1911 from 1913 - Opinions needed

I think the OP's (prospective) gun is correct and likely even original.
Lack of finish hurts collector resale value, lack of heat treat hurts shooting value.

pwc: They are safe to shoot but may not be durable. The OP's gun is mild steel not heat treated. Getting through 6000 rounds in acceptance trials was a major accomplishment.
As time wore on, improvements were made; the slide nose was hardened, a hard insert pressed in around the firing pin hole, the slide stop notch spot hardened. Late WWII, the fully hardened slide became practical but they were not in general use until post war replacement slides were being made up. The slide was considered a wear part and replacements were procured all along, at least into the 1980s.

I have only seen a couple of cracked slides, one was a real 1911, obviously shot too much, maybe with a worn recoil spring. The other was a modern race gun that had been shot maybe 100000 rounds. The recoil spring was very worn, could it have been the original? It looked that bad.
 
Not to hijack the thread, but the question of spot hardening reared its head here, what about the CMP 1911's? I think I've seen both original 1911's and A1's. They will be mixmaster shooters.
 
Well, most are "mixmasters" and will be spot hardened if they reuse a wartime slide, fully hardened if a postwar replacement.

I wouldn't call them "shooters" when you can get a copy a lot cheaper. These are showpieces for beginning collectors and casual enthusiasts.
 
Just met the seller and saw the gun.

Almost all of the finish was indeed removed. However all the markings seem still strong, there are no deep pits, gouges or scratches, and it seems that whoever did that job at least did it fairly decently.

The gun also seems to be in very good mechanical condition with little internal wear, except for the inside of the barrel which is somewhat pitted.

I offered $1500 on a whim, he came down to $1800, and then I went up to $1600, telling him I could not pay more due to total lack of finish which pretty much ruined the collector value. He still wanted $1800 and offered to throw in a belt and a leather holster of unknown origin.

If I end up buying the gun, I would probably have it professionally reblued. It would not be an original gun any more, which it already isn’t, but it still make for a nice old 1911 at a reasonable price.

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It's a shame about the finish, but at least it hasn't been buffed. The markings all appear to be sharp and clear, and that's definitely a good thing.

Good luck. I hope the seller will come to his senses and that you get it.
 
The seller agreed with my price of $1600 so I will buy the gun and should get it in a few days.
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Congrats! I see you intend to get it refinished. Please update with pics once it is done.
 
The pistol in the photos appears to be correct, but it should not be shot. Not at all, never. Not even one shot.
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I suspect people would be horrified to see me shooting my 100+ year old Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer in 38 Automatic. :)
 
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