please bare with me on this because im new to 1911s. i hope you all could tell me some more about a pair of pistols that a elderly neighbor gave me a week ago for "payment" sence ive been mowing for her for free sence her husband passed several years ago. she's moving in to a nursing home that dosent allow firearms so here they are. i dont know to much about them, there wasent alot that she could recall, all she remembered was that he used to shoot 4 times a week and in competitions from time to time.
they were both dry as a bone but they seem to function fine although one of the pistols has a real light trigger ill have to have that looked at. a friend of mine was the one who actually told me what kind of guns i had. before i talked to him today i had no idea what a 1911 was. he suspects that both guns are military. one gun has been modified and the other he said was stock. he seems to think that the "target" pistol is worth more so ill post about it first.
sorry about the pictures but my camera died before i could take pictures of the second "stock" gun. ill post some later when the thing recharges.
the first gun in question is marked colt's pt. f. a. mfg. co. hartford, conn. U.S.A on the right hand side of the slide and7790314 on the left. the barrel is marked 45 auto---7791193---85 and the frame is marked 107XXX
the rear sight is marked with kensight and the muzzle bushing is marked wilson
im guessing this thing is custom, what is it and what do you think its worth? thanks for your help.
i dont think its a colt, the frame is not marked us property or colt any where, only the seriel number. is there a way to tell if its a colt or not by the serial number?
i dont think its a colt, the frame is not marked us property or colt any where, only the seriel number. is there a way to tell if its a colt or not by the serial number?
Yes, the serial # will tell the manufacturer. That's how they and the Gov. keep track...
__________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms" - Thomas Jefferson
i dont think its a colt, the frame is not marked us property or colt any where, only the seriel number. is there a way to tell if its a colt or not by the serial number?
where would i find this info, the serial number is 107XXX
btw, i got the pics of the second gun uploaded a second ago. this ones just a plain jain. ill probably use it as a shooter and keep the old match gun in the safe. is there any collectability in old match guns?
It sounds like they both might be right? I'm no expert though. And they look military. The finish on both looks to be parkerized and that would be correct ot both that time and military.
Did you try all the sites? One was to Colt, and I noticed, under 1915 the serial number started with 107 which is what you show above for one of them? So the info you got just might be correct. Again
<<<NO EXPERT.
__________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms" - Thomas Jefferson
Dude, listen to me. The "stocker" is worth far more than the target pistol, it's the one that should go in the safe. That appears to be an unaltered Remington Rand from WWII (made by the RR Typewriter Co.). It's not particularly rare, but if it's in pristine original condition with all it's original parts, it's worth a **** site more than a heavily modified target pistol. I'm serious.
And even though this Gun & Game Forum is a great place with great people, for 1911's you really should sign up at www.m1911.org first, then www.1911forums.com next, and there's even more out there. Those sites are frequented by serious collectors of 1911's, especially war guns, and they can tell you things about them you'd never know otherwise. Join up, post your photos, and ask your questions, you'll get answers and solid advice from experts, on forums that are all about THOSE guns.
Also, FWIW, you shouldn't shoot the old war gun either, until you know more about it at the very least. It's probably OK, but old pistols can and do break with modern ammo, then it's just a paperweight. WWI vintage Colt .45's should NEVER be fired, because of the weakness of the steel. Modern steel and modern ammo are different animals than the old stuff.
I really hope you're not thinking about peddling them for the first wad of cash you're offered. That RR is a keeper, and I'd bet the target pistol is a LOT of fun. It's had some nice mods done to it, but that doesn't increase the value of it. Originality and condition is what makes old guns valuable, not fancy mods. Don't worry about the light trigger, it's been made that way for target shooting. Just don't carry it around for self-defense. A light trigger for s/d is a no-no, that can land you in deep doo-doo.
See if the lady has any more guns or stuff, like reloading equipment or old holster rigs, etc. She might have some treasures headed for the trash can.
__________________
Ever feel like the world's a tuxedo, and you're a pair of brown shoes? - George Gobel
Anytime there's something odd about a gun you need to check more. There are proto-types, factory test guns and all kinds of rare guns floating around that happen to be worth a lot of money. Some years back a guy inherited a Remington tool room gun, a proto-type of the 1100. Serial numbers was '1' if I recall. It was very valuable.
__________________
Aim real good we're nearly out of ammo.
I can only say if and when the G&G firearm GURU himself (Mooseman) gets back, he more then likely will know what you have there in both of them. If not he can direct you where to look or take it?
__________________ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms" - Thomas Jefferson
im speachless, i was suspecting maby a few more guns but WOW
i got to see her basement today and play around with his safes and stuff. theres a TON of reloading stuff and 4 gun safes. i got to play around with 3 of the safes but she dont know the combination to the 4th. i baught two more pistols for 100 each. the first is a .22 and the other a .38 i mainly got them because i liked the target look of the 1911. ones a browning and the other a smith and wesson. one of the safes were filled with "ww1 and ww2 military bolt actions" another was stacked with pistols. the guy must have been a fanatic, most of the guns had tags including these two pistols that had a number. in a dusty file cabinet there was a bunch of files with the corrasponding number. the files had old targets, price tags, pictures, and a page with the dates of the times that they were shot and cleaned. it was verry well in order.
i wasent expecting any of this, shes got to get rid of it all also. i think ill buy a few more and try to find her a dealer to help her out. shes afraid if she dont get rid of what she can before she goes in to the home that there gona take it all. there already talking about taking the house because of lack of cash.
