Mint Remington Rand .45

[telewinz]

I have the chance to but a Remington Rand LNIB (Yes, he has the original cardboard box it came in). Its been fired a little but other than that it's as issued. Whats a fair price for it? I said at least $700 but on guns America most go for $1100 an up. Thats way out of my budget but I don't want to cheat the guy.

 

[HankL]

According to the 24th edition of The Blue Book of Gun Values the 100% pistol with original box should go for around $950. 20% of that price is for the box.

 

[1911Tuner]

Minty Rand

First, be suspicious of any GI issue pistol that looks brand new,
unless you know the seller personally and trust him at his word.

Second, understand that even though he may be straight up, he may
have been taken in by a restored gun that may or may not be correct.
If you are buying it for collector value, have it examined by someone
who knows exactly what he is looking at/for. Photographs are iffy.
Hard to see detail.

There are many people who can rebuild and restore an old GI pistol
to like-new, as issued condition. I've done it, and the results can
be amazing...but that does not make the gun ANIB. As long
as it's sold as a restored piece, and the buyer is aware of it, no
problem. If the seller isn't aware that it's a resto, then he's
well-intentioned, but you could still wind up paying a premium
for a gun worth half the asking price.

Third, if it's restored, be sure that the rebuild process was well and
correctly done. Many look good, but have major issues that can and
do affect the function of the guns.

Fourth, if the pistol is truly that pristine, it was likely stolen from an
armory before it was logged in and issued for use. I'm sure that
it's happened at some point, though I'm not personally aware of any
that were.

Hope this helps...Hope more that it's genuine. Envy abounds if it is.

Tuner

 

[Old Fuff]

Tuner is right. U.S. model 1911 and 1911-A1 pistols did not have the maker’s name stamped on the frame. Slides made by different contractors could be and were interchanged on different frames, both inside and outside the services. To determine the authenticity of a particular gun you need to know the serial number (because certain numbers were assigned to each maker) and the Government Inspectors mark. As a rule different inspectors were assigned to different factories.

Literally thousands of pistols were “liberated†by soldiers. Most of them were listed as “battlefield lost.†But I wonder about one in the original box. If it disappeared and was never issued it might be listed as stolen to this day.

Another possibility regarding a new-in-box gun is that it is one that was sold as military surplus back in the 1950’s. Many of these came from England and if so have British as well as American markings.

If you post the information I’ve mentioned, particularly the serial number (use “xx†for the last digits) and a description of the inspector’s stamp someone here may be able to determine if it is a likely Remington-Rand. However this won’t determine if it has ever been refinished or rebuilt. I wouldn’t spend anything like $700.00 to $1,000 or more unless I was absolutely sure what I was getting.

That said, these guns are turning up as World War Two servicemen pass away. It is entirely possible that the gun is genuine.

 

[dsk]

True mint, in-the-box pistols have surfaced occasionally, but most are in the hands of advanced collectors by now. By far and away the vast majority of "factory boxes" out there are reproductions. If the pistol is indeed like-new with the original box it's worth at least $1100.

Go to http://www.model1911a1.com to see pictures of original kraft shipping boxes. Make note of the color inside/out and the tape that went around them.

You can also go to http://usgi1911.tripod.com and http://www1911info.com for information on how to distinguish an original-finish pistol from a refinished one.