The Colt Government Model 380 pistol was one of the gems to emerge from Colt’s factory. It was 78% the size of an M1911 which made it small enough for concealed carry and large enough for comfortable shooting.
Fast Facts
- The Colt Government Model 380 was a Series 80 pistol made by Colt between 1983-1997.
- This pistol is 78% reduced size by comparison with the full size M1911.
- The design retains the recoil operation of the M1911, although it works a little differently using an angled surface rather than the toggle-link.
- The Model 380 was made in both blued steel and stainless steel versions.
- One of these pistols is up for online auction at the time of publication. The auction ends on March 2, 2025.
The Colt Government Model 380: chambered for the 380ACP (aka 9x17mm, 9mm Short, 9mm Kurz) was a popular and well regarded pistol made from 1983 up until Colt’s financial troubles forced an end to production in 1997.
Although in pictures the Government Model 380 looks very much like a M1911 it is in fact reduced in size to become a conveniently compact and quite lightweight pistol. It is about 78% the size of the M1911.
Fitted with a 3.25 inch barrel the pistol’s overall length was 6.5 inches, width 1.05 inch, and it weighed in at 21.75 ounces.
The pistol was single-action and used a locked breech/recoil operation similar to its full size sibling the M1911. Although it could no doubt have been made with a straight blow-back design the recoil operation served to tame recoil making this compact pistol comfortable and thus enjoyable to shoot
The Colt Government Model 380 not only looked like the M1911 but it had its controls in the same places, with the exception of the grip safety – the pistol was not equipped with one.
The safety catch worked a bit differently on the Model 380: the safety can be applied either when the hammer is cocked or un-cocked, and the slide can be racked with the safety engaged.
The pistol also features a larger tang on the backstrap to keep the shooter’s hand from hammer bite.
Magazine capacity was seven rounds and it was made in both blued steel and stainless steel versions.
Given that these pistols when purchased nowadays tend to be around 20-30 years old they may respond well to a little re-commissioning. With older firearms a simple spring replacement can solve problems and the Colt Government Model 380 is reported to benefit from the fitting of a 12 lb recoil spring to replace the original 11 lb one.
There’s an informative article on tweaking a Colt Government Model 380 over at Cylinder and Slides.
Most owners however seem to be happy with their pistols as is so, as always, give it a good clean and light lubrication, it pays to so some shooting with it, try different ammunition types, and for a firearm that is to be used for serious purposes, having it worked on by a good pistol-smith should be expected to pay dividends, especially for a pistol that is two or three decades old.
That being said these pistols have become quite collectible.
One is currently being offered by Rock Island Auction in an online sale which will end on March 2, 2025.
The sale Colt Government Model 380 is in blued steel finish with walnut wood grips and features some tasteful engraving including what appears to be a picture of the US Capitol rotunda at the right side rear of the slide, and a Colt “Pony” at the rear left.
You will find the sale page for this Colt Government Model 380 if you click here.
The condition of this pistol is stated by Rock Island Auction to be as follows:-
With box, manual, and papers.
Excellent overall with original finish and limited handling marks. Mechanically excellent. Box is very good.”
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
