GatorFarmer
Member
I ended up with two of these old guns. Well rather a friend of mine ended up with them first and then I let him trade me out of the 4" 629-4 I had and my Sig P229R.
Both were guns that someone's dad had "always" - presumably since the end of WW2 - had in the house. The first showed some rust and use. Apparently it had been used to fire "thousands" of rounds out in the woods, at tin cans, etc since the demise of the original owner by his son. No real special care was given it. With a mix of original 1911 and 1911A1 features, it seems to be a 1918 (and thus possibly two world war) Colt frame with a later Remington-Rand slide on it, probably a GI mix master from long ago since it apparently was never altered from its "always been there" days. Lanyard loop is gone, long trigger...
One of the Marine armorers that I know shoots 1911s in matches, so he looked it over, ran the gauges and what not, and spent a bit of time cleaning it. Everything was acceptable and the gun seems perfectly functional. It has one of the "bent" GI mags in it, where someone adjusted the feedlips to try shooting JHP or some such at some unknown date in the past.
At the same time I got it, a more pristine looking example came with it. This one someone's dad or grand dad had had sitting around "forever" and then after their demise it passed on in the family, eventually being traded for something "modern". Looking like new, it's a 1942 or 43 Colt rearsenaled at some point by Springfield Armory. It looks a bit like one of the modern "replica" GI 1911s that float around. Lanyard ring is still there. Magazine still has the "GI ball" profile long tapering lip. If it has been shot since it was rearsenaled, it hasn't been shot much. The ever helpful armorer said all the parts looked "good as new".
I was interested in these two after my friend got them. I don't know why. They just seemed... well... interesting. It seemed odd to me that someone would get rid of them, the more so that they'd trade them off. Esp the elder of the pair that apparently had always worked great.
Shrug.
Prior to getting them I'd ended up with one of the higher grade Brolin 1911s. Long defunct, some of their products were actually workable. This one had belonged to another armorer at one point, so it was smooth. Cost me a .222 Remington 700 made before I was born that I didn't want to stock ammo for and 16 loose rounds for it. Seemed a good deal. For whatever reason my wife claimed the Brolin and suggested getting essentially "all" 1911s, or at least enough for everone.
I already has a nice Series 70 Colt for myself, that left the factory around the time I was four years old and Stars Wars was likely still playing in theaters. (1978). But with two adults and three sons - and counting - that left me short on 1911s. Still, seemed an idea of some merit - same mechanics, same magazine, same basic holsters set up with a gun for everyone.
Around the time she got that idea, the 1911s were offered to me since the guy who had them didn't want to ship and was tired of people offering him 500 dollars each for them. I knew that he liked my .44 mag and wanted to try a .357 Sig... so... we traded.
Thus the two old war time guns became mine.
But, for all that the two guns are interesting bits of American martial heritage... I got them to use them. As fully functioning basic 1911s ought be used.
I reasoned that I could pay about a grand to get a "replica" Colt GI gun, and perhaps half that for a very basic "replica" by someone else. So I thought... why get a replica? I'll just get the real thing. And I did. Two GI 1911s with all their vices and virtues. One a bit worn, the other looking showroom new. And not as things to put away. Freshly oiled, cleaned and ready I saw them as perfectly viable weapons. I reasoned that they'd shoot just as well today as they did many many years ago and ought work at least as well as a "replica" clone.
Thus they sit. Cleaned, oiled, and "ready". Not ready for storage, the display case or the shadow box... but ready for... use. Kept as actual weapons and not memorabilia. I find myself wondering if this is the wrong use to put these to - and perhaps a mistake to have traded two "modern" firearms for - or if in some ways it isn't the perfect use for the pair. To actually be "used". The plan being to give one each to my first two sons (I'm a 1911 short, the youngest will have to make do with a customized Ruger Bisley Vaquero I find myself owning and attached to for some unknown reason, lets hope he likes cowboys.) But again I don't know. I figured that they wouldn't really lose value, or at least not a lot and that I'd just use them as weapons. Other people seem to think I ought retire them and just keep them in the closet.
What do you (the collective you) think? Would you use these things as actual weapons - not just range guns, neat things to have, curios/whatnot - but kept for what they originally were for - functional and viable sidearms.
Caveats - the Brolin and my Series 70 are both throated for JHPs, but I only ever buy .45 FMJ (and sometimes tracer) and never bother with expensive JHPs. Part of the reason I have .45s is that I have three kids and the old .45 is probably the best of the old technology offerings that don't cost a dollar or more a round. I also have a pillow case full of 1911 mags that I found when we moved. Current production revamped Series 70s were 960 dollars per last I checked at the Exchange. Selling the old timers and getting newly made guns would be an option.
Both were guns that someone's dad had "always" - presumably since the end of WW2 - had in the house. The first showed some rust and use. Apparently it had been used to fire "thousands" of rounds out in the woods, at tin cans, etc since the demise of the original owner by his son. No real special care was given it. With a mix of original 1911 and 1911A1 features, it seems to be a 1918 (and thus possibly two world war) Colt frame with a later Remington-Rand slide on it, probably a GI mix master from long ago since it apparently was never altered from its "always been there" days. Lanyard loop is gone, long trigger...
One of the Marine armorers that I know shoots 1911s in matches, so he looked it over, ran the gauges and what not, and spent a bit of time cleaning it. Everything was acceptable and the gun seems perfectly functional. It has one of the "bent" GI mags in it, where someone adjusted the feedlips to try shooting JHP or some such at some unknown date in the past.
At the same time I got it, a more pristine looking example came with it. This one someone's dad or grand dad had had sitting around "forever" and then after their demise it passed on in the family, eventually being traded for something "modern". Looking like new, it's a 1942 or 43 Colt rearsenaled at some point by Springfield Armory. It looks a bit like one of the modern "replica" GI 1911s that float around. Lanyard ring is still there. Magazine still has the "GI ball" profile long tapering lip. If it has been shot since it was rearsenaled, it hasn't been shot much. The ever helpful armorer said all the parts looked "good as new".
I was interested in these two after my friend got them. I don't know why. They just seemed... well... interesting. It seemed odd to me that someone would get rid of them, the more so that they'd trade them off. Esp the elder of the pair that apparently had always worked great.
Shrug.
Prior to getting them I'd ended up with one of the higher grade Brolin 1911s. Long defunct, some of their products were actually workable. This one had belonged to another armorer at one point, so it was smooth. Cost me a .222 Remington 700 made before I was born that I didn't want to stock ammo for and 16 loose rounds for it. Seemed a good deal. For whatever reason my wife claimed the Brolin and suggested getting essentially "all" 1911s, or at least enough for everone.
I already has a nice Series 70 Colt for myself, that left the factory around the time I was four years old and Stars Wars was likely still playing in theaters. (1978). But with two adults and three sons - and counting - that left me short on 1911s. Still, seemed an idea of some merit - same mechanics, same magazine, same basic holsters set up with a gun for everyone.
Around the time she got that idea, the 1911s were offered to me since the guy who had them didn't want to ship and was tired of people offering him 500 dollars each for them. I knew that he liked my .44 mag and wanted to try a .357 Sig... so... we traded.
Thus the two old war time guns became mine.
But, for all that the two guns are interesting bits of American martial heritage... I got them to use them. As fully functioning basic 1911s ought be used.
I reasoned that I could pay about a grand to get a "replica" Colt GI gun, and perhaps half that for a very basic "replica" by someone else. So I thought... why get a replica? I'll just get the real thing. And I did. Two GI 1911s with all their vices and virtues. One a bit worn, the other looking showroom new. And not as things to put away. Freshly oiled, cleaned and ready I saw them as perfectly viable weapons. I reasoned that they'd shoot just as well today as they did many many years ago and ought work at least as well as a "replica" clone.
Thus they sit. Cleaned, oiled, and "ready". Not ready for storage, the display case or the shadow box... but ready for... use. Kept as actual weapons and not memorabilia. I find myself wondering if this is the wrong use to put these to - and perhaps a mistake to have traded two "modern" firearms for - or if in some ways it isn't the perfect use for the pair. To actually be "used". The plan being to give one each to my first two sons (I'm a 1911 short, the youngest will have to make do with a customized Ruger Bisley Vaquero I find myself owning and attached to for some unknown reason, lets hope he likes cowboys.) But again I don't know. I figured that they wouldn't really lose value, or at least not a lot and that I'd just use them as weapons. Other people seem to think I ought retire them and just keep them in the closet.
What do you (the collective you) think? Would you use these things as actual weapons - not just range guns, neat things to have, curios/whatnot - but kept for what they originally were for - functional and viable sidearms.
Caveats - the Brolin and my Series 70 are both throated for JHPs, but I only ever buy .45 FMJ (and sometimes tracer) and never bother with expensive JHPs. Part of the reason I have .45s is that I have three kids and the old .45 is probably the best of the old technology offerings that don't cost a dollar or more a round. I also have a pillow case full of 1911 mags that I found when we moved. Current production revamped Series 70s were 960 dollars per last I checked at the Exchange. Selling the old timers and getting newly made guns would be an option.
