Value of WW2 and 1924 Transition 1911 barrels

v35

Bought three 1911 barrels at auction. All are parkerized having 90%+ finish. One is a Flannery (Rem & Ithaca) with a perfect bore, another is a 1924 Colt transition (700k-710k) with light pitting the first 1 1/2" and the rest bright. Lastly, a High Standard (Rem Rand & US&S) mostly bright with scattered light pitting.
What are these barrels worth ?

nmyers

Not much.

All of these barrels were originally blued; I would guess that the parkerizing was done to disguise the wear & corrosion.

Neal

perry shooter

agree with NMEYERS any refinish will negate collector interest.

v35

I dispute the corrosion theory. In the early '50s I inspected/repaired a Division's 45s and converted remaining 1911s to A1 configuration. I never classified one unserviceable for corrosion: a very few due to an unserviceably, worn finish but never external corrosion. 1911 barrels corroded on the inside only. That was a serious and common problem but barrel finish was never an issue, I've forgotten whether they or new replacement barrels were blued or parkerized.If they had different finishes I suspect I would have remembered it.
It's my understanding all issued 1911 & A-1 pistols were arsenal refinished sometime in their history unless they were stolen early in the game. The finish was Parkerizing.
It would follow then that barrels having serviceable bores at the time of arsenal overhaul, were refinished along with the rest of the gun.
Assuming the above is correct, I would think it a rare exception to find a properly marked unParkerized barrel that was not a replacement.
While it was never an issue in the Army, military collectors today make it important to match up correctly marked parts so
I would think maker's markings and condition would be the governing criteria on 1911 barrels.

nmyers

Well, like you say, it's a theory. But, since it's unusual to see a parkerized .45 barrel NOT in a gun, my theory is that the barrels in question were recently commercially parkerized to make them marketable. Photos may help, as we could tell if they have been finished with manganese phosphate or zinc phosphate (the latter was never used in a US arsenal).

This is like the story of the 7 blind men describing an elephant: because this topic covers > 100 years time, none of us has a good "picture" of the entire history of replacement barrels. We DO know that the parkerizing process was developed at Rock Island Arsenal in 1918. We also know that some barrels were parkerized at arsenals. What we don't know is when barrels were simply replaced rather than refinished, & during what time periods.

I don't believe that's it's accurate to say that all 1911/1911A1's were arsenal refinished unless stolen. I have seen several .45's with original finish & government sales documentation, primarily from the Civilian Marksmanship Program sale in 1963-65. Regardless of its release conditions, the owner of an original finish .45 with a bad barrel will want to replace it with a "correct" barrel that has the blued finish AND correct markings; a parkerized barrel will stand out like a sore thumb, regardless of whether or not it has the correct markings.

EDIT: Dick note: DOD actually began buying parkerized replacement barrels during the Viet Nam War, but these were parked on the outside only. They will be stamped with a Federal Stock Number, & are readily available today for $50-60.

Unissued blued WWII replacement Flannery & Hi Standard barrels have been available for many years, & I would expect to pay up to $200 for one. A nice blued Colt barrel with correct markings recently sold on GB for close to $400, & the sky's the limit if you find a blued HP-marked barrel.

Neal

dcs shooters

I have a 1911 barrel that has S&W marked on the right lug and MP on the left. On the hood it has 45 AUTO and 7791193 under that. Any ideas of when made and value [?]

perry shooter

Hello DCS After 1969 the last of the NM barrels were drawing # NM7791414 but I will have to check and will edit this post later or you can contact me thru my profile. "PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN"

EDIT your barrel is a industrial chrome lined 5 inch. I have pictures if you need them and also S&W 6 inch AMT "army marksmanship training" unit Match barrel your barrel is 1970'-1980's replacement barrel. NOT match barrel. Cheers Karl you have mail.

dcs shooters

Thanks for the info. I was given the barrel to have for a spare.