GI 1911a1 questions

P

panchop

Inactive
Hi i took a 1911A1 in trade. if has a colt slide and i guess the frame matchs, is there a way to tell. also a place to check the serial number for date of manufactor. it is marked united states property, M1911A1 US ARMY M1911A1. has prof marks all over the place where to look them up. ? thanks
 
Dig into my site. There's a wealth of information to tell you what you've got:

http://usgi1911.tripod.com

Also check out these sites:

http://www.coolgunsite.com
http://www.model1911a1.com

The only way to know if the frame is correct for the slide is to look up your serial number in my table. Also, if it's a WW2 Colt the inspectors initials below the slide stop will be either CSR, RS, WB, GHD, or JSB. If it is FJA or RCD then it is NOT a Colt frame.

Anyway, take a look around there. :)
 
WOW quick, thanks. my preliminary gander says i have a 1943 Colt. the only non match seems to be the hammer wich is serrated instead of checkered.. also some one carved a bunch of light grooves into the front of the pistol grip. who knows why. they also checkered the mainspring housing. the housing i guess i can find. the gun has about 80% finish. would it be a mistake to sand out the grooves and refinish it.
 
Sounds like its collector value is gone, since the frontstrap has been grooved. You may want to have the front strap checkered, if possible. It depends on how deep those groove were cut. I have a Colt 1911 that was assembled from parts. Parkerized 1943 frame, blued replacement slide, and some pitting and surface rust. It is now somewhat rehabilitated with new grips and a baked-on do-it-yourself finish. Very reliable and reasonably accurate.
 
You might be better off having the front strap stimpled, rather than trying to sand or grind the front strap flat again. (The groves were probably added to enhance the shooting grip on the cheap.) If they are light enough you may be able to remove them with a rotary tool and a Craytex bit. Have a few gunsmiths check it out first to find a consensus opinion on the best repair and go with your gut.
 
Another option is the Pachmyr "Combat" grips, which wrap around and hide messes. I don't care for the Pachmyr grips which have the swell as a sort of thumb support on the left side...

Art
 
There was a time decades ago when GI guns were considered merely cheap surplus. If you wanted a REAL .45 you went out and bought a nice blued commercial Colt. The GI guns were for practicing gunsmithing on. Times have changed now of course, and genuine military-issue pistols command high prices if in good condition. Whether or not you should mess with it depends on the damage and what if anything can be done to clean it up. It'll never be worth as much as an unmolested pistol, but if in otherwise good shape it will still remain sellable.
 
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