GunnyUSMC
Member
I have been wanting to pick up an old Colt 1911 or 1911A1, but just never could find one I could aford.
Today started off like most other Fridays for me. Being that it's my day off I got out of the house around 8am and headed over to the Waffle House. After breakfast I headed on down to one of the pawn shops. The first shop didn't have anything that cought my eye so, I headed down the road to the next shop. I shot the bull a little ( I like to talk ) and then started looking at guns. They didn't have much in the way of surplus weapons, just two No.4s that had been sporterized and another Mauser that had been hacked up.
My friend that works there asked if I had looked at the Colt 1911 that they had gotten in. I asked if it was a 1911 or an A1. He said that it was a 1911 and it had been spray painted black.
The guy that ownes the shop likes to put high dollar on his Colts, but I had not looked at a 1911 in some time and asked to see it.
It was US property marked and the parts looked to be correct other then the black rubber Houge grips. I asked if I could take it apart and was told to go for it. So I field stripped it and everything looked good. It appeared that someone had spray painted black paint on the gun without taking it apart. There was no paint under the slide release.
Then I looked at the tag and was shocked.
About a year ago they had a US 1911A1 in the case that had almost no finish on it, priced at $999.95. What shocked me was the price on the tag was only $799.95.
Well the squirrel in my head started running around.
I just sent off my income tax for 2011 and paid most of my bills. I had a little spending money, also had some overtime pay coming in on my next paycheck.
The squirrel in my head was telling me to do my pawn shop math and buy the gun. Well, the force was with the squirrel and I had to give it a try.
I offered $500 for the gun. the guy said he would go run it by the boss. I knew the answer before he walked away with the gun. When he came back he said that the boss said no way. So I waited a little and asked what would he take for the gun. He came back from the office and said $650. He said that someone had offered them $650 and the boss turned it down, because he didn't like the guy so much. I had the money, but didn't want to be without extra for a week or two. I asked my friend if he would let me put it on layaway and he said yes.
Most often they never cut the cost on items put on layaway.
Now I was more then willing to spend the money on the gun, but the Squirrel in my head was telling me to push a little harder to get a better price. So I asked my friend to make sure that we were on the same track with the price. I said to him. " Now that is going to be $650 out the door even on layaway." He thought about it and then said. "OK" That put the gun at $593.61 before tax.
I put $100 down and plan to have it out with in two weeks.
Oh! the SN# is 463024 which puts it being made in 1918.
Today started off like most other Fridays for me. Being that it's my day off I got out of the house around 8am and headed over to the Waffle House. After breakfast I headed on down to one of the pawn shops. The first shop didn't have anything that cought my eye so, I headed down the road to the next shop. I shot the bull a little ( I like to talk ) and then started looking at guns. They didn't have much in the way of surplus weapons, just two No.4s that had been sporterized and another Mauser that had been hacked up.
My friend that works there asked if I had looked at the Colt 1911 that they had gotten in. I asked if it was a 1911 or an A1. He said that it was a 1911 and it had been spray painted black. The guy that ownes the shop likes to put high dollar on his Colts, but I had not looked at a 1911 in some time and asked to see it.
It was US property marked and the parts looked to be correct other then the black rubber Houge grips. I asked if I could take it apart and was told to go for it. So I field stripped it and everything looked good. It appeared that someone had spray painted black paint on the gun without taking it apart. There was no paint under the slide release.
Then I looked at the tag and was shocked.
About a year ago they had a US 1911A1 in the case that had almost no finish on it, priced at $999.95. What shocked me was the price on the tag was only $799.95. Well the squirrel in my head started running around.
I just sent off my income tax for 2011 and paid most of my bills. I had a little spending money, also had some overtime pay coming in on my next paycheck.
The squirrel in my head was telling me to do my pawn shop math and buy the gun. Well, the force was with the squirrel and I had to give it a try.
I offered $500 for the gun. the guy said he would go run it by the boss. I knew the answer before he walked away with the gun. When he came back he said that the boss said no way. So I waited a little and asked what would he take for the gun. He came back from the office and said $650. He said that someone had offered them $650 and the boss turned it down, because he didn't like the guy so much. I had the money, but didn't want to be without extra for a week or two. I asked my friend if he would let me put it on layaway and he said yes.
Most often they never cut the cost on items put on layaway.Now I was more then willing to spend the money on the gun, but the Squirrel in my head was telling me to push a little harder to get a better price. So I asked my friend to make sure that we were on the same track with the price. I said to him. " Now that is going to be $650 out the door even on layaway." He thought about it and then said. "OK" That put the gun at $593.61 before tax.
I put $100 down and plan to have it out with in two weeks.
Oh! the SN# is 463024 which puts it being made in 1918.
That felt kinda good, I've never talked back to a Gunny before......Your don't live near Oklahoma do ya? If so I take it all back.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Outstanding Gunny. USMC 84-88, 03walkalot.
