After carrying the Colt Mustang Pocketlite .380ACP almost daily for the past six months, an update to my review in March is in order. To begin with, I initially reported the trigger pull as breaking at a little over 7 pounds. Crisp, but a little on the heavy side. Either because I first measured it incorrectly, or because the trigger has broken in, or due to divine intervention, I am pleased to report my Lyman electronic trigger gizmo now records the trigger breaking at just a bit over 4 pounds. It is, in other words, a perfect 1911 style trigger – and it’s a pocket pistol. I’m leaning towards divine intervention as the reason for this trigger. I think the spirits of Samuel Colt and John Moses Browning have possessed the factory staff in Hartford, and that, by the way, is a very good thing.
My main issue with the Mustang from the start had to do with the sights. The grey ramped front sight was difficult for my tired old eyes to pick up. Although I was amazed at how well I was able to shoot the little pistol I felt I needed a front sight I could see quickly if defending myself with the Mustang became necessary. I shipped the slide off to the good people at XS Sights www.xssights.com and in no time at all it came back with their Big Dot front sight installed in an expertly milled dovetail on the front of the slide and their Express rear sight installed in the rear sight dovetail. That big white front sight really gets my attention; for close range, quick, down and dirty shooting it’s all you need. Put the Big Dot on the threat and press the trigger…repeat as necessary. Both the front and rear XS sights are also made to glow with an eerie radioactive zombie green color (in other words, they are night sights) so they are the perfect sight for both daytime and night. Highly recommended.
People who know me are surprised to hear I am so taken with a mini 1911 in .380 ACP. Yes, I’m a 1911 kind of guy, and yes, my default caliber of choice is .45 ACP, but I’m telling you, I really like this little Mustang.
DVC,
Ed
About the Author:
Ed Head is a regular on Shooting Gallery and Down Range TV. He has worked for almost 30 years in law enforcement, first in the United States Air Force and then with the United States Border Patrol, retiring as a Field Operations Supervisor. During his Border Patrol career, Ed worked in a variety of patrol, investigative and training capacities. Ed has an extensive background as a firearms instructor, having trained thousands, ranging from beginners to police, military and special operations personnel. Having taught at Gunsite for 20 years, Ed first trained there under the world famous shooting school’s founder, Jeff Cooper, then later ran the school as the operations manager for more than five years. Ed lives in Chino Valley, Arizona, where he continues to teach and write.
I have two Colt .380 government and love them. my concealed carry choice for over 10 years
I agree the sights are less than perfect and would love to see Crimson Trace make a laser for them
Did I miss the base price? I read the review and the update, but the price was never listed. Who does a review and not put the list price in
Ed,I don’t usually mention the list price as it is available online at the manufacturer’s website, as well as other places easily accessed. Considering the list price is never the street price, it’s better for the reader to look around a bit and see what the guns are going for. For example, one of the newer 1911s on the market lists for $795 and is in high demand but the street price is somewhere around $650. A local gun store has some for $580. Because prices vary so much I usually leave them out of the DRTV articles which are more concise than print magazine feature articles.
I have been waiting for over a year to get mine.any inside scoop when colt will turn loose of them.getting tired of waiting.
I would think the large white front sight would be an immense improvement. I have an older Mustang that I carry when I am unable to carry my larger handguns. It does have very small sights, so I painted the front sight with Orange “Rustoleum” paint. Works great. Very fast sight picture acquisition.