Colt "Night Officer's" Model

[BillCA]

I spotted a Colt in the display case today and it turned out to be an interesting gun (to me). I've put some money down on it so it doesn't walk off.

Colt "Night Officer's" Model - S/N 0N01xx - One of 300 created for Lew Horton by Colt in 1993. The gun consists of a matte black Commander frame onto which is mated a matte black Officer's Model upper (Slide & Barrel w/bushing), topped with night sights. Has a beavertail safety, extended thumb safety, Houge wraparound finger groove grips. Balances nicely in the hand. Gun appears to be "low mileage".

This is about as close as I've seen to a "Defender" model in blue, but with the traditional sized grip.

Can anyone tell me anything else about this gun? Shootability? Reliability? Ammo preferences?

Thanks,

 

[Dfariswheel]

Colt went through a period in the late 80's and through the 1990's when they turned out a bewildering number of limited production firearms, most based on the 1911.
A number of these were made for Lew Horton.

Like most of the limited production guns, the Night Officer's Model is just a standard Officer's ACP with some cosmetic changes.

Shoot-ability and reliability are the same as the Officer's ACP....excellent.
The shorter, smaller gun does have more recoil than a Government model or Commander, but it's not out of hand.

Reliability is almost always excellent, but I'd recommend replacing the recoil springs ASAP, since you have no idea how much the gun has been shot, or the actual condition of the springs.

I recommend FACTORY spec springs, since using non-spec springs often causes problems, especially in the "mini-1911" Officer's Model.

I'd also check the magazine springs for possible after-market replacements that might cause problems.
Some of the original Officer's ACP guns have had the 6 round magazines re-fitted with 7 shot conversions that often cause problems.

Ammo is strictly a matter of personal preference, but I'd strongly recommend trying a variety of brands/types of ammo to find one your specific gun "likes".
Most Officer's Models seem to do best with 230 grain standard load ammo.

 

[BillCA]

Dfariswheel,

Thanks for for the good run down! For what it's worth, this is a Commander frame gun with a special Night Officer's serial number and a standard Colt magazine swapped from a Commander fits perfectly. (One of the reasons that it piqued my interest).

I'll have to see if Colt has recoil springs available or what the spec # rating is supposed to be in case I have to go with Wolff springs. I'll post pics once I complete the deal on this one.

I'll also shake it out at the range and provide a report on how it compares to a Spingfield Champion 4.25". The preferred round for the Springer is Federal 230gr Hydrashok. Hopefully they'll share that.

 

[Dfariswheel]

Sorry, I just forgot this was a version with the Commander length frame.

The Officer's ACP has two recoil springs, with a total factory weight of 22 lbs, average.

You can go to a 24 pound spring set for hotter hard ball ammo.

 

[ohdsmith]

Colt Night Officer

Mine was a Hard Chrome finish (quite nice) ... A Colt Night Officer / Commander HOLSTER is listed on eBay...