Colt 1911 Classic Armsmear .38 Super

Colt's 1911 Classic line is its current version of the pistol it introduced more than a century ago. The design has a sleek straight line and a solid build, and the family includes several finishes and calibers, among them .38 Super.

This is the 1911 Classic Armsmear in .38 Super. It's a Government-size pistol with a 5-inch barrel, and it wears faux ivory grips with Colt's Rampant Stallion inlay, which gives it a distinctive look next to the standard checkered wood.

Colt builds the 1911 Classic with three safeties: a manual thumb safety, a grip safety and a firing pin block safety. That's the familiar 1911 layout, so if you've handled a Government model before, the controls will feel right at home.

.38 Super is a fast, flat-shooting cartridge with a long history in the 1911, and it has a loyal following among competition shooters and collectors. A .38 Super Classic is a nice alternative to the more common .45 ACP and 9mm guns. It's also a pleasant pistol to shoot, with less recoil than a .45.

If you're drawn to classic Colt 1911s and want something other than a .45, this .38 Super Armsmear is a great place to look. Colt's name, the .38 Super chambering and the faux ivory grips give it real appeal for collectors, and it's just as happy at the range as it is in a display case. For anyone building a collection of Colt 1911s, it fills the .38 Super slot with style.