Springfield .45 used for competitions

S

Shawn3879

New member
I found an used, older Springfield .45 this evening for sale at my local gun store. It had been used for competition shooting. It has a stainless finish. Has had some work done to it: 3 pound trigger, compensated barrel, also stock barrel, nice set of adjustable sites, magwell, 4 clips w/ a holster to carry them, good to very good condition. I asked a couple of people working at the store and they said it was a good pistol but no longer competitive and that they really don't "wear-out" (which I think is BS).

They are asking $600 and won't move much. Does this sound like a good deal? How can I tell if this pistol is "worn- out"?? Is this something that I want or should I just get an out of the box Springfield or Kimber (Maybe save a little longer for an STI)? I don't want it for carry (have a couple of pistols for that) I want something that is very accurate for plinking and range shooting. Just don't want to get taken by this if I would be better off w/ an out of the box .45.

Thanks in advance.
 
A stainless Springfield 1911A1 is quite unlikely to be “worn out” (i. e., the forged slide and frame are cracked or otherwise beyond economical repair) without MANY thousands of very hot .45 ACP rounds fired. The basic forgings in a Springfield should essentially last forever. Now, springs and other consumable parts may be out-of-tolerance and require replacement. Similarly, a barrel and barrel bushing can require replacement after very LONG service. These are common repairs, which should be easy for a professional gunsmith. However, the basic 1911A1 probably has generations of life left. To document the 1911A1’s great fundamental longevity, please recall that countless government MilSpec “45s” had tens-of-thousands or rounds fired and were still fully functional (although many required replacement of consumable parts).
 
With attention to details and replacement of consumables. Tires, battery, brakes etc; a good car will last for for years.

With the same treatment, a good 1911 will last for generations.

Sam
 
I have seen guns worn out..but that is after 10s of thousands of rounds...

anyway...how does the over all fit and finish feel..this may or may not tell you a thing..but is slide to frame decent..is the barrel bushing fit decent..is the barrel slide fit decent..how much use around the magwell area..How does the barrel look..how do the barrel lugs look, the slide lugs..the breech face..all these things may tell you something about the use and care of the gun..

what kind of compensator...part of the barrel..how is it attached..what do the chamber and the baffles look..if it was used a lot..there may be build up in the bottom of the chambers and the baffle will show erosion..

Will they let you detail strip it to look??

If its a factory comp from springfield that isn;t too bad..A buddy of mine..just picked up a single stack 38 super comp gun with a c-more for $700..that was a steal.
 
"tens of thouusands" heh...

A 1911 should be competitive long after "tens of thousands." Some replacement parts may be in line, but that's small potatoes. If the slide to frame fit is really bad (doubtful) you could have it fit with Accu-rails. If its that bad, they should move on the price...doesn't sound like its that bad, though.

The gun sounds like its good for the money, but you don't need the extras for plinking. You could probably get a less dolled-up version in similar condition for $100 less.
 
depends on definition of worn out

OK lets clarify...

a 1911 won't really wear out..but...sometimes to rework a gun into something useable..will cost you more if you are just wanting a plinker..

if you go the expense to accurail or replace a barrel or reweld a cracked frame or replace a slide that has rounded lugs..

the 600 bucks you just spent is not a good deal anymore...

so the guy buys a 600 dollar gun..

the barrel has no rifling left after 10s of thousands of hardball ammo..
$150 buck for a new match barrel and 100 buck to fit..

the slide lugs are rounds and the breech face is eroded from 10s of thousands of rounds
$100 bucks for a cheap slide, $150 buck for a good one..reinstall sights, refit your barrel and refit to frame..about $300 for the labor

ok..lets rerail the gun..$250 for the job and 3 to 6 months gone to one of the three guys who can do the job..plus 40 bucks in shipping.

Ok
lets reweld the frame and slide to fit..$100 bucks to do the job...



I will admit they don't wear out..but sometimes a $600 dollar deal is not a deal..when you can get SA milspec for $500.
 
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Shawn,

IMHO, competition guns aren't worth much in resale. You'll see a lot of raceguns that cost $3,000 going for $1200 or so. Competition guns usually (but not always) have had a lot of use, even if they're not used up. The Baer I use for IPSC has many thousands of rounds through it. Besides, why spend $600 on a used competition gun when you can buy a new Springfield for $600? I wouldn't give more than about $350 for it.
 
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