage".

The Super in particular is very nicely made, square, straight, no mistakes - with just enough slide/frame play to keep me happy - I don't own or Want ANY "Tight slide" 1911s - I know better, as did John Moses Browning.

Particularly w/the Super .38 - it has a 9MM Colt barrel and I may get a 9x23 barrel (although I am told if your Super will chamber 9x23, it will shoot it fine), I prefer Carbon Steel to Stainless by a small margin - it is harder metal and will wear longer than Stainless, should help with higher pressures in preventing wear. CC

 

I bought this one soon after they were released. I've since done some mods to it. Big brother is above.

 

Gunbroker auction,
866832357.
Very nice,
for $500 starting bid.

 

I agree that looks like a pretty clean one. Used, but not abused. I might mention that the earlier ones had a standard GI-spec blued barrel in them. Sometime around 1998 they switched to a stainless barrel, even in the carbon steel guns. Problem is the new stainless barrel uses the narrow Gold Cup-style barrel hood and slide cutout, which while functionally fine is something I really dislike. Unfortunately all the 1991 models made after that have used the narrow-hood barrel, along with the new Classic. Again, it's a non-issue function-wise, but I just hate the fact that a standard GI M1911 barrel will no longer drop in without modification.

 

I like it better with the finish roughed-up. This one actually came from Colt with the fitted beavertail and ambi-safety (Gov. Limited Class). I added the sights and grips.

 

I don't own one of these, but seeing them always makes me want one. For some perverse reason unknown to me, a "GI style" idiot scratch on these M1991A1's doesn't bother me a bit!:biglaugh:

Very much enjoying the pictures and stories. I'm kicking myself (now) for not buying one (or several) when I'd see them used in the late '90's for $400 pretty regularly.:bawling: