My new old Colt 1911 project

[drgnrobo]

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Just got this Colt 1911 in a trade & was going to leave it as is but thinking about changing sights & finish.It is of 1918 manufacture that received a trendy at the time nickle plating.The slide sets about a 1/16 forward of the slide which can be remedied with a new barrel ,it shoots fine according to the previous owner ,just a cosmetic thing. Probably going to have a stainless steel finish duracoat finish applied & get combat type sights installed. From what I gathered the nickle plating pretty much devalued the pistols collector status but kinda on the fence to proceed with upgrading the looks of it.Installed the larger thumb safety but still have original.

 

[gunman41mag]

[/IMG]
Just got this Colt 1911 in a trade & was going to leave it as is but thinking about changing sights & finish.It is of 1918 manufacture that received a trendy at the time nickle plating.The slide sets about a 1/16 forward of the slide which can be remedied with a new barrel ,it shoots fine according to the previous owner ,just a cosmetic thing. Probably going to have a stainless steel finish duracoat finish applied & get combat type sights installed. From what I gathered the nickle plating pretty much devalued the pistols collector status but kinda on the fence to proceed with upgrading the looks of it.Installed the larger thumb safety but still have original.

NICE old gun, don't shot hot ammo out of it, I would leave it be

 

[JetGirl]

Is that Colt a CCO?

 

[LPMan59]

i would put some double diamond grips on her and shoot 230 gr FMJs until I ran out of money.

 

[JetGirl]

Clarification;
Is that a Commander slide on an Officer's frame (CCO- Concealed Carry Officer's)?

 

[drgnrobo]

I always shoot moderate loads for target & casual shooting anyways ,the bore is in surprisingly good condition as well as the internals.Plan on installing a full length guide rod with a recoil buffer to keep the frame from getting battered

 

[drgnrobo]

Its a 5" slide on a full size frame.All original from what I can tell ,Have searched for similar era pistols & all the markings are correct

 

[LPMan59]

if the 1911 needed that stuff, JMB would have made it so lolz

seriously though, have fun and post pics if you change anything.

 

[JetGirl]

Its a 5" slide on a full size frame.All original from what I can tell ,Have searched for similar era pistols & all the markings are correct

That barrel/slide just makes the rest look shorter, I suppose.
Neat find. Have fun with it. But don't scratch it! (It looks like it's been cared for well.)

 

[drgnrobo]

My camera has a tendency to shrink the pics for posting ,its in good condition for being 93 years old or so (the 1911)

 

[JetGirl]

My camera has a tendency to shrink the pics for posting ,its in good condition for being 93 years old or so (the 1911)

Yeah, I saw the date (on the 1911 )

 

[ghitch75]

i wouldn't do a thing to it......but thats me...

 

[indyartisan]

Leave it be and spend the money on ammo.

 

[Kick]

Clarification;
Is that a Commander slide on an Officer's frame (CCO- Concealed Carry Officer's)?

Its a 5" slide on a full size frame.All original from what I can tell ,Have searched for similar era pistols & all the markings are correct

I can see what she is saying. It either looks like a CCO at first glance because, that slide just looks looooooooooooong from the way the pic was taken...

 

[Kick]

Leave it be and spend the money on ammo.

This is what I would do, aside from an ambi-safety but, that's just cause I'm a lefty!

 

[Colt556]

If it were mine I'd check into having it restored to original GI condition. It was common for guys to have them nickled after the wars (WWI & WWII) to "Gussy" them up. But it's yours so do whatever makes you happy.

 

[Cowboy1629]

From a collectors standpoint it is just a shooter so enjoy! It will get the looks at the range just leaving it the way it is. ENJOY

 

[Wabatuckian]

What Cowboy said.

If it had not been plated, then it may have had some value as a shooter, being an original military 1911 (not a1).

However, as soon as the new grips, plating, extended safety, etc, were applied, it became just another pistol.

Military slides were often on the softer side. This is why the MEU used Springfield slides.

If you could return that to stock, I would. If it's a Navy piece, I know someone who might want to buy it, in fact, and you could buy a Springfield and do what you wanted to your heart's content without destroying any collector interest.

Josh

 

[drgnrobo]

Ive read a few articles about the soft slides on the 1918 manufactured 1911's but this one has no signs of cracking or stress cracks.Tried the bright light test & went over it with a magnifying glass nothing jumps out at me & previous owner said it shot great.

 

[OD*]

What Cowboy said.

If it had not been plated, then it may have had some value as a shooter, being an original military 1911 (not a1).

However, as soon as the new grips, plating, extended safety, etc, were applied, it became just another pistol.

Military slides were often on the softer side. This is why the MEU used Springfield slides.

If you could return that to stock, I would. If it's a Navy piece, I know someone who might want to buy it, in fact, and you could buy a Springfield and do what you wanted to your heart's content without destroying any collector interest.

Josh

The Model O's slides weren't fully hardened until post-1947, the M1911s not at all, that's why Colt began using hardened recoil plates beginning in 1935. Remington Rand was the first to experiment with hard slides in 1943. The MEU(SOC) pistols used, war time USGI manufactured slides, as well as Caspian and Springfield, Springer was not the sole source provider.