My first 1911 Please help

[atm925]

I just acquired my first 1911 and other then shooting friends 1911's and field stripping them I know nothing! I hope to learn lots of things.. this is a great forum. I will post some pictures and hopefully some of you pros out there can help give me a little background on this gun any info would be much appriciated. I have done some research but have never seen a serial number like the one on this gun, I have also have yet to locate a serial number on the slide (if there is one) I can post more pictures of anything, please help! Thanks in advance!

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz313/atm925/P.jpg
notice the letter P

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz313/atm925/leftslide.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz313/atm925/serialand7mark.jpg
notice the "7" on triggerguard and odd serial number

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz313/atm925/topp.jpg

thanks again!

Al

[OD*]

Hmm, it looks like the Untied States Property marking and original serial number were removed.

[atm925]

forgive my lack of knowledge.. would there be any good reason for that? I am not concerned with value as it was passed along to me but are there any other serial numbers i can look for?

[OD*]

You could look under the firing pin stop, some had the last six digits of the serial number stamped on the slide under the FPS.

[Duane Hansen]

OD is correct in what he said, It has been renumbered and refinished. You can remove the plate under the hammer that holds the firing pin in place and see if there is possibly a serial number there. Its a place to start, if there is a number there, it may or may not be the correct slide for the pistol and still may not be the original serial number of the pistol. The "7" is the inspectors number at the time. The serrated slide stop is not a correct Colt part, probably late Ithaca or RR

[atm925]

just checked under the FPS. no number, no luck! oh well... as I am not concerned with value, I guess I could try to make it a nice reliable shooter. Kind of disappointed that the US Govt marks are no longer there. Are Colt's generally reliable, decent shooters? As this is my first all metal pistol, and I am guessing it is fairly old... is it normal to have the slide not perfectly tight to the frame? It is not loose but certainly not as tight as a new weapon. What are some basic upgrades for a basic 1911 such as this. Thanks again OD and Duane! I was looking at some online pics and noticed that the slide stop is not original Colt I also think the trigger is not orig.

[Jim Watson]

Obliterated US Property and serial number, then remarked?

Or an aftermarket frame assembled with surplus parts?

I'd hold to the latter, for legality.

[atm925]

Jim, it does seem odd... I wish I had more info about the gun, but I'll go with the idea that the frame is from surplus parts as well. thanks again!

[Johnny Peppers]

Obliterated US Property and serial number, then remarked?

Or an aftermarket frame assembled with surplus parts?

I'd hold to the latter, for legality.

The Colt Verified Proof and P proof would need to be removed to claim it is an aftermarket frame.

[atm925]

The Colt Verified Proof and P proof would need to be removed to claim it is an aftermarket frame.

what should i do with this pistol? not trying to sell it or anything. is there any way to retrieve an obliterated serial number? or legally have one engraved? not looking for value, not concerned with it. just want a nice piece of American firearm history to go shoot on occasion.

[Johnny Peppers]

If at all possible I would try to get my money back from the seller. There is no doubt that it has an altered serial number, and by law is illegal to possess. The removed and altered markings destroyed any historical value the pistol might have had, so really nothing there of any collector interest.
While it will shoot as well as an unaltered pistol, not really the kind of pistol to collect. Should you decide to sell it or trade up in the future, you will have the same problem with the altered serial number.

[Richard Weed]

I wouldn't worry about it if you can show that you bought the pistol in good faith. By that I mean paid a reasonable price and have a receipt from the person or business you bought it from. Technically, removing that number and then renumbering it is in violation of federal government statutes. Would they come after you if you were caught with it? Hard to say. I would guess they might confiscate the gun at the very least.

This is why we stress knowing your facts before buying. I wouldn't have bought that gun knowing the serial number had been altered. You obviously didn't know that and it kind of puts you in a trick bag.

[Johnny Peppers]

Removing or altering a firearms serial number is not just a technicality of the law, as the law is very clear in barring the altered firearm from being possessed or sold. The person in possession of the altered firearm is presumed to have violated the law against altering or possessing a firearm with an altered serial number.
I certainly would not tell someone not to worry about it as long as he can show good faith in purchasing such an altered weapon.

[Scott Gahimer]

If I were in possession of that pistol, I would take it back where I got it and politely demand a refund, citing that the pistol has been renumbered.

If the former owner (dealer?) did not give me a full refund, I'd be happy to contact BATFE to take up the issue with them.

The pistol isn't right. It isn't legal, either. It is a burden of which I'd relieve myself.

[bgiven]

The serrated slide stop is not a correct Colt part, probably late Ithaca or RR

Actually Colt started to use serrated slide stops in October of 1944 through end of production.

[Frank]

I agree with Johnny Peppers and Scott. Having a gun with an altered serial number is not just a technical matter. And BATF has no sense of humor about such things.

DVC

[atm925]

well i'd like to thank everyone for all their input. I am going to rid myself of this headache as soon as I have a day off! This may sound rediculous but these are expensive pistols, would it be worth it to keep the slide and slide internals and try to find an old frame?? i wouldnt mind it being a mismatch as I'm sure many WWII era 1911's are (a guess by the way)... Can one just buy a frame? Is this legal? Never had legal trouble and will not start now...

[atm925]

not trying to beat a dead horse but i like the idea of owning a piece of history, so if it was a mismatch I would be ok with that, i'm not looking for monetary value. If i could save what someone might consider scrap by adding my slide and some surplus parts I would do so and feel good about what i consider preserving a piece of history.

[Johnny Peppers]

There are many more slides than receivers, and it is virtually impossible to buy just a 1911 frame. To get one you will have to buy another mis-match, so you are right back where you started. If the pistol you now own cannot be returned, you could salvage the slide and the small parts from the receiver to help finance the purchase of another pistol.