1911 questions

[Spike A]

im Looking for some information on 1911’s and thought you gentlemen/ladies might know... there is a 1911 on an auction today I am interested in.... it seems to be a colt 1911 frame from 1918... with a Remington type one slide from 1942/43.... I understand it’s a 1911 frame and a 1911-a1 slide... is this ok? Will it be safe to shoot ( after inspection and no issues found of course) any information and advice ASAP would be greatly appreciated

spike

 

[JFrank]

It’s not a question of safe to shoot imo rather why purchase a mismatched gun?

 

[Spike A]

Well... that was sort of the intrigue of it for me was a part from each war... and exactly like you said not many people will want a mismatch so it might go cheap... but to me both parts are still American history... I don’t know.....

 

[JFrank]

Start here.....

 

[Spike A]

I won’t be able to get my hands on that before the auction is done

 

[1911nut]

Hard tellin without seeing the gun.

If it was put together properly it should be ok.

If not, reliability and accuracy probably not what you want.

There’s a lot of reliable and inexpensive 1911s out there.

If it’s super cheap and you want to learn 1911s and are willing to buy parts $$, it could be an adventure. Always cut, grind, file, stone and drill on the least expensive part.

 

[JFrank]

Bummer “
War guns are tricky, especially value. There’s a lot of frankenguns

 

[LonewolfMcquade]

Just cuz something is old, doesn't mean it's valuable.

 

[Deleted outa08]

Well... that was sort of the intrigue of it for me was a part from each war... and exactly like you said not many people will want a mismatch so it might go cheap... but to me both parts are still American history... I don’t know.....

Hey Spike,it`s your money.If you like the idea of a gun used in two wars,go for it.If it doesn`t work up to snuff when you get it,any competent `smith can make it work. Good luck. Jeff

 

[Spike A]

Right now it’s at $275... it’s got a few hours left.... so I guess I will see what it’s at near end and decide

 

[Dud]

USGI 1911s are something I would consider a safe queen.

Demand is probably higher than it should be. They made lots of them and the real valuable examples are survivors that were never issued, never re-arsenaled or have some sort of combat provenance.

Functionally, the steel in the slides and frames is inferior to most modern 1911s (except cast and plastic versions) so if you want a shooter, it's best to stick with mild ball ammo for feeding and durability or go for a modern gun that is stronger and has a hollow point compatible polished ramp.

Once upon a time the USGI guns were cheap and people would turn them in to target guns. Today there are better starting points and probably cheaper. If you want something to tinker with, I say leave the USGI stuff to collectors even if it's just guys with a bit of nostalgia who want a plinker.

For reference, I practically learned to shoot with an unissued Remington Rand M1911A1 and no one batted an eye. That probably ruined the value of the gun but back then it was no big deal. As 1911s go, it was fine. I didn't shoot it enough to see if the frame would suffer any battering but I think it still had it's original 30+ year old recoil spring and mainspring...

 

[gman47564]

as far as pistols go nothing feels better in the hand than a 1911 in my opinion... if you can buy it cheap I would buy it... if not like others have said theirs better ones out there... I got a few of them... some fairly expensive to me but my favorite is a ruger sr45 1911...

 

[JFrank]

It’s not a question of safe to shoot imo rather why purchase a mismatched gun?

Documenting a war gun takes time and a very good book of reference as I’ve posted.
Only once have I found a complete 1911 with all the correct year parts from the correct manufacturer... that pistol sold for around $3000

 

[Knotwild]

Plus, if you have big hands, a 1918 frame will eat the web of your hand up by pinching it between the grip safety and hammer for each shot. The sights will surely suck. For $275, it would be great if you are mechanically minded and willing to improve it by working on it as in adding sights, new grip safety that protects your hand, trigger, etc. Or part it out and sell it again. If you think you take it out and use it much as it, you will probably be disappointed.

This guy is very helpful. I've emailed him about a rather rare 1911 and he kindly answered with information, but probably wouldn't address a parts gun.
http://coltautos.com/

 

[Dud]

For $275, it's a deal but leave it as is or stick to drop in parts that don't need fitting (and keep the leftovers).

There are few things sadder than a Bubba'd USGI 1911.

The most I would do is fit a match bushing, maybe a longer barrel link, buy a wide spur hammer, a tool steel sear and a ball head disconnector. Stone the angles if you are up to the task and maybe add a better sear spring.

Something that is hidden but might upset some purists is if you peen the frame rails to tighten up the slide to frame fit.

All of that will maximize the accuracy but may cause cycling issues because a lot of the slop will be gone.

Putting better sights on a USGI slide is frowned upon because it is only original once. It's better to build up a new slide if you want new sights but that eliminates pretty much all savings of a cheap 1911. On the plus side, you would most likely get a lowered and flared ejection port which should help you avoid stove pipes and other axtraction/ejection issues.

Lastly, the feed ramp in the frame is what you polish and adjust to reliably feed hollow points and other blunt nose bullets. If you screw it up, the frame is pretty much ruined. Like the frame rails, some purists might see it as ruined if you change it at all.

 

[Spike A]

it ended up going for 450... than there would have been 16% buyers fee and a $15 transfer fee... i let it pass because right now i can buy a new 1911 on black Friday sale for just a little more.... as much as i like the "idea" of having a war momento.... not exactly sure its worth it............. idk....

 

[DirtySteve]

Good decision...

 

[JFrank]

Last X Mas my coworker purchased a vintage Colt National Match in amazing condition for around 1400 ish iirc , well HE got mad when his WIFE got mad with no explanation. Then x Mas day rolls around and there under the tree sits a box from his family right”

A brand new Dan Wesson Valor purchased a week or so prior to him buying the Colt...

 

[Bc'z]

Last X Mas my coworker purchased a vintage Colt National Match in amazing condition for around 1400 ish iirc , well HE got mad when his WIFE got mad with no explanation. Then x Mas day rolls around and there under the tree sits a box from his family right”

A brand new Dan Wesson Valor purchased a week or so prior to him buying the Colt...

Sounds like a double cross draw is in order

 

[Dud]

Good move. Maybe you can put that money in to a CMP Garand, that's a better war momento in my opinion.

There really isn't a civilian version of the Garand so a CMP rack grade mix master is pretty much as good as any other USGI style Garand beside the sniper models and match rifles.