Early 1911 Gummint "Hybrid"

[Art Eatman]

My father acquired a 1912-framed 1911 many decades ago, but the slide appears to be much newer--maybe. The frame looks like it came from the Augusta Arsenal refinish job just yesterday, and the slide is near pristine.

The slide on the left side says "government" above the word "model". To the right is "Colt" and then to the right of Colt is "automatic" over "caliber .45" (All capital letters.) Rampant pony to the right of the text.

On the right side of the slide is "Colt's Mfg. Co. Hartford CT USA.

No other markings on slide.

Any idea about the slide?

Rough guesstimation of value?

Art

 

[Old Fuff]

Art:

The slide is a commercial rather then USGI one.

The markings indicate it was made sometime between 1949 through 1955, although it could have been sold as a spare part sometime later.

Value of what? The pistol or just the slide?

As for the slide, it would probably be worth $200.00 or so - especially to someone who was trying to rebuild or restore a commercial Colt from that time period. It's getting to be that older Colt parts bring high prices from buyers that don't trust the quality of current parts. Although I don't have any problems with Colt's slides from any period, those that are currently available are usually for the Series 80 guns.

 

[Art Eatman]

I figured it was commercial; I had no notion of the time period. Thanks.

I'm mostly curious about the overall value. I don't like to hybridize stuff and pass it off as original. Somewhere I have a GI slide that's still in the cosmolined paper.

I guess that with the arsenal rebuilds it's not that big a deal. Dunno...

Art

 

[Old Fuff]

The arsenal rebuilds don't draw the money that a piece in original condition does. However they are a functional equivlant, and a pretty good number were used in Korea and Viet Nam. Some may be in the current "Sandboxes."

Arsenal rebuilds will have markings showing this to be the case. I consider others to be "parts guns." On the current market I would expect your gun to be worth at least $500.00 and maybe $600.00.

 

[Art Eatman]

$600 is in line with Fjestad...

My uncle was a gunsmith, and he and my father meddled around with a lot of DCM stuff. Uncle Joe was an armorer for the NG when he was still in high school, back around 1924 or so. A heckuva machinist, as well. He and my father both built sporters and did a lot of buy/sell/trade as well as a lot of hunting. I'm still going through "wild animal boxes" of stuff they left me...

Again, thanx.

Art