Contest Entry: The Double Eagle and the Fate of Colt

By Red McCloud

The Colt Double Eagle was Colt Manufacturing LLC’s attempt to get into the ‘service-ready DA/SA semi-auto market’ in 1989, but it was plagued by a few massive problems at launch. Problems like the lack of quality control, finicky parts, and in general Colt’s lack of caring. The first run of the Double Eagle, the Series 80, was a complete flop which was the main reason the gun gained a horrible reputation and sold poorly. They had almost no quality control, as Colt rushed them out the door in an attempt to beat the likes of SIG SAUER, Ruger, and the rest. The main problem . . .

is that the DA/SA system (which was an unlicensed, streamlinged clone of the Seecamp conversion) was extremely fragile, and important springs were held in by the plastic grip panels. That meant that it both broke a lot, and when you took off the grips, the springs would shoot out, hitting you in the eye, or just getting lost.

The next iteration of the gun, the Series 90 (above), had all the flaws ironed out of it, but by then the damage had already been done.

The Double Eagle was avaible in a massive selection …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns