GUN TESTS GRADE: A-

$400

We have tested this handgun only twice, in the November 1989 and November 1991 issues, the second time as a new gun suitable for women. At the time, our test gun cost $450. In that review, we said, “A little extra care with the sights would go a long way toward improving this gun. Overall, however, we found it sufficiently user-friendly. With proper training in the use of a single-action auto, we believe it would be a good choice.” Not much has changed in the intervening 30 years.

This is the most expensive pistol tested. There is a bit of collector appeal woven into the Colt’s performance. The much smaller Mustang is the more popular handgun in some ways, but the Colt Government Model was on the shelf at a shop in the used section and was the only Colt 380 of this type in the two-county area the senior rater shops for used guns, perhaps a dozen shops all told in the area. The Colt comes to the plate with a couple of minus points. The pistol cannot be purchased new for any price. Colt isn’t likely to put it back into production either, so availability is hit and miss. No matter how great the performance, the pistol is scarce. The Colt Government Model would have to be an outstanding performer to earn a recommendation against the readily available pistols.

The Colt is a popular size for 380s for shooting and home defense, but not necessary for carry. If you go this big, perhaps a slim-line 9mm might be better, and if you need a pocket gun, well, this pistol needs larger pockets than the LCP II. Interestingly, while quite thin, the slide lock adds about a tenth of an inch to the pistol’s width. The Glock 42, as an example of a modern pistol, buries the slide out of the way.

The Colt features all-stainless-steel construction. The finish remains good, although the pistol is well over 20 years old. The grips are black plastic, lightly checkered. The backstrap features a pronounced tang that prevents the slide from contacting the web of the hand. The pistol is a single-action design with a slide-lock safety. The Colt Government Model 380 is 1911-like in appearance, but it isn’t a 1911 any more than the Colt 1903 is — in fact, the Colt 1903 is much closer to being a 1911 than this pistol. The Colt Government Model 380 features the exposed hammer, single-action trigger, and slide-lock safety the 1911 has. However, there is no grip safety. The safety operates differently as well. The safety allows cocked-and-locked carry, but also may be applied when the hammer is down. The safety isn’t really a slide-lock safety because the slide may be racked with the safety on. So, the gun may be loaded with the safety on, an advantage to some. The pistol may be carried hammer down and cocked quickly, which isn’t recommended with a full-size 1911. With the smaller pistol, leverage on the hammer is much better for thumb cocking. If the pistol is carried in a pocket, you may not wish to carry the pistol cocked and locked.

The Colt Government Model 380 uses a separate barrel bushing that must be rotated in disassembly, in the same manner as the Colt 1911. The barrel features locking lugs that fit into the slide. However, the lower lugs are angled camming surfaces rather than a swinging link. The Rock Island Armory 380, as an example, is much more of a true 1911 than the Colt Government Model. Just the same, it is a Colt and is a good match for a full-size 1911 if carried as a backup. The trigger is an advantage, breaking cleanly at 4.5 pounds. We felt take up was mushy, but its reset was sharp. The seven-shot Colt magazines are well-made steel units (the second magazine was a Metalform) and hold one more cartridge than the standard magazine of the other handguns. Loading the magazines was easy enough.

The pistol was lubricated and loaded with the same ammunition as the other pistols. There was a single malfunction, on the first shot we fired, and that was the only one of the test. We fire every pistol we test into dirt at the base of a berm for the first shot as a safety measure. The pistol short cycled. We cleared the jam and proceeded. This must have been a limp-wrist type malfunction when we simply pointed the pistol at the dirt, and it did not recur.

The pistol was fast on target and handled well. Recoil is light, even very light, with all loads. The Glock is about as comfortable to shoot well. The other pistols were much less comfortable to fire compared to the Colt and the Glock. During the combat-firing drills, the Colt turned in the best combat groups of the test, barely, but measurably edging out the Glock 42. In firing for accuracy off the bench, the Colt fan among the raters was certain the Colt would outperform the Glock. We fired both from a solid benchrest firing position. The Glock 42 was slightly more accurate than the Colt, although the Colt’s 2.0-inch groups are nothing to be ashamed of. The Colt fired an inch to the left, which would be easily corrected with a punch and brass hammer to drift the sight. The pistol handled well with no other failures to feed, chamber, fire or eject.

Our Team Said: The Colt Government Model 380 gave a fine showing on the combat course. Accuracy off the bench is acceptable. At this point, magazines for it are readily available. The Colt is a great shooter, but the polymer-frame pistols get the job done cheaper and are lighter in the pocket.

Range Data

VALUE GUIDE: 380 ACP SEMI-AUTO PISTOLS