SHOULD I REFINISH AND TWEAK MY COLT 1911 MADE IN 1918?OPINIONS?

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45automan

New member
Hey guys as some of you know from my ealier post i have a Colt 1911 made in 1918. Now it is pretty rough as far as shape and has no value to a collector. I was going to have an after market finish put on it,Novak sights etc.. Pretty much use it as a base gun. Some have said this would be a waste,but i just can't decide here. Also i have heard at shows that comercial made Colts from years ago are quite resonable in price. Any truth to this? It is my belief that the best 1911 guns ever made were Colt pre series 70. Many don't share this belief however! Oh the flak i have taken about this one!

Thanks,45automan
 
I agree with you on the pre Series 70 being the best Colts but the Series 70s are also fine guns too. Your 1918 Colt could probably be restored and brought back to its former glory if done right, but it would be expensive. I don't think I would use a gun that old, as the basis for a high dollar custom gun though, the metalurgy on the old guns is not up to parr with the later ones, or so I have been told.

7th

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE, KEEP THEM INDEPENDENT.
 
I have said several times that the commercial Colts (Gov't Models and Commanders), especially from the 50s and 60s, are sleepers. The Series 70s are good too, and the barrel bushing can be replaced if there is any concern. Since these don't have a lot of collector interest, they can be reblued and worked over without a lot of concern about history.

I have seen these guns being passed up at $450-500 when new cast clones were selling for $1000 or more. Go figure.

Jim
 
Here's an idea: Unless the pistol has deep pitting or significant dings in the metal, how about having it restored? There are several smiths around the country who can do some remarkable things with beater guns. I don't know what this might cost, but certainly having the gun smithed for a shooter likely wouldn't be cheap either. And I wholeheartedly agree with 7th Fleet. Metallurgy has made tremendous strides since your pistol was manufactured. I wouldn't spend money to make it into a shooter, but to have it put back into a condition where it almost looks like it did when it left the factory is an intriguing idea.
 
If it was mine, I'd go with parabellum's idea. A properly restored gun regains some, at least, of its collector value.
 
I have a 1911 of 1913 vintage in slightly better condition. I keep it mostly as a sample of what 'state of the art' was in that year, invisible sights and all. Now and then I take it out and shoot it (with a buffer installed) and I occasionally think of getting it restored. I would not be inclined to make a hot rod out of it in deference to its age and 77 year old metallurgy.

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If its a military model which it must be with a 1918 date a park job is a posability. Many where redone when rebuilt at the arsenals so parkerizing is a proper finish on them,look for arsenals markings near the trigger guard. My 1918 Colt is marked "AA" for Agusta Arsenal where it was parkerized and fitted with a new barrel and A1 grips. They even left the "invisable" sites on it which seems odd to me.
 
I bought a 4-digit serial number 1911 back around 1970. Gave some $70 bucks for it. After some 5,000 rounds or so of various ammo, I put real sights on it and used it as my IPSC gun for two years. It got stolen, or I'd still be using it as my mostest favorite pet.

In other words, I wouldn't worry about the metallurgy. The operating pressures and forces from the .45ACP just aren't that stressful. If anything, a slightly softer steel would be less prone to stress-cracks. (When I say "softer", I'm talking a few percent, is all.)

FWIW, Art
 
I am with Art Eatman. I would make a shooter out of it. I wouldn't put a lot of money into it but I would update the sights and springs etc. Go forth and shoot the pistol. Regards, Richard.
 
I've a 1911 from the 1918 production run too.

After a new barrel, bushing, extractor and several springs, it has fed, fired and extracted about 600 rounds of FMJ, JHP and wad cutters perfectly.

As the frame-to-slide fit is a bit loose, I stopped with any further improvements. It's a decent home protection weapon, but trying to make it into something for IDPA would be foolish.

I would suggest though, any work you have done, make certain the smithy is truly experienced with 1911's. Some will say they are, but I've learned otherwise.

Regards
 
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