Springfield Night 1911-a1 ???

[Riss]

Looking at buying a Springfield "Night" 1911. Is a short slide with a single Tritium dot in the front sight, nothing in the back sight. Appears to be painted as it is chipped in some places. Is this a paint or one of those Teflon type finishes? Looked for information on this model but cannot find any even for sale. As this is my first 1911 I'm not too familiar with the price. Is $300 a decent price for this model? And will one of thos .22 cal uppers fit on it so I can teach my kid to shoot? Anyinformation appreciated, need to make my mind up on buying it soon.

 

[stans]

First 1911 and short slides are not always the best combinations. The 5 inch Government models usually work perfectly right out of the box. 4 and 4-1/4 inch barrels are also reliable, but a few might need a little work. When the slides and barrels get shorter, the reliability problem increase. I am not saying that the compact 1911's are unreliable, just that they are finicky and can be harder to make reliable.

As for the paint, it is probably Springfield's ArmoryKote which is very similar to, if not exactly like, GunKote, which is a teflon based, baked on finish.

$300 is a very good price, which leads me to ask what's wrong with it?

I don't think the 22 conversions will fit properly on the compact guns. I think they are designed for Government models and they might look strange on the compact frames. Commander model and shorter 1911's have the dust cover on the frame shorted as well as the recoil spring guide abutment and frame rails moved back 0.100", so I don't know how this would affect a 22 conversion.

 

[Riss]

Still want to get it

even if the .22 cal conversion will not work I still want it. The owner is just looking to off it for a new hunting bow. He does not carry all the time and just does not need it. He showed me the price tag, but not the receipt from when he purchashed it from the gun dealer. He paid $400 about a year ago and did not put many rounds through it. Has some wear, but only from lots of handling. Otherwise lookis like it will need a good Parkin' to get looking good again.