Shoot "Black Army" M1911?

[pipefitter]

OK my Colt 1911 (Black Army) made in 1918 all correct barrel, mag. grips etc. but after having it looked at by collectors and also I got to compair it to a 98% correct finnish black army I now know that it has been reblued and a good job too. sooo the value went from $4000/$5000 to maby $1000/1200 Is it ok to shoot this pistol once in a while with standard ball and not worry about loosing great value or should I sell or trade it off for a modern Colt shooter.

[Hawkmoon]

You have seen the thread about why you should NOT shoot it. To reiterate what the curator of the Army's museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground wrote: There is no way to predict when a shot will result in the destruction of the slide. It might never happen, it might happen the very next time you shoot the pistol.

It's your call. Personally, with NEW Rock Islands and Firestorms available for around $400, I can't see any reason to risk destroying a pistol that's worth at least twice that.

[Scott Gahimer]

Agreed. I'd also encourage you to post some good photos of your pistol here. We often see pistols posted here that have been looked at by others who have mistaken a nice original piece for a refinish.

Showing the pistol to other people and then asking us for an opinion? We really need to see what you have to offer an informed opinion.

It only takes a little while to show us what you have. We'd like to help.

Thanks.