My Dilemma!!

[vikz]

I was hanging-out in one of my usual gunshop and i always look and admire at this original arsenal rework 1911, the tag said it was build in 1943, i think the guy told me that the frame is a colt and the slide is remington rand or something(I'll clarify on monday)anyway last friday i made the mistake of asking my friend if i can "pet" it and examine it, so I did and i have to say it has a lot of character and appeal to me but it has a very hefty price tag of $1000+ (yes i know i need to take pics and get more info but believe me guys she was very nice!)trigger pull is very nice and i am pretty sure the owner of the shop who is also a gunsmith already checked it that it is in fine condition. Everything that i can see seemed original, it was not reblued in anyway, now my problem is I WANT IT!!not need, I want It! but the only way i can afford it is to trade or sell my new colt commander that i have only shot 200rds so far. Should I do it? my thinking is I am planning on giving my "new colt' to my kid when he grows up and not shoot it too much, but how cool would it be 20yrs from now that he will be getting an original 1911 from me :) :) I told my wife and she said its up to me to decide..sorry its kinda long and if this thing is in the wrong thread just kindly move it. I will take pics on monday so you guys can help me decide..

[Scott Gahimer]

If the USGI pistol is a non-original mis-match...I say put up your Commander and give that to him one day.
I think $1000 for a mis-match is a little salty. The gun will never be original again and it is impossible to know who mis-matched the pistol, why or when.
Your Commander is near new, you bought it that way and it's been yours ever since. There's nothing to explain about that. I think that would be more meaningful to your son one day.
The market would have to change a whole lot for a mis-match to appreciate much over the next 10-20 years compared to an original gun. Your Commander isn't necessarily collectible...but who knows. At least it has the potential to appreciate.
I would hope the real value in any pistol you might give your son is sentimental...it was my dad's gun.
If he shows the pistol to someone later, what do you want him to hear? "Too bad it's mis-matched and not original"...or..."That's a really nice original Colt"?

Now if you had an original USGI pistol to give him, there's even a major risk with that. What if he grows up and has no real appreciation for an original USGI...or guns in general? I know a lot of advanced collectors who have children that don't share their interest in collectibles.
What if he decided to throw it under the trruck seat one day, or even worse...sold it for pennies on the dollar?

If you decide you want the mis-match for yourself, that's your choice. I'd keep my new Colt.

BTW, I think it's nice you're thinking of your son. But it might be a little premature to make decisions about something that far in the future, until the time you can figure out what your son's interests will be concerning such things.

Just my $.02

[vikz]

scott thanks for the response and i know what you're saying but i know i can not afford to get an original with out giving up one of my 1911s, unless i can convinced my wife but i really dont want to go there..

[paul45]

My honest opinion is......you should step back, take a couple breaths of air, and not go to a gun store for 6 months. You buy and trade off guns faster than I can read your posts about your buying and trading. Perhaps you could try the layaway process??

[Scott Gahimer]

scott thanks for the response and i know what you're saying but i know i can not afford to get an original with out giving up one of my 1911s, unless i can convinced my wife but i really dont want to go there..

Can't afford? A pretty nice all original Remington Rand can still be bought for $1000-1300 from a lot of sellers. An all original gun is worth at least twice what a mis-match is.
I personally don't feel I can afford to pay $1000 for a $600-700 mis-match. I'd rather wait and make the most of the money I spend.

I do not know what your buying/selling habits are, but I agree with Paul... it's time to step back,clear your mind and get a little fresh air. You've been bitten by the USGI bug.;)

When/if you ever do end up buying a USGI pistol that is nice and all original, that would be the one I'd suggest putting back and keeping.

I don't want to bore you with a bunch of old-school thinking on collecting guns because I don't even know if you're trying to collect...or just dabble in them as a casual hobby.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Hawkmoon]

I agree with Scott. What you know is that it's a mis-match. You apparently do NOT know if the mis-match is an arsenal mis-match, or a subsequent mis-match. You also don't know if the refinsih is an arsenal refinish or a subsequent refinish.

I would not give up a new Colt Combat Commander for that pistol. You should even be suspicious of the fact that it has a nice trigger -- USGI pistols typically did/do not have "nice" triggers.

[vikz]

thanks guys , i am considering all your inputs and advice, putting it on layaway is my next option or i can find out how much he is willing to pay for my keltec sub16a and then go from there, i'm thinking i can always find a keltec but around here usgi is kinda hard to find and i'm not sure i want to try getting it online with out seeing it and inspecting it first..

[gottripletsNC]

Vikz, I gotta agree with everyone else, and I do see your point about picking up another Kel Tec. I do agree also that you have bought and sold quite a few, and thats your business, but I would step back and think about it for a few days. 1000 is way to much for a mixmaster, at least for me anyways.

[vikz]

hi guys went to the shop and took some pics of the usgi that i am interested here it is..it has a colt slide and an Ithaca frame..

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911006.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911005.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911003.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911002.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911011.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911009.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/vikz07/usgi1911008.jpg

[Scott Gahimer]

The color of the slide and frame do not match in color as an arsenal rework should, but the slide probably wasn't refinished at Springfield Armory (not Arsenal).

The slide is not a WWII military Colt slide. The slide is a commercial slide from the early 1950s. The military did buy some parkerized commercial slides from Colt's at that time to use on rebuilds, but the finish on this slide does not look original to me, based on your photos. If it is original, the fact that the frame and slide don't match is no big deal. It could be a legitimate rebuild. But...if the slide's been refinished, it is not original to the frame when it was rebuilt at Springfield Armory...someone put it on the frame later. The military used the new parkerized slides on rebuilds without refinishing them, but if the slide has been refinished it has to match the refinished frame to be proper as an arsenal rebuild.

The lanyard loop has either been removed or cut off the mainspring housing. The military certainly never did that.

I wouldn't pay a $1000 for the pistol because I don't think it's original as it left Springfield Armory...but I'm not the guy who's looking at it to buy.

[vikz]

thanks scott, i check the serial #905xxx and it said it was made in 1943 by Ithaca.

[Scott Gahimer]

That's right. The frame is an Ithaca mfg. from 1943.

[vikz]

scott is there a way to find out if this is in fact the way it came out from springfield armory??

[Scott Gahimer]

No. We know some of the commercial slides were in fact purchased for military use, but that's about all.
Even if the slide's finish is original, that doesn't mean somebody didn't change the slide sometime after it was rebuilt at Springfield Armory.
The best examples of arsenal rebuilds are those with the arsenal marks that have all proper military parts and a perfectly matching finish. And even with those, wear patterns have to match exactly and the arsenal final inspection has to be struck after finish.
That's part of the reason rebuilt guns will never be as collectible or desirable. It's usually difficult or impossible to authenticate them... because they're not original.
There are two classes of military pistols:
1) original
2) everything else

[vikz]

thanks scott i guess i wont be getting it now, I'll just get an AR15 before it gets banned..Hopefully i can get my hand on one real soon..