How do i know if my colt is in working order

[ctdemolay0405]

i inherited an M1911 colt. 45 from between world war 1 and world war 2, and the owner removed the firing pin, firing pin assembly and firing pin stop. if i were to replace these, would it be safe to fire the weapon? there are no visible cracks, dents or anything in the frame, barrel or slide. all the parts move freely and i have cleaned everything and oiled. everything feels right but since it is so old, i don't know if its safe to replace the parts and shoot it. i want to very badly, but obviously don't want my hand blown off. what should i do?

note: i just realized this is a US Government Issue weapon

[pa_guns]

Hi

What kind of shape is the inside of the barrel in?

Bob

[Hunter]

It would be a good idea to have a competent gunsmith go over the pistol. Keep in mind the steel in the older 1911s is not as good as the new ones so I would not make her a regular range gun. Congratulations on you new Colt.

[pa_guns]

Hi

Pictures might help.

If coming up with a shooter is what you have in mind, you may be able to swap what you have for a brand new pistol. If the pistol has special meaning to you that may not be an option.

Bob

[ctdemolay0405]

barrel looks to be in pretty fair shape when compared to other guns i own, though the bore does seem a bit weak. and it does have special meaning, it was my great grandfathers, even if i cant fire it, i am not getting rid of it. so i guess a gunsmith would be the best bet. thanks guys

[wichaka]

If you're close by, stop in and I'll check it over for ya.......no charge.

[Hawkmoon]

Over on our technical side (the M1911.ORG Home Page site) there are several articles describing how to function check a used 1911 for safety. Go here:

http://www.m1911.org/full_technic.htm

Scroll down. There are two articles by Dana Camm, and I believe there are some others farther down. I would go ahead and replace the missing parts, then subject it to the safety/function checks described, and if all looks good at that point, buy some of the weakest 230-gr FMJ I could find and try it. As someone else posted, though, I would not make it a regular "shooter."

One other point, for what it's worth (probably as much as it's costing you): Normally, for contemporary pistols that may be used in self defense I don't advocate the use of shok buffs (those little polymer spacers that go between the recoil spring guide and the recoil spring -- I think in strict terms "shok buff" is Wilson Combat's registered name for the thingies, but other fols also sell them). But they do cushion the impact of the slide crashing into the frame on recoil, so I am coming around to thinking they are a good thing when firing one of these old beauties at the range. It's unlikely to happen, but it would be a shame to have Grandad's old warhorse break in half because I just had to see if it would go BANG just one more time. I believe a shock buff would greatly reduce the already small probability of this happening.

Lastly, of course, you could just replace the missing parts, perform all the safety checks, and then put it in the safe without firing it. The idea of a true military M1911 sitting around without the parts needed to make it a firearm seems vaguely sacreligious.

[191145]

What is a "firing pin assembly"? You said the firing pin and stop were gone. The only other thing missing should be the firing pin spring. These are generic parts that would only have minimal impact on value. Yes, take it to a 'smith and have it fixed up, cleaned, oiled and test-fired. I'd like to know, and I'm sure everybody else would too, exactly what we're talking about. Is it a 1911 or a 1911A1? Can you tell us the first half of the serial number and post a few pics?

[ctdemolay0405]

i cant post pics because it's at my home in ct, i'm at college. anyways, yea, just the spring, pin and stop are missing for the firing pin. i'll just take it to a 'smith. i know for a fact that it is a 1911, not a 1911A1. thanks for all your help, i'll just take it to a smith.