1951 colt 1911

[dakaham]

Picked this up today and trying to get a solid value on it. Its a 1951 commercial colt 1911 in id say 90-95% condition but i am no gun expert on condition by far. Im sure i got a deal just want to know what the real market on it is. The sights are stamped micro as is the barrel bushing. The lock up is incredibly solid there is absolutely no rattle to this pistol at all. Only flaw on this is seen in the last picture. Any help is appreciated!

Dak

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[Creeper]

Micro is a gun parts manufacturer from, I believe the mid 50s to the late 80s. Their parts, the bushing and target sight for example, were popular with gunsmiths of the era. It's not like there were a bunch of folks cranking out custom 1911 parts back then, so lots of smiths used Micro parts.

Anyway... if it's just a used gun that an unknown smith fit a few parts on 30 or more years ago, then it's worth in the neighborhood of $700, maybe $800 on a good day. If you can figure out who built it, and who owned it and it turns out that one or the other is a well known figure in the 1911 universe... well, who's to say.

 

[orygun]

I agree with Creeper, but I'd bump the estimate about $200. The pictures are pretty dark and it's hard to see detail, but I've seen nice samples of this vintage fetching $900-$1000.

By the way. Nice gun. I have a 1951 Government Model, too. The bluing on these guns is wonderful.

 

[iamme]

Can't tell from pics if a Refinish but with parts swapped out it's no longer a $1K+ gun. You MAY be able to find someone who wants an old Colt, doesn't know what to look for and will pay more.

 

[DuneHopper]

Like they say condition is everything, for a 1951 gun it is in good but obviously used condition.
My opinion is the gun it right on the cusp of being older and old. Meaning in 10 years I can see it maybe fetching 1000.00 or more. But with money the way it is and looking at it I would say 700-800 seems fair. I think If you have the original box and even papers it could fetch more to a collector.

 

[iamme]

Like they say condition is everything, for a 1951 gun it is in good but obviously used condition.
My opinion is the gun it right on the cusp of being older and old. Meaning in 10 years I can see it maybe fetching 1000.00 or more. But with money the way it is and looking at it I would say 700-800 seems fair. I think If you have the original box and even papers it could fetch more to a collector.

That's the problem. With Colt you see two collectors: A) It's an old Colt I must have it. These are the guys paying $1K+ for modded guns. then there's B) 90%+ original condition with all original parts is needed to even really look at it, box and papers are a bonus. A collector in this group though pretty well won't touch a gun that's had sights swapped

 

[dakaham]

heres where im torn the gun doesnt look to have ever been refinished and its really hard to get a picture with the bright bluing on it. i will probably need to remove the rear sight to verify it but havent got to it yet. i am thinking of contacting colt to see if they have records on how the gun was shipped. I have seen on other forums where some of these were ordered with micro sights on them, I know some colt revolvers came from the factory with micro sights but have yet to find a solid source that will confirm it on 1911's

 

[iamme]

The Micro factory sight story is argued both ways to death!! You can order a Colt letter- ~$100 iirc and a couple month wait.

 

[dakaham]

The Micro factory sight story is argued both ways to death!! You can order a Colt letter- ~$100 iirc and a couple month wait.

ugh!

 

[iamme]

Welcome to Colts! Lol. I can't recall ever seeing a factory letter on micro sight/1911 combo, but know I've seen it claimed.

 

[dakaham]

Kinda not worth contacting em on this one. I could see spending $100 if it was gonna be the difference between $2000 and $5000 but over a couple hundread in value its just gonna be money down a hole. oh well. I just hate having guns in the safe that are "too pretty" to shoot no matter the value.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

They aren't making any more 1951 1911s so the longer you hold it the more it will bring

 

[iamme]

They aren't making any more ORIGINAL 1951 1911s so the longer you hold it the more it will bring

Fixed your post, which is why original guns bring more $$$$.

 

[orygun]

Fixed your post, which is why original guns bring more $$$$.

This is true. Very true.

It looks like the front sight is original. (kinda hard to tell because of the dark photos) If it's not and it's not dovetailed, then.......

IF (we'll go with that) the slide has not been modified for the rear sight and If the finish is correct (original and decent), the sight and barrel bushing could be changed for original parts. They wouldn't be super easy to find, but it could be done. If the slide's been cut for the sight, then yes, the value will drop dramatically.

It has been a few years since I was in the market for an older 1911, but at that time all of the 800 and under Pre Series 70 Colts were definite roaches.

But, if the OP feels that his gun is only worth $700 I'd like to be first in line to buy it!

 

[Velzey]

It doesnt look refinished! All the sharp corners are still very intact.

If you paid under $800 you did well.

 

[dakaham]

The rear of the slide was cut for the sights. I think this is one I will hold on to for awhile. It will see some limited range time and will get babied quite alot. I guess being its not 100% original it would most likely be considered a "shooter" but I will tell you its one of the most beautiful shooters I've seen. Value could be all over on something like this I guess it really is a gun that's probably worth what someone will pay or Sell it for. But there is no way you could set this next to most new production 1911's and say its the lesser value weapon. Thanks for all the input everyone! Gonna close this thread down now.

Dak

 

[jbett98]

When you pull back on the slide, does it feel like it has a reduced slide spring installed, say 12 to 14 lbs? Instead of the stock 18 to 20 lb.
The reason I ask this, is that I have a 1968 National Match (pre Gold Cup) and it is set up for reduced load wad cutters.
And prolong use of standard loads can damage the pistol.
Your gun may have been set up for target loads. You might want to check this out.
Nice Colt you have there. Most people always regret letting them get away.