Old Colt 1911 question

[cannon]

Buddy wants to sell me a 1911 made in 1917.

Pistol is a gov. model that went to the Army back in 17. This pistol is BLUE not parked, black or dull blue. It is BLUE. Not a re blueing either.

No picture to post but the Ser# is 184XXX

What can the experts tell me about this pistol?

[Milsurp Collector]

Can't tell anything without pictures. It could be the original "brushed blue" finish or it could be refinished. I don't know how you can be so sure it hasn't been refinished.

First thing to check is the appearance of the serial number, and the presence of a "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" marking on the frame.

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[highpower]

What he said. The only thing I can say is that the serial number you posted is from 1917.

[GM4spd]

The United States Property will be on the opposite side from the serial
number. Inspector initials should be above the mag release button. The
letters should be intertwined maybe JMG or GHS. The rampant Colt
should be on the REAR of the slide above the thumb safety. Your serial
should have Gilbert H Stewart’s cartouche. First pic —-if the initials are
not there,not sharp edged,or thin the gun is probably refinished.

[onelonehorseman]

Pictures will definitely help with the evaluation.

If the bluing is original, and unless it's been sitting in a museum since it was produced, I will expect that it will have a fair bit of holster wear on the high points, and will have faded to a dark gray/black-blue color.

Looking forward to pics!

[beetle]

Buddy wants to sell me a 1911 made in 1917.

Pistol is a gov. model that went to the Army back in 17. This pistol is BLUE not parked, black or dull blue. It is BLUE. Not a re blueing either.

No picture to post but the Ser# is 184XXX

What can the experts tell me about this pistol?

need to post pics before anyone can evaluate. could be worth anywhere from $500 to $5000.

I like how you say it is BLUE they sure made pretty guns back in the day.

Here is my 1918 in what is known as the "brushed blue" finish. Under bright lights that blue really stands out! This is one of my best conditioned guns (all original) in my collection.

[GM4spd]

Fine specimen of what an ORIGINAL looks like. There are so many restoration
types on the market today,mostly done by Turnbull. They look great but
are not the real deal.They cost a fortune. At the end of the day they have
0% original finish ! Thanks for sharing, Beetle.

[onelonehorseman]

need to post pics before anyone can evaluate. could be worth anywhere from $500 to $5000.

I like how you say it is BLUE they sure made pretty guns back in the day.

Here is my 1918 in what is known as the "brushed blue" finish. Under bright lights that blue really stands out! This is one of my best conditioned guns (all original) in my collection.

Now THAT'S a beauty! Very nice!

[highpower]

Somewhere around the 180K serial number range the font of the roll marks changed from the earlier style with serifs to the Gothic letters you see on Beetles gun. The style of the letters will be the same on both slide and frame, if they are different, the slide has been swapped out.

Here is my 1917 Colt that was made around March of that year. Not quite as nice a Beetle's, but pretty decent for a 100 year old service weapon.



Look at the way the grain of the polishing lines run differently on the grip frame. At the top, they run horizontally and below the mag release, they run vertically. All these early brushed finish Colts came from the factory this way. If this area is highly polished, or the grain is homogeneous throughout, it will have been refinished.

[cannon]

Sorry guys, no pics at this time. Will see the Colt again on Christmas day. Will snap some pics then.

Mainly wanted to know if the ser# range was correct for a blue Colt and any other info you all may wish to share.

Thank you all for the info you have provided.

[bk23103]

I'd carry it, just because.

[BigPimping]

How much does seller want?

[johnthomas]

Offer him 500 and buy it now. PPT

[Bamadrifter]

Mine from the same year with a 6 digit SN has much less bluing on it than beetle or other fella's. I paid the princely sum $2500 for it 5 years ago. If all the parts are original and #s matching, it would be a steal at $1500 even if only 80% condition. Good luck. Merry Christmas.

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