Colt Bright Stainless Question

[darrentxs]

I've seen a few Colts for sale recently advertised as bright stainless They never seem to have the original box. It makes me wonder if they started out as the brushed stainless and were later polished.

My question is, other than getting a Colt letter how can you tell? What does the box marking say for true factory bright stainless vs. factory brushed stainless? Any key areas to look at?

(I was pricing Anacondas & King Cobras)

Input appreciated

 

[ShootingNut]

How old is the Colt, if real shiny and an older model it could be Nickle platted.

 

[GUNKWAZY]

There's not a lot of Anacondas that came from the factory as Bright Stainless.
Most were brushed.
Also, you could have ordered them or King Cobras through the custom shop for an additional cost as bright stainless.
Boxes on guns that came from the factory as Bright stainless are usually marked as BSTS or BRTSTS. I have both examples of those on factory boxes.
The King Cobras generally have the trigger & Hammer polished to some degree.
The ones I have seen that were NOT polished by the factory have the trigger & hammer looking just cast and that is over looked.
Here's a factory Mint in box King Cobra that is Bright and my box is marked BRTSTS on the end label.
Notice the polished trigger that is NOT completely polished all the way up. This came from the factory this way.

Here's a couple of King Cobras that are brushed stainless, and you can see the difference in Hammer & triggers from the above picture.

When it comes to factory Bright stainless Pythons, everything should be polished including the triggers and hammers. There should not be any areas untouched as you will find on the King Cobra. Remember the Python was much more refined that the King Cobras or Anacondas. Also much more pricey.

Some people who may have never actually seen a factory Bright finish from Colt have confused the brushed stainless with bright stainless. I have seen this on many occasions. That's why you need to watch what you are buying if it's over the internet. Colts brushed stainless is generally more refined than other companies brushed stainless guns. When the average person sees this they just assume that the Colt must be bright stainless. Until that person actually sees what a bright stainless gun looks like they have nothing to compare it to. So do your homework prior to bidding at auction.
Also, the Bright stainless is often confused with bright Nickel.

Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[darrentxs]

Thanks for the details GUNKWAZY. Those are some of the nicest Colts I've ever seen in your photos! I'll be sure to refer back to them before I buy a bright stainless Colt.

I've owned a few nickled guns & won't have trouble distinguishing between nickle & bright stainless. I know generaly which era is proper for both of those finishes. It may require more attention on Pythons as they were definitely offered both ways. I already have a Python and am mostly interested in an Anaconda.

The homework just got easier, thanks again!

Regards,

Darren

 

[Master Blaster]

A few years ago I bought a Colt Ultimate enhanced Officers ACP.

Its bright stainless finish. The gun came from the "Colt Fire Sale" It had no box or papers, but was unfired. The gun was like a mirror the shinniest polish I have ever seen, Likewise the base of the two colt magazines. Flat top slide was mat finish on rounds and the rib, but the hammer, trigger, grip safety, small parts, even the tiny barrel bushing, all like a mirror. I called colt and was told it was the "Ultimate" finish, and that my gun serial number was listed as a salesman's sample/display 1993 production which was why there was no serial numbered box. I suppose I should have paid for a letter and never fired it but I only paid $600 for it , reasonable for a colt 1911, and I have shot and carried it, so the finish is no longer perfect.

I was told by the dealer that Colt was emptying their stock rooms and selling many guns they had stockpiled to raise money for new tooling, a couple months earlier I had purchased a NIB Gold cup National Match, and had seen some new 70 series guns NIB from the same sale, all offered for a very reasonable price, same story from the dealer, different dealer.

Just curious Jeff but do you have an enhanced ultimate officers acp??
I dont suppose they made very many of them.

 

[KyJim]

The gun was like a mirror the shinniest polish I have ever seen, Likewise the base of the two colt magazines. Flat top slide was mat finish on rounds and the rib, but the hammer, trigger, grip safety, small parts, even the tiny barrel bushing, all like a mirror.

Was it like this?

 

[GUNKWAZY]

Just curious Jeff but do you have an enhanced ultimate officers acp??
I dont suppose they made very many of them.

The only Ultimate Officers I have came with the Double Diamond set and it's marked as such.

Sorry. Here's a crappy picture of the set.

Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[Lurch37]

Correct me if I'm wrong but, weren't some boxes marked custom from the Colt Custom Shop right? They had a green label over what I assume was the orginal label, stating that they had some custom work done, possibly a non factory finish?

 

[Dfariswheel]

One good way to detect a Colt factory mirror polish gun is by the polish job itself.

A factory polish will show NO tool marks or swirls in the polish.
While many people post pictures of stainless guns they've polished with metal polish, a close examination will show a shiny polish OVER machine marks which can't be removed short of a professional polish job.

There's a difference between a bright, shiny polish gun, and a true Colt factory mirror bright polish.
As always, it's buyer beware.

 

[pistolet1]

Lurch37

You are correct, the Custom Gun Shop had a neon green label adhered to over the gold factory label. The green label top line had two sets of numbers, perhaps denoting the special order status of the particular gun. Next line was the serial number, and below that was a brief description of the type of gun along with some aspect of its customization. There was no mention of finish on the green label, but where the original gold label was, in the upper right hand corner, there was the letter N for nickel.

 

[Lurch37]

Ahh....ok then, thank you pistolet1.

Although this thread is about Bright Stainless Colts, let us not forget that there are also E Nickel Colt's. Which is a "brushed nickel finish" I presume?

 

[GUNKWAZY]

A factory polish will show NO tool marks or swirls in the polish.

I don't argue with Doctor "D" very often, but I have seen bright stainless new in box Colts with tooling marks. Not Pythons, but the lesser guns like King Cobras and such.
They are probably like cars, don't get one built on the last day of the week before the workers go home for the weekend.
Either way, YES, I have seen factory Colt polish jobs that could have done better, much better.

Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[darrentxs]

I just searched some auctions again. Yikes - plenty of guns that appear to be misrepresented out there. Maybe unintentional, maybe not.

Here's another idea.. I know Colt offers reblueing for about $300.00. I bet they would do a custom shop ultimate polish job on a stainless as well. I wouldn't be opposed to that route.

It'd be better to have it done by Colt and recorded as factory polished to bright stainless. I don't want one polished by some knucklehead in his garage with a wheel on his bench grinder trying to polish in $500 plus of value.

 

[GUNKWAZY]

It'd be better to have it done by Colt and recorded as factory polished to bright stainless. I don't want one polished by some knucklehead in his garage with a wheel on his bench grinder trying to polish in $500 plus of value.

Just as an FYI: If you decide to go the Colt route, keep all your paperwork for the job as that will be the only tracking you will have.
When you buy a Colt historical letter from the Archive dept, they usually don't have records of the guns that came back for alterations or modifications after leaving the factory the first time.
So in other words, if you decide you want to letter that gun down the road to show that Colt did the polish work, it will NOT show up that it went back to the factory for the polish job.
Please keep that in mind.

Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[Master Blaster]

Mine is different from the two pictured,

It came with rubber pachmayer wraparound colt medalion grips, I have skip checkered and black laquered Herretts on it now.

Neither of the two pictured have the enhanced flat top slide with the rib.
Every part of mine is like a mirror, even the inside of the trigger guard, it has no blued parts other than the sights, and it has the duckbill safety, and the skeleton speed hammer, and long stainless highly polished trigger, flat mainspring housing which is also mirror polished.

Mine also says Officers ACP on the right side and nothing else.

So is there a difference between a bright stainless finish and an Ultimate finish, much more polishing, even the slide and mag release? and all the pins??

 

[darrentxs]

Jeff - thanks for the info. I would keep the paperwork in the box but didn't know send backs for upgrades/custom work wouldn't letter. I think it should.

Is it that way for guns sent for engraving too? That can be serious money, it would be a pity if they wouldn't letter.

For anyone - any pics of Bright Stainless Colts welcomed - show & tell

Regards,

Darren

 

[KyJim]

Master Blaster,

Mine are supposed to be a limited run through Horton's which might explain differences. I also believe the grips on mine are not original.