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MrBusiness
29th March 2005, 03:39
*PLEASE NOTE*
I am editing this old post of mine to remove the serial number of my pistol. I do not mean to bump an old thread such as this but I feel it is better to my judgement to do so. With the minds of criminals today it's hard to say who might be lurking for a new "access code" to a free crime. With ID theft on the rise, it could be possible that the ID of my pistol could be stolen. (I'm just practicing a safe habit. Again, I apologize whole-heartedly for raising a dead post.)


Hello to everyone:

I'll first start out by saying if this thread doesn't belong here I apologize. I browsed through some topics and felt this was the best location to begin.

I suppose I'll begin with a brief history;

I inherited a small collection of guns from my grandfather, that were in my grandmother's home until she recently passed away. In this collection is an M1911. (pretty certian at least :D )

My questions are:
How can I date this pistol? I believe it to be a fairly older model simply because it was my grandfather's. I would like to know a round-about year this pistol was stamped and sent off the line.

Secondly, the slide spring feels quite tense. As if its somewhat 'hard' to pull back and cock. Is this a common feature to all M1911's? I had a 9mm that compared to this .45, had an easy draw to its slide.

I have field stripped this weapon and cleaned it the best I could with what I have. The thing I like best about this pistol is the ease of design it incoperates in field stripping.

I will be turning 23 in April and will be applying for a concealed carry permit in the state of Ohio. (fayette county) I do not know if this pistol is registered in any way but if it's not I will certianly be registering it to my name.

Below are some pictures, the gun has some slight abuse like small spots of surface rust but in otherwise (to me) perfect operating condition. The magazine slides in an out like a charm and there seems to be no excessive force needed to move the slide, it just seems a little stiff as compared to another pistol I owned.

Sorry for the long thread. I'm just trying to give all the information possible about my M1911.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/maxmadhax/colt_right.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/maxmadhax/colt_left.jpg

The stamping on the gun:
on the Right side, on the slide:
COLT: Automatic Calibre .45 (with the little horsey :D )
Below Slide:
Government Model
C134XXX (I believe the C stands for Civilian Model)

On the Left side of the slide:
Colt's PT.FA. MFG.CO. Hartford, CT USA
with a few patent dates, Apr 20 1897, Sept 9 1902. Dec 19 1905, Feb 14 1911, Aug 19 1913.

Again, sorry for the long post and slightly large pictures but any information about my new baby will be greatly appreciated :D

stans
29th March 2005, 07:41
Your pistol was made in 1923 and the "C" means "commercial" production. Since yours is not a military sidearm, I expect all the parts are original. Given its overall appearance, I expect this specimen is worth about $800 to $900.

These old 1911's were not made of the same steels or given the heat treatments of today's pistols and I do not recommend shooting the old a lot and certainly not with +P ammo. You have a pistol with some collectors value and you might be wise to keep the pistol clean, oiled, shoot it only occassionally and let its value continue to increase.

asa
29th March 2005, 16:27
Nice Colt! I'd follow Stans' suggestions pretty closely; use it a little and carefully, keep it clean and admire it a lot. Though the steels were not as tough in the '20's, the workmanship and finish were far superior to today's examples. Enjoy. -Asa

MrBusiness
29th March 2005, 18:29
Thanks for the info Stans. The only shooting this pistol will be going through is the occasional Saturday gun range. Because my grandfather was pretty old, I believe this pistol has not been fired in roughly 30+ years. If it lives up to the Colt legacy, I believe this pistol will remain throughout my life for many years to come.

Now I just gotta go get a newer Colt I suppose but I truely enjoy the style of this pistol. Are there any manufacturers that remake this pistol to its detail?

Also, I don't know much about pistol ammunition (being I've had shotguns most of my life). What is +P ammo, and what type of ammo should I buy for this M1911?

SMMAssociates
29th March 2005, 18:30
MrBusiness:

Congratulations on the new toy....

Everybody's been correct AFAIK with their advice. I'm somewhat new to 1911's, although I've been shooting since 1967.

Don't be afraid to put ordinary 230gr .45's through the thing - you don't want to make it a habit to see how many boxes you can burn off in a session, but a couple hundred a visit wouldn't be too far off, I think. Avoid all those "+P" loads, and if you're going to carry it with a CHL, stick with lesser loads. Hollow points are OK, but again, not +P. (Shoot a few of those before you start carrying.)

Finally, unless there's something in Fayette County that I don't know about, OH has no gun registration. Some cities or counties may, I suppose....

Check OHIOCCW.ORG for more info.

Toledo's got some rules about a gun's size, etc. A 1911 will pass....

Regards,