Project target 45 value???

[Narragansett]

Hi, I recently got my hands on what appears to be a paper punching gun. I would say it was assembled maybe 20 to 25 years ago. Here are the specifics: Para Frame, WW2 era Ithaca 1911 slide, Douglas Bbl., Bomar rear sight, rubber grips, Magna Ported Bbl and slide.

No idea on the trigger, but it is skeletonized, and crisp at say 4.5 to 5.5 lbs. I have 3 Mags, they appear to be double stack 13 or 14 round( never filled one).

I took it to a gunsmith and certified armorer. I had him range test it, and professional lube and clean it. He said is shoots great.

I picked it up due to someone's passing and have no investment in the piece, beyond test and cleaning.

Any idea on a value for something like this?

I have a couple semi autos, but i am more of a revolver type guy

Thanks

Pete

[Rpg]

Sort of a Franken 1911.

I’d give $500 for it.

If it didn’t have the porting, it would be worth significantly more.

[LoboGunLeather]

One of those guns that a few people will drool over, but most will walk away from. Finding just the right buyer will be the key to maximizing any possible return. Also, since the Para-mania of the 1990's or so there have been several factory offerings of high-cap .45 pistols incorporating most of the "improvements" touted by the custom gunsmiths of the 1960's-1990's working on 1911-style pistols, so the potential value of such a pistol is limited to some fraction of today's market values for factory pieces designed from the ground up for the intended purposes.

Overall, I think RPG has pegged it with his Franken-gun estimate of $500 or so.

[Narragansett]

Thanks for the input.

RPG, I am not sure I understand you comment on the porting. I do not see how you destroy the value of a gun like this. If i ported my model 29 classic deluxe with a 5 " full lug bbl, i could understand destroying the value.

thanks again

[chief38]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

Thanks for the input.

RPG, I am not sure I understand you comment on the porting. I do not see how you destroy the value of a gun like this. If i ported my model 29 classic deluxe with a 5 " full lug bbl, i could understand destroying the value.

thanks again

Porting a gun makes it louder - many frown upon that. On a caliber such as .45 ACP I see no real reason to port it as recoil and control over a heavy gun like that is not an issue in the first place.

Unless you found just the right person to buy it, I'd say the Franken style gun would bring around $400 - 450. Not trying to hurt your feelings, but guys wanting 1911's usually are more conservative in their wants and buys. More is not always more and sometimes detract from value IMO. Guys who do want to customize usually want to "put their own stink" on it in their own style.

Both yourself and others might think I am wrong - but I do not care for ported guns as they are quite a bit louder and a pain to clean. Mostly it's the noise for me!

[forindooruseonly]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

Thanks for the input.

RPG, I am not sure I understand you comment on the porting. I do not see how you destroy the value of a gun like this. If i ported my model 29 classic deluxe with a 5 " full lug bbl, i could understand destroying the value.

thanks again

As chief38 said, magna-porting does very little on a .45 other than make it loud and dirty. It's not a high pressure round, so the gains on porting are minimal, if even noticeable, on a 1911. Furthermore, people complain about the muzzle flash in dim situations, and while that has never bothered me, it's become something of internet lore that gets passed around a lot.

That makes it less desirable for many, including me.

I have two comped 1911s using full compensators, one in .45 and one in .38 Super. The compensator works well on the .38 Super, but only marginally on the .45, I imagine the magna-porting would be even less effective. It'll need hot loads with a slow burning powder to get the most out of it.

[sodacan]

Highly modified guns like that one are tough to put a value on. The total cost of the parts and labor will almost never be recouped by the original owner. Sort of like a custom hotrod that may have 100k put into it, but only has a fraction of that in street value. The value is what a buyer is will to pay for it. Sounds like it should be a fun shooter.

[C J]

Expect people at the gun range to not like the porting much. Sitting next to a gun like that can be a real pain. First is the added noise but even more of a problem is that the side gas can affect the hold of the shooter beside you. I hate sitting next to a ported gun. I usually just pack up and go home if I'm forced to sit next to a ported gun. Of course most pistol ranges aren't sit down, shoot from a rest type places but people do shoot handguns from benches. It doesn't take a lot of gas to push your aim off just enough to turn a good shot into a bad one.

But your best chance of selling the gun may be to demonstrate how it shoots at a gun range. If it really is a great shooter people may get interested. Keep in mind that even some budget guns are real shooters these days though. I have a Taurus .45 that I paid $325 for new that I would put up against just about any factory pistol at 20 yards. Frankengun 1911's can sometimes shoot really well but others I've seen weren't so great. Had a friend call me out to show his friends how to shoot their Frankengun. I got there late and they had been shooting at a pop can from about 15 yards for an hour and had not hit it once. I shot that pistol once and saw that the sights were way off. I made a Kentucky windage type adjustment and hit the can on the second shot. They all freaked out. But that's the sort of problem you can run into with a parts build. Matching sights and POI may not be easy and some people just don't get how to make the adjustment of aiming at a spot off the target to get the POI right.

[Rpg]

Originally Posted by Narragansett

Thanks for the input.

RPG, I am not sure I understand you comment on the porting. I do not see how you destroy the value of a gun like this. If i ported my model 29 classic deluxe with a 5 " full lug bbl, i could understand destroying the value.

thanks again

Ported guns have a limited market compared to their non ported counterparts and therefore are harder to sell. Most potential buyers discount the value of a ported gun. Put another way, given two guns identical in all ways except one is ported and the other isn’t, the non ported gun will sell faster and for more than the ported gun.

In valuing the gun, I always consider the value of the components should you part it out. Porting such as you described destroys the value of the ported parts were you to part out the gun.

From a utility standpoint, porting a 1911 offers virtually no benefit since the 45 acp is both low pressure and easily managed without porting. Porting a 500 actually produces a benefit: not so a 45. The example you are considering is a very heavy gun when shooting because of the extra magazine capacity. That makes the very modest recoil of the 45 even more modest.

The impact of porting your 29 Classic on resale value would probably be less than on a 1911 type gun. Had the porting been done by Swensen or Pachmyer, the porting might help value because of the gunsmith: modifications done by a garden variety gunsmith not so much, especially modifications that are generally viewed as undesirable.

[DWalt]

I have observed that even some well-done customized target guns which probably cost a considerable sum are difficult to sell. Most casual shooters will pass them by and most serious competitive shooters are not interested in someone else's project. And of course there is no collector interest in them. That might not be so much the case if the work could be documented as having been done by some noted/famous gunsmith or custom shop.

[ACP230]

Could be a pin shoot gun.
Since pin shooting is staging a comeback it might
appeal to someone going to The Pin Shoot in Central
Lake, MI.

[Qc Pistolero]

Hard to say without seing it but from your description(trigger 4.5 to 5.5#s,13 shot mag capacity),it sounds more like an IPSC or pin gun to me.
A paper punching gun doesn't need a high capacity mag and have the trigger much lighter than that.
At the velocity paper punchers shoot their .45(and I'm one of them),the porting will be almost useless;more of a mental advantage than anything else.
But if you like it and it shoots good,by all means use it and have fun.