1943 Colt M1911A1

[morfiend]

 Bubi,

  If you have anny pix of grandpa and the gun save them also,especially if you have war time pictures.

 That would give provinance to the piece and as they say a pictures worth a thousand words.




   

[Kenne]

Have one just like it   1943 built to Colts patent by Remington Rand. Marked United States Property   Dad used it while he was on the US Army (national) Pistol Team.

i also have an RR

[B4Buster]

Wow, that's in fantastic condition.

[Guppy35]

If you even think about letting that amazing piece of history out of the family, we will find you and beat you over the head with bats

Thanks for sharing the photos and back story

[gyrene81]

standing by...

[mbailey]

standing by...

(Image removed from quote.)

 

[SmokinLoon]

A true collector and aficionado will pay upwards of $4000 for that 1911 being that the history is known.  On the street, or rather in a pawn shop they'd offer you $400 and tell you it is in rough shape.

Do not sell that, I'd put it away after giving it a nice coat of fine gun oil.  Also, do not store it in the holster, put it in a legit case.  I'd get the SN written down and stored somewhere safe, and I wouldn't be afraid to put it in a trust.

What you have is worth far more than most of us can comprehend, please hang on to it and write down the story behind it for future generations to enjoy.   

[Nefarious]

Great comments from everyone, great pistol.

[Maverick]

You've gotten some good info already. As to long term storage (like a year at a time) there are a couple things you can do. The best is to use one of the newer products out now that is actually a plastic like material bag. (Here is a link to what I mean. https://www.zcorrproducts.com/) Clean and oil the weapon then place in the bag according to the instructions and it will keep it safe from rusting and dirt. For security you can't really beat something like a safety deposit box and the bag treatment will do a great job keeping it in good shape. That is if you are only interested in keeping it around for a long time and not using it.
 
I'm not a collector but a shooter. I'd still shoot the gun but would do so sparingly. Even though it's got some historical significance (especially sentimental to you and your family) it wasn't something that has a critical historical impact like say Patton's sidearm or a one of a kind example so shooting it once in a while won't hurt it.

Holster. Get some product that is similar to neatsfoot oil (the newer synthetics are better for preservation) and give it a treatment to preserve the leather. Do not seal it up in a plastic bag and do not store the weapon in it either. Keep it clean and dry, or at least away from excess humidity and water as well as dust but the leather does have to be able to "breathe".

[CAP1]

I  love historic firearms and wouldn't dream doing anything that would damage the gun or ruin its originality. Beyond being the priceless piece of history any other service 1911 would be to me, it's also a family relic so the value of this firearm to us isn't really describable.

My grandfather had all of his pistols professionally cleaned by someone who knew how not to ruin the value of his guns, one of which is a police revolver that's apparently upward of 100 years old. The 1911 he said really didn't need much though.

I got it in some better light to take pictures and there is actually some wear/almost very very light rust at spots on the slide under the parkerization but other parts of the pistol look great still and the pistol is easily still in fireable condition (it's always been maintained and in very occasional use, not just sitting in a closet or something, and of course recently it's been looked over by a gunsmith). The holster is definitely in not-as-good shape but it's still very cool.








Holster's a bit worse for wear

 cap is incredibly jealous. that said, i'm picking my my remington 1911r1 enhanced tonight. and i get to shoot it before i bring it home.