[dust_101]

Folks, need a little advice here...

My most recent handgun purchase was a Sistema 1927 from Gander Mtn for $250, no finish but in good working shape. Spent a few months doing the work to get it all refinished and fit to my tastes, and for kicks I took it back to Gander last night to get it 'appraised' for a trade-in/sale. They told me the retail would be around-a-bout $800 and they could give me near $600 for the gun. :what:

I almost fell over, I mean literally... babbled about something like I'm not sure what to trade it in on or something and I'll think about it, got a business card with the offered price on it and left (plus the Wife got bored).

So now I've been sitting, thinking about what to do. Don't get me wrong I love the 1927, and the work I did was worth it in my mind, but I've been looking for a real CCW and that $$ could be a nice payment on a Kimber Ultra-Carry or that nice new Springfield EMP, or go the other way and get a S&W 642 with lasergrip or a really good condition nickel Colt Det. Spec. :banghead:

GAH!! Hate decisions like this. I know if I sold it, I'd be searching for another rough condition 1927 to rebuild, it's a damn fine shooter and has been alot of fun at the range, but as my current armory stands I have no functional CCW that I can comfortably carry. Plus I LOVE to buy a new gun, almost as much as I LOVE to refinish an old project gun.

Thoughts? Suggestions? ...and keep in mind I don't want to go into debt here, when I buy something it is cash on the barrelhead, done. :D

[aaronrkelly]

I would NOT have left there without $600...the gun would have been GONE.

How much money did you have in the "rebuild"? Perhaps if you had a bunch of money in it then its not so hot a deal.....but it sounds like you did this at home and likely have less $75 in the work.

[Old Fuff]

The basic gun is of better quality then anything made today by Kimber or S.A. for under $1,200 or so. The frame and slide are forged, and the internal parts are (or were) made of real steel. How much money you put into it I can't say. That said, I would be tempted to take the $600 trade-in on something else, and then buy another model 1927, which are still out there in the $300 price range. On the other hand if you are satisfied with what you have I'd keep it.

Those 1927's were made during the 1940's and 50's to pre-war Colt manufacturing standards, but out of better steel. They were a licensed copy, not a cheap knock-off. All of the parts are "to print," something you can't say about any of the current stuff on the market.

[hankpac]

I looked at your photo, and while it is just an opinion, I thnk I'd keep the Systema, fro the reasons posted above. Besides, that IS a CCW. Don't leave home without it.

[Frandy]

Based on your comments, I'd call this an emotional decision as much as a practical one.

Consider the following two scenarios:


Sell it yourself and get more than $600 for it.
Find another Sistema and refinish it. Then, sell or trade one in, and keep your favorite of the two.


The best of both worlds.

[GRB]

Flip a coin. Heads you keep it, tales you sell it, if the coin lands on its edge, you sell it and give the money to your wife.:evil:

All the best,
Glenn B

[Mad Magyar]

I currently have a Sistema on consignment for $550...Nice Cobra-chrome finish, most internals are Wilson....
So, I'd take the $600 and get something else....:)

[Lonestar49]

...

:what: that is my impression of your work, the gun, the grip, the wood, a package gun, that indeed, would sell quick IMHO. As mentioned, that gun, its size, is very CCW.

Think you may have found a second-job, that you love to do, which many don't get out of their labor, and start bringing home some more bacon.


LS :)

[Lupinus]

I'd sell and get something else. Plus its a good reason for a new project gun.

[Gator]

Yep, grab the cash!

[Mortech]

It looks SWEET , I'd keep it ! I mean you have something thats just as good as a Kimber , has a little history AND you did it yourself . Somethings are worth more than cash .....

[joab]

Holy crap Dust

I bought three of those from Lipsey and one from Gander

I sold the Lipseys and am planning on refurbishing the Gander bought

Hopefully mine will look as good as yours

[HammerBite]

Spent a few months doing the work to get it all refinished and fit to my tastes . . .

. . . it's a damn fine shooter and has been alot of fun at the range . . .
In other words, a true custom gun that you know runs well and was fit and finished by you to please you, and is of superior quality (as attested by Old Fuff).

And for concealed carry you want to replace this with one of the current trendy guns of the month that will be an unknown quantity until you test it out and will tick you off if it fails.

I don't understand.

[Caimlas]

I don't understand, either. There is no way in hell I would part with that gun, man. I don't know how much time you put into it, but it looks good and I'd judge it shoots well. Why not keep it and use it as your CCW? A full-size 1911 isn't that much of a stretch for CCW; just get some slim grips for it and you're good to go.

Is there a write-up with picture documentation of exactly what you did to get a crappy gun to the finished result? I'm interested.

[CWL]

How much in parts did you put into it?

How many man-hours did you spend on this project?
How much do you earn per hour at work?

Do the math and see if $350 ($600- $250) is more or less than that.

[jt1]

My first thought was take the money and run, but after some thought and reviewing your photo I say keep it!

[Leanwolf]

As long as it shoots well, I'd keep it for self defense/CCW.

I do wonder, however, as you were doing all the work, why didn't you put on a set of hi-vis sights, while you were "fixing" it up??
L.W.

[WinchesterAA]

buy another and then sell whichever one you don't want.

wow.. checked the pics and I definately say keep it.

[Eightball]

If you don't sell it to them, I'll buy it from you for $650. That way, you get your money (plus a little), and I get myself a nifty, "custom" 1911. Except for the price it would take to get that thing down to KY, that would be nifty.

I'd keep it--it's a true "custom" in the world of factory-built faux customs.

[dust_101]

Wow, appreciate the replies there folks, let me see if I can answer some of the questions:

Cost of the rebuild: Approx. $70 in parts (some used some new), $20 for the blueing (friend with a tank and a gunsmithing business who added my parts into a large order of his) and the time spent using some of his machines

Time involved: On/Off about 3 months but condensed into maybe 30 hours or so

Documentation/write-up: I have a large group of photos of the refinish and plan to do something with them... we'll see :D

Sights: I left the slide as alone as possible, buffed some edges but decided to not put new sights or cut it for Novak's... plus I can shoot well enough with the GI sights, just last week at the range I put a 2 3/4 shotgun case on top of the wooden target stand and hit the shell from 20 yards out freehand. So yes she shoots well.

CCW - I tried prior to the rebuild to carry this guy for 1 week with an 8 round loaded mag. It was not suitable for my daily activites, this with a 1.75" thick Don Hume belt, and a Kydex IWB holster. It just was to heavy, and trust me I was upset by that. Hoping to find something lighter to carry and that too may be a fault but it is something I must try out.

So for now, I'm still not sure what to do, went back to Gander and handled a few smaller guns (G26, Kimber, etc) sheesh the old steel just does feel nice though :D

[shooter1]

Great job on the rebuild! The gun looks great, well, except for the grips. I know you hate to part with it, but a fullsize 1911 is a bit much for CCW in my book too. Too bad you can't find the means to keep it and purchase a Kimber Ultra Carry as well! Carry on!
str1

[Iggy]

40 years from now, you will have a bad knee from kickin' yourself all those years for trading that old timer off.

Don't ask me how I know!!

:o

[mlandman]

-$250 purchase price
-$ 70 pieces and parts
-$ 20 Bluing
-$340 cost basis
+$600 Potential sale price
$260 Profit

$260/30hours=$8.67/hour=keep it ;)
Work a few hours extra per week for 3 months and buy a nice new CCW, or consider this a nice new hobby that is enjoyable and puts a little $$ in the pocket...all good!

[Ala Dan]

I'd probably take the money, over the firearm and get a more "suitable" CCW
piece~! :scrutiny::D

[joab]

It would be very hard for me to let go of something that I massaged back from the condition that thing was in

Anybody that has seen one of these Lipseys knows what I mean

[gezzer]

Keep it you made it , it works why not carry it $600 isn’t a big profit.

To set up a new gun you will spend way over that and will not equal what you have now.

[XavierBreath]

but I've been looking for a real CCW Wow. My primary carry gun is a modified Sistema. It's a real CCW. New and more expensive does not necessarily mean better.

$600 is a very good offer though.

[1911 guy]

The answer is kinda obvious, carry the Systema. You said you'd just roll the money over into another 1911 anyway. Since you seem to be capable of doing some of your own work on it, put in a Yost/Bonitz retro rear sight and suitable front sight and call it good.

[dust_101]

think this is my first post that stretched to 2 pages =)

So it has been a week and I've decided what to do with this 'offer' of $600... thumbing my nose at it, keeping my nice 1927 all to myself and picking up a Smith & Wesson 642 as a pocket CCW....

...and for the cooler months (which is like half the year up here) getting a nice coat for the 1927 to be carried in:

SigTac® Leather Concealed Carry Coat
(http://www.sigarms.com/SigStore/ShowProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=0&productid=196)

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions folks...

[ZeSpectre]

Lesson learned the hard way.
If you have a shootin iron you like don't sell/trade it!

[mrrick]

Old Fuff go it right.

These are fine guns, with pre-war, old world craftsmanship that cannot be found today for less than a couple thousand. I have two and would buy more if I could get them at the price I paid several years ago at Cruffler.com, $299.00. When the first one arrived, I was so impressed I immediately got on the phone and ordered another, (they were C&R), which was even better. Wish I had ordered a half dozen. Except for replacing the pin on the barrel link, I've left them as is. These were arsenal refinished and are in excellent condition. In fact, I've only fired the first one I bought, the other is still in the box and I've never fired it. I have a couple of series 70 Colts and 2 SAs, but like these the best. If Gander Mountain has these regularly, I'm going to check on them when I'm on leave from the sandbox next month.

I'd keep it for sure.

[surjimmy]

Caimlas is right, you have a weapon you can depend on,& the work you did on it looks great. No way would I part with it. I carry my Les Baer PII with no problems.

[MarshallDodge]

The only thing I could come up with:

Pro:
That is a good offer.
Kimber and Springfield have better sights in my opinion.

Con:
You will regret selling it because of your labor of love.

I bought a Norinco new back when they were $275 each. Then I proceeded to put a match trigger and a few other tricks. I sold it to a friend and when it became available again I bought it back :)

[45Badger]

Logically- Sell it. Around here, you would be very hard pressed to sell it for $600. It isn't a collector, it isn't a "custom" from a "Name" smith. My last 1911 purchase was a mint original Series 70 Colt for $529 at Gander Mountain.

Emotionally- KEEP IT! It is a very nice gun tyhat you own right, and has a chunk of your time and love in it.

[MikePGS]

I was actually going to say that you could do what Xavier did and modify it to carry, but he already posted on this thread. Heres a link to his page where he details what he did to get his gun into carry spec, and also the really well reasoned reasons for doing this. http://www.geocities.com/xavierbreath2/projectsistema.html

[PrimaryB]

Looks like a labor of love to me. But there will be many more in your future. I would go back to Gander Mt and let the wife hold on to it, approach counter guy and start talking price on the gun of your choice. After you have reached your desired price then pull out your ace card. Get 1 bill knocked off off the gun you've choosen and the profits from you're efforts and enjoy. Before you pull out the Sistemas ask for a box of ammo also. Bet you get it.

IMHO the value of the gun's history disappeared when the mods and rebluing appeared. Don't get me wrong it's a fine looking weapon. As far as the metals used way back when..........ask the passengers of the Titanic.:neener: I'm just jealous.

Good Luck!