What is this 1911 worth?

[someguy2800]

I was just curious what you guys think a fair market value for this gun is? Its a Springfield Armory 9mm, and it has a very early serial number and is mark NM for an American built gun. From what I gather the serial number dates it to 1984 or 1985. I don't know what finishes they offered at the time but I suspect it was a custom shop job due to the high gloss blued finish. Its probably 95% condition. The grips came with it and are colt custom shop grips which I think are cocobolo. I think the mainspring housing is a parkerized GI one as the finish doesn't match any other part of the gun. When I bought it the hammer and sear were all buggered up so I replaced with a remington hammer and a wilson sear. The trigger and springs have been worked over to about 3 lbs. I also welded up the feed ramp and profiled it to feed hollow points. The rear sight is an adjustable unit from MMC. I am currently using it as an action pistol gun.









So what price would you expect to see this pistol bring from someone that wanted it? I'm not interested in getting rid of it, just curious what I should list its value at for insurance.

 

[WVsig]

$500 give or take because you did the work if you were trying to sell it. $800 insurance value.

 

[bannockburn]

someguy2800

WVsig beat me to it; I was going to say somewhere around $500. For insurance purposes I would go $700 to $750. Nice polishing and bluing job on the slide. I have an MMC rear sight on a Colt Custom Gun Shop Combat Commander and it works great with the original front sight.

 

[expat_alaska]

Get what you can for it. I like it because it has the 1911 hammer and grip safety, and the grips are very nice. It has a 1911 A1 arched mainspring housing with the lanyard ring. Yeah, the MSH may have been parked and has the standard shallow ejection port with no extended ejection port on the slide. It has nicer sights than a 1911 A1 and that is a plus. I believe you are correct about the parked MSH.

It is a nice gun and a lot of guys would like added stuff, but it probably runs great. It does not have the "idiot scratch" which tells me you have taken good care of it insofar as field stripping.

I would buy it for $500.

 

[someguy2800]

I'm not interested in selling it. Just curious what an approximate value is. I paid $500 for it and have about another $75 of parts to get it functional. You couldn't get 3 rounds through it when I got it, even ball ammo.

 

[il.bill]

That is a sweet looking 9x19mm 1911. I do not know the cash value of the pistol, but that last photo is PRICELESS!

 

[gsbuickman]

Very nice . I also agree with VW price wise and if that thing shoots half as good as it looks you've done a damn fine job with it, I like it ...

 

[Jim Watson]

I would certainly give you your money back, $575... after I had shot it to be sure you had fixed it as well as you thought you had.
No more because I would then have to have better sights, beavertail, and mag well funnel installed for MY action shooting (IDPA ESP and USPSA SS.)

 

[plinky]

That's a beauty. Hard to beat a classic polished 1911.

I'd much rather carry and abuse polymer guns but for pure enjoyment and careful use, that's the ticket right there.

 

[someguy2800]

I would certainly give you your money back, $575... after I had shot it to be sure you had fixed it as well as you thought you had.
No more because I would then have to have better sights, beavertail, and mag well funnel installed for MY action shooting (IDPA ESP and USPSA SS.)

Yeah this action pistol thing has been an education. I have a range at my house but all the shooting I do is trying to make it challenging to hit as small a target as possible at longer ranges, and of course nobody is timing me. For that type of shooting the tiny sights are perfect since you can really bear down on small targets, but now doing action shooting in a dimly lit indoor range the sight picture is, well... challenging. Also trying to reteach myself to shoot square to the target rather than angled like I do shooting steel and having to manage mag changes in a hurry for the first time ever, so it a learning curve.

I am also worried about wearing off the nice finish going in and out of the holster the amount I've been shooting it. I am now thinking about getting another with combat style sights for action pistol and saving this one for relaxed shooting at home. As for the beavertail with all the 1911's I've ever shot I cannot physically make my hand go in any position that hammer bites so I prefer the old school grip safety.

 

[Jim Watson]

My guns have been in and out of holsters many times. They have blue wear. I don't care, it just shows that I USE them.