Vintage 1911's

[Mike45]

Howdy folks,
Anybody collect WWI-WWII 1911's, the old Colts, Remington Rands, Singers, Ithaca's, and such? I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who shares this interest and seeing any photos that you might have...thanks...Mike45

[PA Rifleman]

Originally Posted by Mike45

Howdy folks,
Anybody collect WWI-WWII 1911's, the old Colts, Remington Rands, Singers, Ithaca's, and such? ...Mike45

Me. I'm fairly involved in the W.W.II thing, and it's spilling over in to education. I've already loaned a few non-gun items to schools.

Right now I have a nice Remington-Rand (photo), and a post-war rebuilt Ithaca (photo 1 - photo 2). The bore in the Ithaca looks like antique sewer pipe, but shoots very well. Bought it intending to modify it, but I couldn't bring myself to modify it.

In the near future I'll be looking for a minty US&S.

[brian]

i also do the ww2 thing.
though decent .45's are hard to come by locally here. i stumbled across a real nice colt this past spring.
the local enabler has a shooter colt that has a commerical frame, that i keep thinking about, price is less than $400. a good colt will bring around 1k.

you really need to have your ducks in a row before dropping coin on them. the price/value can vary greatly depending on how ''correct'' teh piece is. more so the value, but you could easily pay to much for a pistol that is not totally correct.

[Mike45]

Thanks for the photos PA Rifleman. Glad to see that there are others who like the older 1911's. Having your "ducks in a row" as brian mentions, is a must. You have to know what to look for and how much the item is worth. There is ample info on the web to sort things our for any would-be purchaser. I found a 1944 Remington Rand and was lucky enough to buy it from an honest dealer here in town. I did find out after the purchase that the mag was not correct and I am now looking at the mainspring housing with doubt. Check the 1911 forums for parts guys. They are out there. Happy collecting...Mike45

[schwantz]

I'm still kicking myself in the ass for selling my father's US&S .45 1911A1 to a collector some years ago. I did manage to hang on to this one though.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by schwantz

I'm still kicking myself in the ass for selling my father's US&S .45 1911A1 to a collector some years ago. I did manage to hang on to this one though.

WOW, schwantz, that's nice. Liberators are an amazing piece of American WWII history. Don't ever get rid of that one, they are extremely rare (at least, ones in working order are)!

[PA Rifleman]

Originally Posted by Mike45

... I did find out after the purchase [of a 1944 Remington Rand] that the mag was not correct and I am now looking at the mainspring housing with doubt. ...Mike45[/b]

Ditto, the mainspring housing on one of my 1911s isn't knurled, it's grooved. No idea if it's correct, but it does function properly. Agreed, this is one area where homework really pays off, literally.

[schwantz]

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

WOW, schwantz, that's nice. Liberators are an amazing piece of American WWII history. Don't ever get rid of that one, they are extremely rare (at least, ones in working order are)!

As far as I know it should function, but I haven't had the guts to take it to the range to "accuracy" test it.

[PA Rifleman]

Originally Posted by schwantz

As far as I know it should function, but I haven't had the guts to take it to the range to "accuracy" test it.

What a rare piece, and good example of clandestine equipment! Thanks for sharing this!

If it were mine, I would refrain from firing it, live or dry. As I recall, the striker knob is cast pot metal (alloy of zinc, lead & possibly aluminum) and deteriorates significantly over time. If that knob broke or shattered, I'd be heartbroken. That pistol was worth a thousand dollars years ago, it has increased since then.

If the striker is removeable, It might be possible to have a replacement machined from aluminum for range use, and reinstall the original when done firing. Your striker looks like it's in very good shape. FYI - I've seen gyroscope bearings from W.W.II era aircraft instruments that literally turned to white powder, and that was in the 1970s.

[schwantz]

I was just kidding about testing it. Too many safety issues besides the undeniable historical value.