Colt Lightweight Commander

nashflash

February 20, 2003 11:34

I purchased a Colt Lightweight Commander in 45 cal. today . I was told by my buddy who owns the gun shop that he called Colt with the serial number CLW041XXX and that they said it was made in 1979. It has a polished finish and I cannot find a blemish on it anywhere. It looks brand new but my question is what series is this. It doesn't say anywhere on the gun. Thanks for any help.
nashflash

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  nashflash

  February 20, 2003 11:34

  Would anyone have a way of finding out approximately what year a Colt LW Commander was made. I inherited a pre-70 series LW Commander from my father and it's in really nice shape, but I cannot find any info on Colt Commander birth dates. Serial # is 51585 LW.
  I appreciate anyone's input! Thanks in advance. Shalen [:D]

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  Ampersand

  February 20, 2003 11:45

  If I am reading the chart in Wilson's book right, 1979 does sound like the date it was made. I think that the Commander models never were called a series model like the Government Models were. If I remember right, the LW Commanders never used the barrel bushing with the "fingers" and this was the main difference in the Series 70. I might be wrong, but I think the Commanders have always just been called Commander.
  
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  nashflash

  February 20, 2003 11:50

  Thanks alot Ampersand. Iappreciate it.
  nashflash

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  Xracer

  February 21, 2003 05:27

  The pre-Series 70 Commanders had an "LW" suffex on the serial #.
  
  The Series 70s had a "CLW" prefix to the serial #.
  
  The original Commander series had an alloy frame. When Colt came out with a steel frame version, they called it the Combat Commander.
  
  Technically, I suppose you should call the lightweight version the "Commander".....but most people add the "Lightweight" just so there's no question of which is which.

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  JudgeColt

  February 22, 2003 06:59

  Because the Commander (or Combat Commander or Super) was never offered with the Series 70 changes (collett bushing), the Series 70/Mark IV designation was never actually applied to the Commander (or Combat Commander or Super).
  
  Commander was the original 1950 name for the alloy-frame, shortened-slide version of the Government Model. The steel-frame Combat Commander was introduced in 1971 (I think without verifying), and likewise, did not have the collett bushing so was not a Series 70. The Blue Book uses the Series 70 designation for Commanders of that vintage, but is incorrect. Colt catalogs of that era do not use the Series 70 designation for the non-collett bushing pistols. Only the Government Model and Gold Cup were designated as Series 70/Mark IV.
  
  However, NOW Colt confuses the issue by using the name Commander for the steel-frame, short-slide version, and calls the old alloy-frame, short-slide pistol the Lightweight Commander. Typical Colt logic!

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  golfwarrant

  May 21, 2004 21:47

  I have a 1976-77 ?? vintage Colt Commander .45 with the alloy frame (CLW028xxx), and the label on the original box says "Lightweight Commander".

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