Colt Gold Cup National Match .45 ACP Pre-Series 70 (1959) 1911, 5 inch Match Barrel, Blued, Adjustable Target Sights
This 1959 Colt Gold Cup National Match is a pre-Series 70 factory target variant built on a full-size 1911 platform and chambered in .45 ACP. It features a Government-length 5 inch match-grade barrel with a barrel hood marked "COLT .45 AUTO N.M." and a blued carbon-steel frame and slide. The flat, serrated slide top and fully adjustable target sights underscore its purpose-built competition pedigree, and the NM-suffix serial convention aligns with early National Match production.
Condition
Overall Condition: Good condition, showing some signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Overall Condition: Good - Clean, well-maintained, minor wear marks.
Bore Rifling: Good Rifling - Intact, well-defined lands and grooves.
Specific Condition Notes: Finish loss is visible throughout, consistent with age and prior handling.
What's Included
- Three 7-round 1911 .45 ACP single-stack steel magazines
As a pre-Series 70 Gold Cup National Match, this pistol represents Colt's factory target configuration from the late 1950s. It uses the NM-suffix serial convention associated with early National Match guns, and its 5 inch match-grade barrel is identified by the "COLT .45 AUTO N.M." marking on the hood.
The sighting system is set up for precision: a Patridge-style front sight pairs with a micrometer-adjustable rear target sight featuring a square notch. The slide top is flat with anti-glare serrations, and the slide has vertical rear serrations with no front serrations.
Competition-oriented controls include a long match trigger with lightening holes and an overtravel adjustment screw. The action is single-action, short-recoil, locked-breech, with a grip safety and single-side thumb safety. A wide-spur hammer, arched mainspring housing, and vertically serrated front strap round out the handling features.
The pistol wears checkered walnut grips with gold Colt medallions and maintains a classic blued finish on its carbon-steel frame and slide. Capacity is 7+1 with the included single-stack magazines, consistent with the Government-size 1911 format.