How did I do

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DMacLeod

New member
Picked this up today. It belonged to a friends father (he is 85) and he had no use for it anymore. It hasn't been shot in over 25 years I was told and he had it since the middle 60s or so.

After a little digging I came up with a manufacture of somewhere arounnd 1917. Most of the blueing is gone but it feels tighter than quite a few newer ones I've handled. 1 mag is 2 toned and the other isn't. I don't think the magazine came with this weapon as they had lanyard loops on the base in 1917 I believe. All parts seem to be original except for maybe the barrel (can't find any stampings on it)

The 1911, 3 boxes of ball ammo and holster came together as a package.

I am tempted to have it refinished. Not sure if it would be worth it though. Any thoughts?

Sorry I don't know how to attach a picture directly:eek:



Forgot to mention it cost me 350 for what is in the picture.

45a.jpg
 
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Frederic

New member
You did very well...

Refinish ? Never! You have a classy piece of history there. I would leave the finish as is.....
As mentioned on top, you did very well indeed.....
 
T

TNFrank

New member
Yep, at most I'd take some gun oil and some 4 ought steel wool to it to remove any surface rust and leave it be. You don't see many true 1911's anymore since most of em' were re-ferbed into 1911a1's by the government. That's a true piece of history ya' got there pard. Very nice. ;)
 
K

Kreyzhorse

New member
Hell of a deal. I just passed up a 1911 made in 1918 and the seller demanded $1200 out of it. She sold it for $1000. From my research, a 1911 from that era is certainly worth any where from $500 to $1000. Enjoy it.
 
B

B.N.Real

New member
(check out the picture)

WOW!!!:eek:

You have a gun owners dream there!

I don't think I'd shoot those cartridges either!

The boxes look at least thirty years old!

Enjoy your new purchase!
 
E

Erik

New member
Genrally, unless you plan on making it a shooting erlume for generations to come, I recommend against refinishing firearms sucha sa yours; the value plumets.

Nice find.
 
R

revance

New member
I don't know much about antique guns and refinishing, but I do have a fair knowledge of furniture finishing.

There is something us woodworkers like to call the "Antique Roadshow Myth". Basically viewers of the tv series Antique Roadshow see the appraisers say things like "its worth $xxx.xx... but if it had the ORIGINAL finish it would be worth $xx,xxx.xx". Viewers confuse that as meaning "don't refinish antique furniture" when really it only means that it would be worth more if it had the original finish in the SAME CONDITION as the refinish. An antique with a destroyed finish is not only worth less as one properly refinished, but it will also preserve it so it lasts even more years. The fact is, wood finishes don't last forever and they do require maintenance. The true purpose of the finish is to protect the wood; without a properly maintained finish, the wood will deteriorate. The unfortunate result of this myth is lots of people having antiques and instead of maintaining the finish (or refinishing if needed), they let it degrade to the point the wood becomes unrepairable. What could have been a beautiful piece of history is now a bleached, rotted out piece of kindling.

Now I don't know if this holds true with firearms. At least if a guns finish is worn you can still prevent damage to the metal by keeping it well oiled. So if you choose to not refinish it and keep that "well loved" look (which I agree adds character), make sure to keep that baby oiled.

BTW, nice find.
 
J

JohnKSa

Administrator
Firearms collectors are almost never happy about refinished guns. Before you have any work done on it, see about finding its value.

From what I see that could be a 1911, not a 1911A1 which might make it older than 1917.

If you want to remove some of the surface rust, use some DRY 0000 steel wool. DO NOT USE THE STEEL WOOL WITH OIL. The rust is abrasive, when combined with the oil it becomes a fine grinding compound that can remove finish. Use the steel wool dry and dust both it and the gun off frequently to keep the removed iron oxide dust from building up on the surface of the gun or the steel wool. Go slowly and be careful not to remove any remaining finish.

When you're done then you can oil the metal surfaces with a good quality gun oil. Try to minimize the amount of oil that gets on the grips.
 
D

drail

Moderator
A classic piece of American history. Definitely don't shoot the ball ammo, they're worth money to collectors. I would probably shoot the pistol ,though I would get a new set of springs for it. That's really cool.
 
D

DMacLeod

New member
After a little research it; The Colt was made in 1917. The general consesus is not to refinish it. It's only downfall is someone ground out the US PROPERTY marking many years ago. Who did it, I have no idea. Could be someone who may have brought it back from WWI or WWII :confused:

I took it apart, cleaned and oiled it, pretty nice. The slide to frame fit is still tight. A lot tighter than some of the ones I shot in the Army 25 odd years ago. Since I have another 1911 this one won't be used as a shooter.And since I am not a collector I am considering taking it down to trade in on a Para Ord tac four. I'd rather have a weapon I will use.

This was purchased so I could get the S&W 66 (6inch) he also had. Both were basically purchased sight unseen. So when I went over to do the transfer, I had a set# in my head for both pieces. We haggled a little and came to an agreement. I paid him and we filled out the transfer papers.


Now to just figure out what to do with it.
 
J

Jim Watson

New member
If you don't want it, don't mess with it.
Sell it as-is and let the new owner decide for himself whether to hold, shoot, restore, or whatever. You will make a large profit and not limit the new owner's options.
Do not trade it, a store will essentially expect you to give them yours and buy theirs, you will never realize full value from a dealer. Only trade gun for gun with an individual who really wants what you have and you really want what he has.
 
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