Better than 98+ finish.
Colt

Sweet!

Looks great, flusher. However it should really have a milled trigger, not a stamped one. Also the hammer looks a bit too long. All are minor points however, as Colts in condition like yours are getting very hard to find now.

When you see a stamped and a milled trigger side by side it's easy to tell. The contract guns began using stamped triggers in 1943, but Colt did not until around the 1.6 million range in early 1944. And the long hammer was phased out in 1939. While it is mathematically possible that a long hammer might have kicked around in bottom of the parts cribs for awhile, the fact that no other 1943-vintage pistols that I've seen have verified original long hammers makes that likelihood improbable.

Please don't let this be a criticism of your pistol. People tend to forget that at this late date there are very few GI pistols left that have not been messed with in some form. It only means that a totally original pistol is worth a premium over one that has had a change or two made to it. It does not lessen the desirability. There are a lot of folks looking at the pictures of your pistol who'd love to have it in their own collections. But I think you can also see now why some folks would gladly change the hammer and trigger out with correct components, then later tell people it's completely original and untouched just to get that last $$$ out of it when selling it. The temptation is always there, even though for ethical reasons you should always disclose such actions to a future buyer.

A month ago I did. I posted all my GI parts for sale on the other forum, and they went quickly. If this pistol were mine I wouldn't worry about it. It's all genuine GI and in fantastic shape. If you find correct GI parts chances are they'll have major finish wear and won't look right.

If you examine a milled and stamped trigger outside the pistol the difference is obvious. The milled trigger was machined out of a solid piece of steel, even the trigger bow. The stamped one is made from two pieces, a rolled and stamped trigger pad that's tack-welded to a stamped-steel bow. The "hole" you refer to is the dimple where it's tack-welded together.

Flusher, since this pistol is not exactly original, and its value is not what you expected, I would do you the favor to take it off your hands and dispose of it properly. So, if you are not frightened by bureaucracy, you can start the process of sending it to me in Greece.

LoL

Man, this is a beauty, and I agree with dsk, don't worry too much about the minor details. It's a piece of history you have there, even if a couple of parts are not within the exact year specs.

I would love to have such a gun. However, since our stupid laws do not allow me to have more than 2 pistols, if it were mine, its value would probably be even less, since it would be customized to my preferences, for shooting.

Have a great day!

Rgds

__________________
John Caradimas SV1CEC
The M1911 Pistols Organization
http://www.m1911.org