Better than a Gold Cup

[10x]

Has anyone found a 45 ACP that is more accurate than a Series 70 Colt Gold Cup?
i.e. H&K, M&P, XD ?
I am thinking of going in a different direction from my Colts, especially, since I am seeing staggering asking prices for Gold Cups.

[henpecked]

springfield range officer

[CO-Exprs]

No way! You have to get into really high end 1911s to get anything more accurate than your old Gold Cups. Was at the range recently. A older gentleman did me the honor of letting me run his 30yr old Gold Cup and it shot every bit as well as my Les Baer. Old Gold Cups get way more cool kid points than any of the new 1911's also. I'm a Wilson snob and I still marvel when old Colts come out of range bags. New Colts suck, but old Colts are way cool and old Gold Cups are just about the pinnacle, at least for me. Don't know why Colt had to mess with a good thing. All things in nature migrate back to the mean. At that center lie 1911s, SW revolvers and (sigh) Glocks. If you sell the old Gold Cups, I promise you... you will regret it some day. My dad had one when he was a young man. He sold it before I was born and I regret it. Don't make your kids mourn the loss of your Gold Cups.

[BPTactical]

HK Elite.

[ScooterCO]

"Don't make your kids mourn the loss of your Gold Cups."
or reenact Platoon with Charley Sheen...

[10x]

A review I just read on the Range Officer stated 1.81" groups at 25 yards. My Gold Cups will do better than that. I really was thinking of something other than another 1911. From the above comments, I may not sell the GCs and just add something else, if it has better accuracy.

I have no kids to pass them on to, but they do appreciate better than stocks or CDs, so, maybe I will hang on to them.

[CO-Exprs]

Go to a Bullseye or serious Bianchi some time. Take a look at what they are shooting. The only guys shooting Springfields are factory sponsored and no one will be shooting a tupperware gun. Not that tupperware is bad, but if you are concerned with accuracy, there simply isn't anything to compete with a well made 1911. Old Gold Cups are still the measuring stick for what is considered a well made 1911 and nearly all of today's prominant 1911 builders cut thier teeth working on old Colts and learned most of what they learned from the Gold Cups. There are better guns, but they usually carry a name like Heinie, NightHawk, Wilson or Luke Volkman. Check the back log. Nighthawk and Volkman Precision are back ordered about 2 years and Heinie is back ordered till the grave. Any one of the guys on those back ordered lists would tell you to hang on to those Gold Cups. When you're too old to shoot them any more and they need a home, give me a call. I'll try to scrounge up the funds to take one off your hands.

[SA Friday]

What do you need more accuracy for? I mean, I know a guy that makes 1911's with specialized iron sights that shoots accurately with ball ammo out to around 4-500 yds... Or, if you are just shooting normal type pistol activities, you could just keep them and run them like you stole them.

I'm just not sure what the goal of the reasoning is here.

[spyder]

HK Elite.
The Tactical and the Expert also. At least from a ransom rest...

[DFBrews]

The Tactical and the Expert also. At least from a ransom rest...

that is what you do down there... take people off the highway hold them for ransom. it all makes sense now[LOL]

[SNAFU]

My Colt MKV 70,,not a Gold Cup,,but damn close after all the work on it.
Will take the X ring out at 25yd

[10x]

My Gold Cups and I (so far) are X ring capable as well. Isn't is a tribute to Browning's genius that 100 years later the 1911 is still "the standard."

I will try to take a look at the H&Ks.

[gcrookston]

The HK Tactical, Expert and Elite are more accurate, but their match trigger cannot compare to a well tuned GCNM. One can spend about $1,500 and have a 1911 built that will out-shoot a GCNM.

I also prefer the pre-series 70 GC to the later ones

Any of these are more accurate than a GC 70

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj19/gcrookston/DSC00048.jpg

[10x]

I also prefer the pre Series 70 to the Series 70 or 80, but finding them at a sensible price is the problem.

[Nivek]

What are the differences between the pre 70 series and the newer 70 and 80?

[spqrzilla]

The main addition to the Series 70 was a springlike four finger barrel bushing. It was supposed to be more accurate since it did with a spring action what had been done with hand fitting. Instead, it just created another point of failure (mine broke about 2500 rounds).

The Series 80 introduced a firing pin block that worked using a pivot and a cylindrical firing pin block located in the slide. Pressing the trigger moved the lever arm to lift the firing pin block to clear the firing pin. Its purpose was to prevent an AD if dropped on the muzzle allowing the inertial firing pin to fly forward. A rare occurance in reality. It resulted in a crappier trigger pull.

[Nivek]

Thanks for the explaination for spqrzilla. Not to be needy, but I would like to know more. Is the series 80 firing pin block a Colt specific design or is it the current 1911 platform? I love 1911's. So is my Kimber ultra carry II a 80 serise?

[islandermyk]

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/brutaltlr/HKMK23touched.jpg

^This [Tooth]

[jmg8550]

Go to a Bullseye or serious Bianchi some time. Take a look at what they are shooting. The only guys shooting Springfields are factory sponsored and no one will be shooting a tupperware gun. Not that tupperware is bad, but if you are concerned with accuracy, there simply isn't anything to compete with a well made 1911. Old Gold Cups are still the measuring stick for what is considered a well made 1911 and nearly all of today's prominant 1911 builders cut thier teeth working on old Colts and learned most of what they learned from the Gold Cups. There are better guns, but they usually carry a name like Heinie, NightHawk, Wilson or Luke Volkman. Check the back log. Nighthawk and Volkman Precision are back ordered about 2 years and Heinie is back ordered till the grave. Any one of the guys on those back ordered lists would tell you to hang on to those Gold Cups. When you're too old to shoot them any more and they need a home, give me a call. I'll try to scrounge up the funds to take one off your hands.

A friend of mine is the Colorado NRA Bullseye champion, he doesn't shoot a Gold Cup. In fact, one of his pistols has a NORINCO frame. Not everyone that is in the higher ranks shoots Gold Cups. He is also #1 in some of the surrounding states.

I would put my Springfield Operator against a Gold Cup any day of the week. I watched a guy shoot one ragged hole, barely bigger than the bullet diameter at 25 yards with it. I wouldn't be doing the shooting though, I'm not that good.

[spqrzilla]

Thanks for the explaination for spqrzilla. Not to be needy, but I would like to know more. Is the series 80 firing pin block a Colt specific design or is it the current 1911 platform? I love 1911's. So is my Kimber ultra carry II a 80 serise?

There are a couple of different versions of the firing pin block out there. I think Kimber uses a different version that means different internals than the Colt design. I think your Kimber has it (the "II" designation ). Pull off the top end and look at the slide and frame and see if it matches this:

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/Kimber_SII_FPB.htm

[Nivek]

Right On! Thanks for the info and the link.

[spyder]

Thanks for the explaination for spqrzilla. Not to be needy, but I would like to know more. Is the series 80 firing pin block a Colt specific design or is it the current 1911 platform? I love 1911's. So is my Kimber ultra carry II a 80 serise?
A lot of guns use the block. Hk uses their own version. They are all a different design, but work in the same way: trigger moves it out of the way. If you don't like the trigger with one installed, remove it, or make the spring for it lighter. They are also there in case the one of the sears break.

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/brutaltlr/HKMK23touched.jpg (http://http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/brutaltlr/HKMK23touched.jpg)

^This [Tooth]
That's just cheating...

[spqrzilla]

My own recollection is that the Colt Gold Cup's were OK, but not great. They were just better in accuracy than the contemporary Government models. The Gold Cup's revolver style rear sight was a bit fragile and had a tendency to break off its roll pin.