Colt National Match "Race Gun"

[kjk200]

HI all, I am new to the forum, and I really like it.
I inherited the Colt 1911 National Match pistol pictured below and I have a few questions.
1) Is this a series 70 pistol?
2) What might it be worth as is. It had a bunch of work done to it, and a bunch of custom parts installed to make it a "race gun"--not the best I am sure but good enough for my brother and I to shoot in local matches when we were in High School. (18 Years ago, but hasn't been shot in at least 10.)
3) What type of sights do I need if I take the scope and mount off? All sights that I have seen use a dovetail, but this one has a .315 groove parallel to the barrel. I think I want to shoot it with regular sights, but I can't find the originals in my fathers stuff.
4) Am i correct in puting the manufactued date in 1972?


Thanks for your help!

http://www.huntingpictures.net/photo/008189

[paul45]

Series 70 made in 1972, as you said....looks like a 1911 GI hammer also. Couldn't tell you the worth, but drilling and tapping that huge sight onto the frame hurts the value badly, but it doesn't matter to you....you can make a great shooter from it. I like Kings sights alot for Colt replacement.....Good Luck.

[larry starling]

Series 70 made in 1972, as you said....looks like a 1911 GI hammer also. Couldn't tell you the worth, but drilling and tapping that huge sight onto the frame hurts the value badly, but it doesn't matter to you....you can make a great shooter from it. I like Kings sights alot for Colt replacement.....Good Luck.
+1 to what Paul said. Pretty much a shooter now. The drilling of the frame also hurts any collectibility also.... ;)

[Ericthenorse]

First off, I would like to get the first part of the serial number.. I believe that what you have there is a mismatch of parts.... The slide is a National match/Gold Cup slide, but the frame is not..... The frame is a standard comercial frame.... As far as the scope mount goes, I would not worry about it lowering the value, since the gun has lost most of that due to parts swaping already.... If you want to remove the sight, you will need to find an Elliason sight to put back in the stock location.... Might be a little hard to come buy.... I have seen and heard of other companies making replacements, but can't remember who.... If you hit the little camera icon in the upper right of my post, you wil see the difference in series 70 national match frame..... Look at the trigger... they are wider.... The Elliason's are also shown there....

[Weg Ban]

Champion makes a replacement for the Elliason that's a drop in. I just recently bought one.
Here's their web site: http://www.championgunsights.com/products.asp?cat=26

[swampthang]

Champion makes a replacement for the Elliason that's a drop in. I just recently bought one.
Here's their web site: http://www.championgunsights.com/products.asp?cat=26


Weg Ban did that sight just drop in or was there minor fitting,have you used it yet? and how does it stack up to the original.

[pa_guns]

Hi

The pistol you have is a shooter not a collector's pistol. It's valuable as an accurate, reliable Colt 1911.

The sight that was originally on the slide is fairly specific to Gold Cup's and National Match pistols. Champion is the company that currently makes them for Colt.

As a shooter (rather than a collector's gun) the pistol probably is more valuable with the scope mounted on it. I would not make the dollar value be your guide. Set it up the way you like and shoot it a lot.

Bob

[Weg Ban]

Swampthang,

It dropped in. I did it myself, so you know it was trivial. Anything much harder than field stripping and cleaning, I run to my smith. It is, as far as I can tell, exactly the same as the old one (see Bob's note above).

[kjk200]

UPDATE:

I found most of the pieces of the original rear sight in some of my fathers gun stuff, but I am still missing some. This is what I have: sight body, pivot pin, and one spring. Where can I get just the elevation screw, whatever pin that goes behind the elevation screw, and a front sight? Front sight slot looks like a small slit: I don't know how it was held in place.

Also, the botton of the sight has 2 holes the size of the spring: should there be 2 springs?

Any help would be appreciated.

Also, is there any way to update these sights for low light? Like a paint for the rear blade and front, or something. Thanks!

[pa_guns]

Hi

Since this thread started I came across a similar pistol at the Cabela's in Hamburg. Their price for the pistol was under $300. They are not known for their "economy pricing" of used pistols.

The front sight on the pistol was originally staked on.

If you want to go the "night sight" route then you need to get something a bit different than what you have. Either white dots or glow in the dark inserts will work. It depends on how much you want to spend.

Bob