Custom 1911 value guess???

[Float Pilot]

I just received another overpriced bill for aircraft maintenance, so I will probably have to sell off yet another one or two more shooting irons.

I have a 1990s vintage Springfield Armory 1911A1, which I customized back when I went to a couple armorers schools.

The parkerizing was polished down and she was hot blued.
There and Novak front and rear sights.
A Wilson beavertail, Or did I use a Clark???
A Videki trigger
Lightweight hammer.
Open ejection port and bevel mag well.
Pearce River grip panels.
Full length recoil spring rod with shock buffs.

heck I may have to take her apart to see if anything else was changed The 1990s were a while back...

She is pretty much a safe queen and while I would rather not sell anything...The safe queens are what I will sell off first until my flying business picks up...or goes bust...

Anyway, I am wondering what the common sale value of a 45 like this might be these days... ??? I think I have 8 or 10 magazines

 

[silicosys4]

I would not go much more than $500, myself. I don't put much, if any value in custom work, with a few exceptions..but that's the danger with customizing a gun you might have to sell.
If you have something factory original that is replaceable, I would sell something else rather than taking a loss on a custom gun.

 

[Baba Louie]

How many man hours you got into it Float Pilot? Somewhere there is an answer that your high priced A&P mechanic will have to answer as well, hopefully... match?

How many hours time does he have into your aircraft? Parts?

I'd go up to $750ish maybe. Which sucks because you've probably got that much in parts alone, now add intelligent labor. Is your work equal to a Ted Yost or Tim Brian, that's anther story altogether? (maybe your experience is up there, I dunno)

Unless you are one of those silver tongued devils that can sell snow to an Eskimo... for a profit. R U?

Nice looking Springfield BTW.

 

[bofe954]

Not anything there that a loaded wouldn't have stock.

 

[mgmorden]

Custom work generally doesn't add value unless its done by a very well known smith.

Personally I'd value it at $500-600 tops.

 

[RainDodger]

Unfortunately, mgmorden is right. If the 'smith isn't known, a custom pistol would be worth less than a factory original to many people.

I've got a number of very, very custom pistols... none of which are probably worth anything on the market.

 

[surjimmy]

It's hard to get back what you put into a gun, even if a well known Gun Smith did the work. Even though it's a nice looking pistol, IMHO you will have harder time selling it then if it was left stock and will bring less. Sorry for your troubles and good luck to you

 

[Greg528iT]

Nice looking gun.. but have to agree with the others

 

[1KPerDay]

I wouldn't sell that one... too much blood/sweat/tears/memories in it. Plus it isn't worth much to anyone else.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Nice gun to keep -- particularly if you shoot it well.

That's not what I'd call a CUSTOM gun, but one that has been "improved" or "enhanced." The full-length guide rod and buffers might actually lower the value a bit -- 'cause some shooters are going to REPLACE THEM immediately! As someone noted, you can buy a new version with most of those features pretty reasonably, and get a warranty, too.

(While I'm oversimplifying a bit, a true custom gun is generally scratch-built from a bare-bones frame and slide, with most of the internals provided by the gunsmith, and great care and technical competence demonstrated, making the exterior crisp or smooth, and with hardly any "factory" stuff to be seen or found. The finished product generally has a lot of gunsmith hours in it, and you notice it as soon as you pick it up or rack the slide.)

 

[Float Pilot]

How many man hours you got into it Float Pilot?

A lot... But it was all fun.

It was back when my Dept and my National guard unit both decided to send me off to Colt for some schooling. I just happened to have a stock S.A. 1911A1 to turn into a project gun. And of course one thing led to another... I started with porting and polishing and pretty soon it turned into a lesson on bluing...

I carried it for a short time as my duty gun. I was plain clothes It never jams and is pretty accurate.... But when a Democrat Governor took office in Dec 1994, his liberal appointees became my bosses and they freaked out when they saw anyone carrying locked and cocked. So by mid to late 1995 I was forced to carry something politically correct.

So other than a few shooting matches here and there,,,, she has been sitting in the safe. I have to carry something with more punch during my bush flying adventures.

 

[smalls]

Personally, I wouldnt buy a gun customized by you. No offense, but a) I don't know you, and b) you offer no guarantee of your work like a custom shop would.

It may be a great shooter, but its a risk I'd be unwilling to take.

 

[WC145]

Nice gun to keep -- particularly if you shoot it well.

That's not what I'd call a CUSTOM gun, but one that has been "improved" or "enhanced." The full-length guide rod and buffers might actually lower the value a bit -- 'cause some shooters are going to REPLACE THEM immediately! As someone noted, you can buy a new version with most of those features pretty reasonably, and get a warranty, too.

(While I'm oversimplifying a bit, a true custom gun is generally scratch-built from a bare-bones frame and slide, with most of the internals provided by the gunsmith, and great care and technical competence demonstrated, making the exterior crisp or smooth, and with hardly any "factory" stuff to be seen or found. The finished product generally has a lot of gunsmith hours in it, and you notice it as soon as you pick it up or rack the slide.)

This ^^^^^. I own a number of custom 1911s but they were all either purchased already built by well known, name gunsmiths, so they're value is in their provenance, or I have had them built specifically for me by a very, very good local gunsmith. The former will always have value as customs because of who customized them. The resale value of the latter will always suffer, regardless of the quality of the work, because the 'smith is, for all intents and purposes, unknown, and the gun was built to my specific needs and desires. What fits me perfectly will seldom fit another as well.

I have to agree with the others, whatever value the gun might have for what it was originally has been lost thanks to the work done. It's a $500 +/- piece.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Um, probably not much more than $550. It's a used SA from the 90's. They were known for the "soft" steel back then. The customizations consists of part swaps. It's probably a good shooter but not a custom job.