Is this 1911 an original finish pistol?

altecgb

A friend of my bought this from an estate and asked me if it is an original pistol and I really have no idea what is correct for this year. It is serial # 787xxx. Marked M1911A1 US ARMY on the right side of the frame. Has WB and P stamps on the left side of the frame. Grips are plastic.

Is this an original pistol as far as you can tell from the pictures? Whats the approximate value considering it's condition. Is it possible that this is a colt Navy issue?

rufe-snow

The serial number given would be 1942 Colt production. The finish looks pretty good, but I would like to see a close-up of the grasping grooves on the left side of the slide. It appears to have some roughness/pitting?, in the top photo. If it is, the finish has been reparked.


EDIT #1, From the appearance of the slide serrations, it appears to me to have been reparked. That amount of damage would have been down to bare metal, rather then then the even Parkerized finish it now has.

nmyers

We need better photos. Especially this view, this close:



Neal

EDIT: What I am looking at are the rectangles surrounding the grip screws, which are called "grip screw bushing staking marks". A special tool is used to stake the bushings after the gun is finished; the tool pushes metal away & leaves the rectangles bright & shiny. If the gun is later refinished, these rectangles are parkerized. From your new photos, it appears to me that they are parkerized.

EDIT: Before we condemn it as refinished, you may want to ask your friend to clean the staking marks with an oily nylon toothbrush; that may just be dirt & fluff in there, I just can't see well enough. Other things we check for on an original gun from that era: # stamped on the rear of the slide under the firing pin stop; burnishing (bare metal) can be seen under magnification in the WB & the VP stamped on the trigger guard; polished feed ramp with faint horizontal polishing marks; all barrel markings; markings molded on back of grips.

As to value, original pistols sell for a wide range of price, depending upon the exact variation; this one would sell for $3K+ if all original. Refinished guns generally sell in the $800-1,200 range, regardless of variation.

altecgb

heres a few more pics

givette

Colt SerNo range earmarked for the Navy was 793XXX-797XXX for the year of '42

So, it's a non-Navy.

You have the milled trigger (correct), the checkered M/S housing (correct) and should have the frame's SerNo under the firing-pin stop plate on the back of the slide. Best you check. WB is correct for Colt.

So, if the slide SerNo matches the frame SerNo, and the barrel stampings under the barrel at the connector are original (what are the stampings), you have an original gun...except it has zero original finish.

Your friend will not be losing any significant value if he so chooses to take it out and enjoy what he has. It's not a (hi-end) collectors item...more along the classification of 'shooter'. Joe

EDIT
Closeup of photo shows '787' as the end of the SerNo string..with some numbers prior to the '787'. Will you confirm the SerNo starts with 787? Sure looks like it's the last three numbers from my vantage point. Thanks, Joe

altecgb

I think it is the "No." that you are seeing but I don't have it in front of me. I have looked at gunbroker completed auctions and it seems like these are going for $1000-$2000 in non refinished condition ... How much does a refinish depreciate it?

altecgb

Any thoughts on the value?