Colt Double Eagle - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

bd · 06-02-2005, 02:44 PM

My favorite pawn/gunshop is getting out of the gun business. About all of his really nice stuff has been snatched up. He does have a pretty nice (not real nice, just pretty nice) Colt Double Eagle for around $500 ( +tax etc) if anyone is interested. I'm not too familiar with these guns, I'd guess they are not uncommon, but you don't see one every day. At least I don't.

Are they worth buying? Or is there a reason he's still got his in the gun case?

He's also got an old Fox SxS 16 ga. model B that I'm seriously thinking about buying. It's not the prettiest old shotgun I've ever seen but it's still solid and tight - for $300.

Anyway what's the deal on the Double Eagle?

bd

Brickboy240 · 06-02-2005, 03:27 PM

The Colt D-Eagle was always frowned upon by the 45/1911 people. I held on once and did not care for the crunch-tick d/a trigger and the long trigger reach. They're not easy to sell and most people don't want them.

If the Fox Model B is in good shape, thats actually a decent buy for a nice little shotgun. These were built by Savage in the 50s/60s. Not as sexy or desirable as the early 1900s Philiadelphia built A.H. Foxes, but a solid gun you can take afield and it will go bang every time. My Dad has a 12 gauge version and it is well built but a tad heavy. A 16 gauge SxS would make a great dove/quail/rabbit gun. I use a 16 gauge Model 12 Winchester for most of my dove hunting and love the 16 gauge.

-Brickboy240

bd · 06-02-2005, 03:42 PM

Thanks BB,

The old shotgun leaves a bit to be desired as far as appearance but it's in good mechanical shape. I'll probably have to have it.

I've always liked a 16 ga. They fell out of favor for a while but the load seems to be coming back. I do occasionally get an invite to a grouse hunt and this would probably make a nice gun for that, although it is a mite heavy to carry as you said.

Besides it would make a pretty nice welcoming piece to keep by the door. Nothing says "Hello, what the hell do you want" quite like a double barrel.

bd

ranburr · 06-02-2005, 04:23 PM

I hate the Colt Double Eagle and I wouldn't give a dime for one. But I have seen three fairly well used models for sale at three different locations in recent weeks. All of them were priced at the $800-$850 range. I don't know if that is a reasonable rate or their wildest dreams pricing, but you may be able to make a few bucks from re-selling it.

ranburr

bd · 06-03-2005, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranburr

I hate the Colt Double Eagle and I wouldn't give a dime for one. But I have seen three fairly well used models for sale at three different locations in recent weeks. All of them were priced at the $800-$850 range. I don't know if that is a reasonable rate or their wildest dreams pricing, but you may be able to make a few bucks from re-selling it.

ranburr

Thanks, ranburr

I'd thought about trying that but I'd hate to get stuck with that gun even if it is a Colt.

bd

Brickboy240 · 06-03-2005, 10:09 AM

The 16 gauge would make an excellent grouse gun. A grouse is about the size of our bobwhite quail and my 16 with a load of #6s puts down quail with gusto. I'd offer him 250 in cash and I'll bet he'd bite...its worth that.

I love the 16 gauge. Kills like a 12, kicks like a 20. Perfect for our "hot barrel" dove shoots in South Texas. 16 gauge shells are not hard to find at all and yes, it seems to be making a comeback. Ithaca and Remington both started making 16 gauges again and the Russian SxSs are also avaialble in 16 gauge. Its far from dead.

The D. Eagle Colt? Well...I'd pass. For much less money, you can get a SA GI 1911 or a Rock Island Armory 1911 and have a much better 45.

-Brickboy240

bd · 06-04-2005, 06:58 AM

I picked up the Fox 16 ga. yesterday. I'd forgotten how much fun a double barrel was - just to have - much less to shoot.
I couldn't get the dealer to come off the price but I did get several boxes of shells and some cleaning goodies.
It shows the wear of a 40 year old gun that has been used. I'd guess this old gun has been on many hunts. It has a reasonable amount of dings and the engraving isn't as sharp as it could be. But she locks up tight and everything does as it's supposed to. I don't need a shotgun that's too nice or I'd never take it out in the field.
I'm looking forward to giving this old gun a good cleaning and doing a little shooting.
I might need a bird dog now!

bd

HighVelocity · 06-04-2005, 08:01 AM

I go to about 2 gun shows a month and I see a lot of these guns for sale for outrageous prices $800+. However I never see anyone actually BUY one.
When Colt first introduced the Double Eagle I jumped in headfirst and bought the first Double Eagle Officers model to come out of the plant. I went so far as to special order it and have it expedited from Colt's facility.
I just had to be "the first". Keep in mind that this gun had special handling and I was getting one before ANYONE ELSE. Of course I paid dearly for this privilege.
You cannot even imagine how devastated I was when I got it to the firing line after months of anticipation only to discover it was a complete piece of ****.

The trigger was absolutely intolerable. I sent it back to Colt 3 times. Completely unreliable by any standards. It jammed, it broke, every malfunction known to mankind happened with this gun.
After almost a year of struggling with the gun and Colts customer service I conceded and sold the gun back to my dealer whom had full knowledge of my experience and took pity on me. Of course I took a bath on the gun. The Double Eagle was the worst handgun purchase I've ever made.

ken_mays · 06-06-2005, 09:41 PM

That's not a bad price for a Double Eagle.

OTOH, I wouldn't buy it unless you weren't going to shoot it much and could afford to be wrong in hoping it will appreciate in value.

Most folks who buy these are betting on the fact that the relative rarity of the Double Eagle combined with the general fervor surrounding all things Colt will eventually make these desirable.

It's not like they're making any more of them; that much is true.

They weren't completely awful guns, at least after they got some of the bugs worked out in the later shipments.

They put their neck out with the Double Eagle during a time when it seemed that everybody had to have a double action service gun to be taken seriously by police departments. It was enough of a departure from the traditional Colt styling and design to piss off the Colt diehards. Worse, it didn't offer any real advantage in functionality, while complicating the design and making it impossible to use with existing 1911 holsters.

It was a blunder that was only to be surpassed some years later by the Colt All American 2000.

06-02-2005, 02:44 PM	#1
bd XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,864	Colt Double Eagle My favorite pawn/gunshop is getting out of the gun business. About all of his really nice stuff has been snatched up. He does have a pretty nice (not real nice, just pretty nice) Colt Double Eagle for around $500 ( +tax etc) if anyone is interested. I'm not too familiar with these guns, I'd guess they are not uncommon, but you don't see one every day. At least I don't. Are they worth buying? Or is there a reason he's still got his in the gun case? He's also got an old Fox SxS 16 ga. model B that I'm seriously thinking about buying. It's not the prettiest old shotgun I've ever seen but it's still solid and tight - for $300. Anyway what's the deal on the Double Eagle? bd

06-02-2005, 03:27 PM	#2
Brickboy240 XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 9,965	The Colt D-Eagle was always frowned upon by the 45/1911 people. I held on once and did not care for the crunch-tick d/a trigger and the long trigger reach. They're not easy to sell and most people don't want them. If the Fox Model B is in good shape, thats actually a decent buy for a nice little shotgun. These were built by Savage in the 50s/60s. Not as sexy or desirable as the early 1900s Philiadelphia built A.H. Foxes, but a solid gun you can take afield and it will go bang every time. My Dad has a 12 gauge version and it is well built but a tad heavy. A 16 gauge SxS would make a great dove/quail/rabbit gun. I use a 16 gauge Model 12 Winchester for most of my dove hunting and love the 16 gauge. -Brickboy240 __________________ The top 25% of wage earners in America pay 86% of all federal income taxes collected. (according to 2007 IRS website data) Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado Volvo...the Swedish Brick!

06-04-2005, 08:01 AM	#8
HighVelocity XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: DFW, TX Posts: 398	Regarding the Colt Double Eagle.... I go to about 2 gun shows a month and I see a lot of these guns for sale for outrageous prices $800+. However I never see anyone actually BUY one. When Colt first introduced the Double Eagle I jumped in headfirst and bought the first Double Eagle Officers model to come out of the plant. I went so far as to special order it and have it expedited from Colt's facility. I just had to be "the first". Keep in mind that this gun had special handling and I was getting one before ANYONE ELSE. Of course I paid dearly for this privilege. You cannot even imagine how devastated I was when I got it to the firing line after months of anticipation only to discover it was a complete piece of ****. The trigger was absolutely intolerable. I sent it back to Colt 3 times. Completely unreliable by any standards. It jammed, it broke, every malfunction known to mankind happened with this gun. After almost a year of struggling with the gun and Colts customer service I conceded and sold the gun back to my dealer whom had full knowledge of my experience and took pity on me. Of course I took a bath on the gun. The Double Eagle was the worst handgun purchase I've ever made.

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06-02-2005, 03:42 PM	#3
bd XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,864	Thanks BB, The old shotgun leaves a bit to be desired as far as appearance but it's in good mechanical shape. I'll probably have to have it. I've always liked a 16 ga. They fell out of favor for a while but the load seems to be coming back. I do occasionally get an invite to a grouse hunt and this would probably make a nice gun for that, although it is a mite heavy to carry as you said. Besides it would make a pretty nice welcoming piece to keep by the door. Nothing says "Hello, what the hell do you want" quite like a double barrel. bd

06-02-2005, 04:23 PM	#4
ranburr XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: TX Posts: 340	I hate the Colt Double Eagle and I wouldn't give a dime for one. But I have seen three fairly well used models for sale at three different locations in recent weeks. All of them were priced at the $800-$850 range. I don't know if that is a reasonable rate or their wildest dreams pricing, but you may be able to make a few bucks from re-selling it. ranburr

06-03-2005, 10:09 AM	#6
Brickboy240 XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 9,965	The 16 gauge would make an excellent grouse gun. A grouse is about the size of our bobwhite quail and my 16 with a load of #6s puts down quail with gusto. I'd offer him 250 in cash and I'll bet he'd bite...its worth that. I love the 16 gauge. Kills like a 12, kicks like a 20. Perfect for our "hot barrel" dove shoots in South Texas. 16 gauge shells are not hard to find at all and yes, it seems to be making a comeback. Ithaca and Remington both started making 16 gauges again and the Russian SxSs are also avaialble in 16 gauge. Its far from dead. The D. Eagle Colt? Well...I'd pass. For much less money, you can get a SA GI 1911 or a Rock Island Armory 1911 and have a much better 45. -Brickboy240 __________________ The top 25% of wage earners in America pay 86% of all federal income taxes collected. (according to 2007 IRS website data) Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado Volvo...the Swedish Brick!

06-04-2005, 06:58 AM	#7
bd XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,864	I picked up the Fox 16 ga. yesterday. I'd forgotten how much fun a double barrel was - just to have - much less to shoot. I couldn't get the dealer to come off the price but I did get several boxes of shells and some cleaning goodies. It shows the wear of a 40 year old gun that has been used. I'd guess this old gun has been on many hunts. It has a reasonable amount of dings and the engraving isn't as sharp as it could be. But she locks up tight and everything does as it's supposed to. I don't need a shotgun that's too nice or I'd never take it out in the field. I'm looking forward to giving this old gun a good cleaning and doing a little shooting. I might need a bird dog now! bd

06-06-2005, 09:41 PM	#9
ken_mays XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 401	That's not a bad price for a Double Eagle. OTOH, I wouldn't buy it unless you weren't going to shoot it much and could afford to be wrong in hoping it will appreciate in value. Most folks who buy these are betting on the fact that the relative rarity of the Double Eagle combined with the general fervor surrounding all things Colt will eventually make these desirable. It's not like they're making any more of them; that much is true. They weren't completely awful guns, at least after they got some of the bugs worked out in the later shipments. They put their neck out with the Double Eagle during a time when it seemed that everybody had to have a double action service gun to be taken seriously by police departments. It was enough of a departure from the traditional Colt styling and design to piss off the Colt diehards. Worse, it didn't offer any real advantage in functionality, while complicating the design and making it impossible to use with existing 1911 holsters. It was a blunder that was only to be surpassed some years later by the Colt All American 2000.