The Gun Thread

[Kracka]

Its hard to see in the first picture, but is there a manufacture date? I see 1902 and 1913, but I can't make out the text.
I'm not totally sure...like you saw, the most recent date on it is 1913. I know it was issued to him around 1917 so we'll call it somewhere in that 4 year window until I'm able to bring it to someone who knows these things better.

[1G_DSM]

To put things into perspective here:

The Wright Brothers invented and flew the world's first successful airplane in 1903.

The Ford Model T was invented in 1908 and is considered the world's first mass produced and affordable vehicle.

World War I started in 1914 but the US entered it in 1917.

That pistol could be older than 100 years old.

[twisted954]

http://www.colt.com/CustomerServices/SerialNumberLookup.aspx


Insert serial number

For a more definitive history, you can write colt and they will provide more information about it's history.

Those dates are Pat numbers and do not correlate to the manufacture of the gun...but that IS an original 1911...the roll marks, lack of frame cuts for fingers, trigger and main spring housing make it completely original... according to colt, the manufacture date is 1918 so likely it was new and issued to him right out of the factory...which is also period accurate given the demand on production at the time.

That particular gun in that condition would retail from between 2-2500...possibly more considering the family story...and I would suggest contacting colt to authenticate my feelings on the gun. Collectors will fly a little higher when the gun has that kind of history.

Do NOT refinish it...NEVER refinish that gun...it will diminish the value tremendously. Also...I wouldn't recommend shooting it...it's a collector in this stage of it's life.

The two mags on the left are period from the issue date...the ones on the right likely are not...BUT are definitely old...if they are all colt marked...then they are worth good money too with the gun...possibly increasing the value further.

Mitsubishis and guns...two things I know enough about to keep me single

[Kracka]

Wow, all great information, thank you very much! The insight is really cool to have as I know little to nothing about guns other than the basics.

[polishmafia]

^I was going to add to what he said. I would not shoot that gun at all. If anything were to break, it would be a shame. If there are any stress fractures in the barrel, it could be dangerous to shoot.

If it were me, I would clean the gun (not refinish it, just clean it) and put it inside a glass case. And then admire it for who kept it on their side and where they went with it.

[TkrPerformance]

Aly said very nice gun. Also said to see if there are any pics with him with it in the war and get a copy of his full service record to go with it. The more providence you have to go with the gun the more it will be worth. If you get all the info get it aprased so you can insture the gun in case anything would happen to it.

[AJ]

That is a fantastic piece. Congrats on getting such a great item and having the family history on it!

My uncle got my grandpas old WWII handgun and flag and some service records/medals when my grandpa passed. He had the gun reviewed by a professional and after giving it a clean bill of health said to go ahead and fire it if he wanted. He said that as a collector he prefers to fire old guns he buys and will pay more for a working one than one that doesn't work. So I can see it either way, but yeah, only after knowing it's in good shape and would just need to be cleaned. In the end my uncle put everything in a shadow box and has it all displayed now with his flag. I'm sure he'll continue to keep it in the family.

[1G_DSM]

Be careful cleaning it though. Some gun cleaners/solvants will take that patina right off.

[twisted954]

It is a beautiful piece and I am a little jealous...I would agree...if you can find some pictures...anything to increase the history of it, the value increases...I will also agree that most collectors like to shoot their old guns...but there are a couple of schools of thought pertaining to the practice...if you are collecting for that purpose...or if that is something you need to do with your collection, then by all means, go for it...again, I would recommend a thorough inspection of the weapon...I cannot perform metallurgical analysis of the gun, but I can inspect it for wear/damaged moving components, if you like...but I am of the school of thought that if one doesn't care about shooting it, then don't...let the collector that buys it do that and take the risks...at that point, you have parted ways with it...that being said, I would personally keep it in the family...maintaining it as a shooter would likely require a host of new parts, decreasing the value...and beyond that, decreasing the originality and history of it. In all honesty...I would even advise against cleaning it...honestly, no joke...it's worth the most amount of money, has the most appeal and is, in my humble opinion, the most valuable, meaningful, historic, and just plain coolest it will ever be just exactly how it sits...and you will find virtually no 1911 enthusiast that would disagree with me. That little treasure should not be touched.

Lastly...most collectors who shoot their collection, are shooting revolvers, or action type rifles, ETC...auto loaders are another story entirely...springs, locking lugs, linkages, bushings are all wearable items and part of how the gun runs. They need to be replaced and with 1911's, they need to be fitted...which means material of the original needs to be adjusted to compensate for the replacement parts. Action type weapons are not so intricately balanced with wearable items...at least not in a capacity that could prevent proper operation...so one can use smaller load projectiles...essentially underpowered to impart the least amount of stress to the weapon...an auto loader wont work like that. If you run a short load in a 1911, the slide will not disengage from the lugs...it wont extract and eject and even if it somehow does, the slide might not engage the next round or slam it fully into battery...slam fires can also pop up on 1911's from sear wear...IDK...I can think of a hundred things that could go wrong. IF for some reason you needed to fire it, I would proceed as such:

Professional inspection for fitted components
Metallurgical inspection (this can often be performed by xray)
and I would then plan on shooting a single short load at a time...and make sure the round clears the barrel every single shot

With enough care, the weapon could be discharged and I agree...it would be awesomely cool...but take all the precautions you would afford a weapon like that...also, I neglected to mention...if you can scrape together some history with the gun, I would insure it for 5K...it could not actually be replaced making it worth much more than the average retail value

[Kracka]

Thank you for all the words of wisdom! After reading all this I definitely have some thinking to do. I think my first step, if anything, will be to take it to a local expert and have it fully inspected. Makes me realize I should post pictures of the revolver I also have in my possession that was also passed down along family lines... I'll try and take pictures of that one tonight; way less history to it, but a nice gun none the less.