Colt Model 1911 Military - Manufactured 1913?

[pdxjimbo]

A friend has a Colt M1911. He purchased it used a long time ago, over 50 years ago. He remembers what he paid for it, less than $300.

According to the Colt website, based on the serial number it was manufactured in 1913.

Attached are some photos with the the last three digits of the serial number blurred.

He use to shoot competition and added the sights shown in the photo. He has the original sights. The grips that came with the pistol when he bought it are also shown in one of the photos.

Any ideas on it's value?

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[Andy54Hawken]

Interesting that it has a arched mainspring housing....that is a feature of the 1911A1 not a 1911.
That said it is a easy thing to add on to a 1911 pistol.
Good looking pistol for sure...not idea of value , sorry.
Andy

 

[pdxjimbo]

Interesting that it has a arched mainspring housing....that is a feature of the 1911A1 not a 1911.
That said it is a easy thing to add on to a 1911 pistol.
Good looking pistol for sure...not idea of value , sorry.
Andy

Thanks Andy.

I don't know much about 1911's other than I would like to have one, one day. Grew up playing army in the woods with plastic/toy 1911s.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

The pistol also appears to have been re-blued.
While that doesn't bother me too much , with the addition of the sights...it will affect the value of the pistol.

I like it , and if the bore is good , I have not doubt that it will make for a great shooter.
The "original" grips...also look to be later than what was used in 1913
Andy.

 

[Cerberus Group]

There's little collector value, as the reblue and possible parts swap and other work have devalued it...but it still looks like a great shooter.

 

[bcp]

Trigger finger relief cuts are 1911A1, making it after mid 1920's, but serial doesn't fit, according to this, which says A1's are over 700,000 serial.

From:

M1911 pistol - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The new version received a modified type classification, M1911A1, in 1926 with a stipulation that M1911A1s should have serial numbers higher than 700,000 with lower serial numbers designated M1911. The M1911A1 changes to the original design consisted of a shorter trigger, cutouts in the frame behind the trigger, an arched mainspring housing, a longer grip safety spur (to prevent hammer bite), a wider front sight, a shortened hammer spur, and simplified grip checkering (eliminating the "Double Diamond" reliefs).

Bruce

 

[nammac]

Interesting that it has a arched mainspring housing....that is a feature of the 1911A1 not a 1911.
That said it is a easy thing to add on to a 1911 pistol.
Good looking pistol for sure...not idea of value , sorry.
Andy

Additionally, the frame reliefs at the rear of the trigger were 1911-A1 changes.

Edited: late as usual, bcp beat me to it.

 

[pdxjimbo]

Appreciate the comments. Will pass them on to my friend.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Politely said, it's a parts gun. However the parts are worth good money.

 

[po18guy]

Join up at the Colt Forum. They can tell you which way and what type of machining marks should be on all surfaces of the gun, the correct hammer checkering, trigger face and length, firing pin stop, stock pattern and material, correct inspection stamps etc.

Am thinking this might be an Essex frame from the 70s that was assembled into a faux 1911.

 

[jbett98]

Here's what a 1913 Colt frame serial numbers should look like.

 

[Alexx1401]

The frame does not have the "Property Of United States Government" on it so my guess is it was an after market frame or a commercial GM frame. Long ago you could by boxes of Surplus 1911 parts the Government no longer wanted. Many would buy a bunch and then buy after market frames to slap together 1911's that were cheaper at that time than the commercial models made. When a lot of people started to make the 1911 I pretty much stopped seeing this. Looks like this pistol is one of those put together from parts.

 

[Certaindeaf]

The idiot mark is proof that this pistol is timeless.



Lol

 

[Oro]

Those "Coltwood" (aka "plastic") grips would be worth $150, if they had not been removed from the gun. Those were used from the 50's up until July 1970. Unfortunately, they shrink from heat or uv exposure, or if off the gun and not kept stretched by the grip screw bushings. People trying to restore pre-70 GMs seek those out in good condition, but I can see they are already shrunken.

The tall Patridge front sight and high-mount Bomar rear sight were very common Bullseye mods from the early 60s to mid 70s. This might be a very accurate gun if a good 'smiff put it together correctly for that purpose. But maybe not since he chose a non-US frame and barrel.

The frame and barrel are from a 1945 FMAP* 'Sistema' Colt and that is why it's soft and the script and numbering looks like that and is in that number range.

It's interesting someone would have removed the Argentine bakelite grips -which were much superior to those Colt grips - and replaced them with Colt grips. Only makes sense if someone were trying to assemble a parts gun and pass it off as Colt when it was not.

Anyway, 1911s, we know. If you have any other questions just ask.

* - Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles - Argentina.

 

[Jay Walk]

Cumulative inflation over 50 years is 567%

that puts this 1911 at $2,000.97

Although I think that is more likely than not just a little under the current value.

 

[jbett98]

Is it just me, but doesn't the lower sides of the slide look like they were pinched to tighten the slide to frame rail gap to make it more accurate.

 

[Oro]

Is it just me, but doesn't the lower sides of the slide look like they were pinched to tighten the slide to frame rail gap to make it more accurate.

I actually thought about that, because if it was built for bullseye, it's very likely that would have been done. I can't tell if it was, or if it's just some rounding of the edges done when it was polished.

Another clue is the age of the slide. That could have been made anywhere after 1918, BUT we can tell it was made after 1925 because the muzzle end has been hardened. You can tell that because of the discoloration in the bluing from around the end of the dustcover forward. It shows up much more readily in photography and might not be at all easily noticeable under normal conditions.

A possible explanation is that the non-hardened frame might have cracked and this was a lower-cost replacement. The frame would have been fully hardened, I believe, even on an early one like this (this would be a very early one with a 25xxx sn). The FMAP guns are good guns; I've had a few and have one now. Presumably this one was fit. Handling the gun would quickly answer about the slide-frame fit and barrel fitment.