Delta Elite Part 2

Colt Delta Elite (part 2)

My Colt Delta Elite was given to me as a wedding gift by my wife ( I know, she’s a keeper right?!). It was purchased in 2011 and transferred to 2A Sales and Supplies of Jessup, Maryland where since 2009 I have purchased all of my firearms. In my part one review we talked about the ins and outs, the history, the ergo’s and touched on the customization. In part two we will be going into the full customization that I did to this pistol to make it my own. 

The Parts

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I knew right away when I got the Delta that I was going to change a number of things out. I have always been a huge fan of the 10mm Auto cartridge, and thanks to my Uncle, have had a fondness for the Delta Elite. The 1911 platform is arguably the perfect platform to build a pistol off of because of the vast array of parts you can get for that pistol. Since the Delta Elite is based off the 1911, it was game on. Most of the parts I added were for functionality rather than aesthetics. That being said, the cool thing about most of the 1911 parts available is that they look bad ass. Since there is a whole community for people that shoot Delta’s and customize them so I decided to take come cues from them. The Delta comes with a funky plastic recoil spring guide rod and dual recoil springs. Those were the first to go. 

Most of the parts that I picked up were made by Ed Brown products. I got those because of the enormous amount of reviews and pricing. Some parts also came from Wilson Combat. I knew I wanted a gun that looks modern and had most of the bells and whistles but that functioned perfectly for me. I wanted a flat mainspring housing to help with comfort and point of aim. A high ride beavertail grip safety was a must after the gun to a chunk out of my hand the first range trip out. A nicer trigger that was tuned, combat hammer, extended thumb safety, and slide release. Once I knew all the pieces I wanted, I got to work. A few hundred dollars later and I had all the parts that I needed. 

The Process

As stated above, the first to go was the recoil springs and guide. Those were simple drop in parts from Wolff Gun Springs and Wilson combat. I went with a one-piece full length guide rod assembly from Wilson and a single 24 pound recoil spring from Wolff that also came with an extra power firing pin spring. While the full length guide rod has never really been proven as a functional addition, it gives the custom look. The next drop in part was the slide release. I picked up an Ed Brown extended slide release and it dropped right in allowing my big thumbs to reach the slide release without turning the gun in my hand. The next part that was easy to go in was a “Maxi-Well” Ed Brown mainspring housing. It is a sharply checkered flat mainspring housing with an extended magazine opening to aid in faster magazine changes. Now if I wanted to go all out I could have sent it to a smith and have it blended but that was more money I didn't want to spend. In finding the housing didn't come with a mainspring... I ordered an extra power one from Wolff and picked up a flat end firing pin block from EGW to help in slide thrust and recoil. The last parts I picked up from Ed Brown were the Bullet Proof Hammer, beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, and a new long, solid trigger from Swenson. Those parts I sent off to Terry Gardner of Impact Guns to have them installed and the trigger tunes to a crisp 3.5 pounds. I was impressed with the trigger, but I must say, the beavertail blending was less than stellar. I still recommended his for work, but I wish he had taken some extra time with the blending of the beavertail safety. 

The Results

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Went the pistol got back to me I couldn't have been happier. It feels great in my hand, and is smooth as silk to shoot. The Delta out of the box shot high and right for me the first few times out... now it shoots dead on. Th trigger is perfect. When I used the pistol in a Bowling Pin shoot last year I averaged a 4.5 second time to shoot down six steel bowling pins. It was my first time. I love this gun, it will truly be my favorite pistol in my cabinet for years to come. ONLY thing I want to add: Novak Lo-Mount sights. Otherwise, this pistol is perfect.