Series 70 Gold Cup vs. Range Officer

Have a chance to buy a 90% Series 70 Gold Cup stock 90% condition for $1,100. Do you think that is the best way to go for a beginner gun to later upgrade and eventually put a dot on it or get a RO? I have been shooting a friends RO and like it.

Old Gold Cups are nice.  I wouldn't be able to guess if this particular gold cup would deliver the same accuracy as any random RO, but when it comes down to it, the RO is a good entry level production grade match gun while a Colt is premium finish and also a production grade match gun. 

Is it worth the extra $350 for the extra "nice" factor?  That's a matter of taste.

Certain years of Gold Cups are showing collectability.  When you are ready to drill the gun for the mount, are you going to be comfortable doing that?

For your first 1911, buy the one that speaks to you.  They just aren't another inanimate object.

From a gunsmithing perspective I wouldn't get the Series 70 pistols. Most of them have the barrel lugs in the slide machined off center and the frame to slide fit is extremely loose. The steel used is softer and won't last as long from a wear point of view. Granted there are some nice ones out there, but I would opt for a newer base gun for a bullseye pistol. having built some RO I prefer them over the older Colts; modern machining and better tolerances.
Just my 2 cents.

Jon

I think that if you poll the upper crust shooters and gunsmiths, you'll find that they will all agree with Jon Eulette.  In the 70's, the Gold Cup could still be competitive to a degree, but not to the 1 1/2" Ransom Rest standard that is commonplace today.  For the money spent on a Gold Cup, one could purchase a very fine used 1911 that has already been tuned and mount attached.

Jon Eulette wrote:From a gunsmithing perspective I wouldn't get the Series 70 pistols. Most of them have the barrel lugs in the slide machined off center and the frame to slide fit is extremely loose. The steel used is softer and won't last as long from a wear point of view. Granted there are some nice ones out there, but I would opt for a newer base gun for a bullseye pistol. having built some RO I prefer them over the older Colts; modern machining and better tolerances.
Just my 2 cents.

Jon

+1 on what Jon said.  I would take the RO over an old Colt every day and twice on Sunday.  Colt's QC was all over the map in the day and you would be starting at the bottom of the hill to get your gun built into something you'll like.  And the "rib" on the Gold Cup slide makes it a bit more difficult to put a slide mount on for a dot.

Just my .02

I had a Gold Cup I purchased new in the mid 70s. It had the colt split barrel bushing which, unlike the normal solid barrel bushing, had I believe 4 split fingers that were spring loaded to bear against the barrel which were supposed to maintain the barrel position similiar to what the normal barrel bushing would. If this is what you have then I would not recommend this gun but rather go to the springfield range officer.I used this Colt Gold Cup in Bullseye competition back then and it did not shoot well. I finally sent it to Don Nygord for  accurizing where Don discarded the factory split bushing and installed a solid one. After that this gun would easily shoot less than 3 inches at 50 yards which is far better than the Colt original version.

I now shoot an RO and I am very happy with it. Recommend you go with the RO.

The 70 series Gold Cups are pretty, but my experience is that they are all show and no go. In the mid 70's, I was noticing that my shots at 50 yards weren't on call when I was a Sharpshooter. In effect, I was shooting better than the gun. I had a problem with mine at a match and Army National Guard Shooter Ken Buster loaned me his backup gun while the National Guard pistolsmith worked on my pistol. They affirmed what I already suspected, the Gold Cup wasn't cutting it for bullseye pistol shooting. I sold my series 70 GC and a couple of other pistols and ordered a Clark Heavy Slide, which I still have. I have no personal experience with the Range Officer, but have heard that for the most part (there are lemons) it is an accurate out of the box pistol that is ready for a 2700 after a trigger job.

I have a very go shooting 70 I was going to get ready for bullseye but after doing a little research I put it back in the safe and ended up with a new Les Baer wadcutter that was available.  All the feedback was the same as you are getting here. - go with the RO you won't regret it.  I would have gone the RO route too but the LB was in my hands and I just couldn't let it go LOL!

For 250.00 more you could have a true tack driver that will deliver less than 1.4'' groups @ 50 yards, you wont get that with either the GC or the RO plus its ready to compete with Dot.
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2643-wts-jack-maples-45-bullseye-wad-gun-reduced

DavidR wrote:For 250.00 more you could have a true tack driver that will deliver less than 1.4'' groups @ 50 yards, you wont get that with either the GC or the RO plus its ready to compete with Dot.
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2643-wts-jack-maples-45-bullseye-wad-gun-reduced

+1!!!  That would be the best possible deal you could make right now.  Ready to go out of the box.

DavidR wrote:For 250.00 more you could have a true tack driver that will deliver less than 1.4'' groups @ 50 yards, you wont get that with either the GC or the RO plus its ready to compete with Dot.
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2643-wts-jack-maples-45-bullseye-wad-gun-reduced

I saw some Range Officers at a gunshop this past Tuesday for less than $800.00. Jackie built some great guns for a fair price. The only thing I wouldn't personally care for in this example is the series 80 trigger.

Price and gunsmithing-wise, the Range Officer is a better starting point for a bullseye or hardball gun.

BE Mike wrote:

DavidR wrote:For 250.00 more you could have a true tack driver that will deliver less than 1.4'' groups @ 50 yards, you wont get that with either the GC or the RO plus its ready to compete with Dot.
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t2643-wts-jack-maples-45-bullseye-wad-gun-reduced

I saw some Range Officers at a gunshop this past Tuesday for less than $800.00. Jackie built some great guns for a fair price. The only thing I wouldn't personally care for in this example is the series 80 trigger.

Ive had a lot of good triggers but this one feels like butter when you dry fire it and it still has the 80 S parts in place.

Gold Cups with the prefix 70Nxxxxx are the better guns for top accuracy right out of the box for Bullseye.  About 3" at 50 yards for me.

DavidR wrote:

Ive had a lot of good triggers but this one feels like butter when you dry fire it and it still has the 80 S parts in place.

If you can spend the $$ now the Maples is a good buy.

I've had a Giles Colt HB, com 300xxx, since '73 when it was bought needing work. Re barreled w/a Kart it was tightened 3 more times. The trigger was never touched and the Maples shouldn't need it either. Blued the last time, it's work done, it rests safe.  

The Maples should last for a career w/a couple of minimal reworks.

Ron Habegger