[hawkins1120]

I recently picked up an old 1911 from a relative. It was a rusty, sticky P.O.S. I took it apart and cleaned it up, now it's in decent condition. I was thinking about having it refinished and buying some new parts for it but I thought I should look up the serial number and see what I actually have before I started messing with it. According to the S/N (C31xx) it's a Colt commercial production frame from 1913, but the slide says Remington-Rand. I have no interest in getting rid of it one way or another, I'm just wondering if I should put it in a display case or turn it into a shooter. Any advice or information would be appreciated.

 

[notshawn54]

We love pictures around here.

 

[~JM~]

They are original only once.

 

[ZoidMeister]

@FWoo45 !!!!!!!!

 

[ZoidMeister]

Is it in better condition than this one, or worse?

@FWoo45 !!!!!!!!

 

[Raylan Givens]

Did your relative have a camera?

 

[FWoo45]

Let's see this thing! If you change your mind about getting rid of it, I know a guy who has a real love of beat up old 1911's...

 

[ZoidMeister]

I recently picked up an old 1911 from a relative. It was a rusty, sticky P.O.S. I took it apart and cleaned it up, now it's in decent condition. I was thinking about having it refinished and buying some new parts for it but I thought I should look up the serial number and see what I actually have before I started messing with it. According to the S/N (C31xx) it's a Colt commercial production frame from 1913, but the slide says Remington-Rand. I have no interest in getting rid of it one way or another, I'm just wondering if I should put it in a display case or turn it into a shooter. Any advice or information would be appreciated.

Let's see, mismatched frame and slide + rust / lack of finish = SHOOTER !

Value = $500 - $600 (+/-) depending on condition.

Just because it's fugly, doesn't mean it cannot perform.

Z

 

[hawkins1120]

Here are some pictures.

 

[swampgas]

I recently picked up an old 1911 from a relative. It was a rusty, sticky P.O.S. I took it apart and cleaned it up, now it's in decent condition. I was thinking about having it refinished and buying some new parts for it but I thought I should look up the serial number and see what I actually have before I started messing with it. According to the S/N (C31xx) it's a Colt commercial production frame from 1913, but the slide says Remington-Rand. I have no interest in getting rid of it one way or another, I'm just wondering if I should put it in a display case or turn it into a shooter. Any advice or information would be appreciated.

All kinds of funny stuff with that frame. Don't know what it is but I suspect it's not a Colt frame. Too many alarm bells to be an early, very early, frame.

 

[tac45]

“Rusty sticky P.O.S.”
A perfect description of most of us. !
Oh , welcome from my ocean world.

 

[Babboonbobo]

Love the grips it really highlights the rusty chrome job! Haha

If it functions, shoot the crap out of it if there’s any left!

Welcome to the bestest 1911 forum around.

 

[Capthobo]

That is definitely not a 1913 C frame. Doubt it’s even a Colt. Shoot it if it works.

 

[mtodd]

Tha 1911A1 frame (which you have got) was not adopted until 1926. Not an early colt.

 

[Jim w.]

I've seen that number format posted before. Nobody knew what it was then either. I would not put much money into it.

 

[Legion489]

Ok, first things first, NOT a Colt frame! mtodd is right, 1926 frame, early hammer, later mainspring housing, looks mix and match, which a lot of actual military guns are after Factory Through Repair (FTR), but I SERIOUSLY(!!) doubt this is, or ever was, an actual military gun. If it were mine and I wanted to shoot it, I'd keep the Rem. slide and put a new after market slide on it. Why? The military slides are spot hardened and will wear out fairly quickly and the Remington Rand slide is worth as much as the rest of it is, realistically.

OK, the grips are GREAT! Love the grips! The rest of it? Not so much. Best guess? Someone made the frame and added real parts. Friend of mine has a Nam bring back that looks a lot like what you got, some one made a frame, marked/serial numbered it (badly), added parts, actually works but I won't shoot it either.

Value? Parts value only. Slide most valuable and find a collector who needs a Rem Rand, couple hundred TOP! Sell the mainspring, hammer, trigger on Ebay as military parts, maybe barrel too, didn't see good shot of barrel markings, grips are great, they should do will on Ebay too. If I was buying this for me, maybe $250, maybe $275 if it has some military parts I need/want. Possibly ZoidMeister has a better grip on prices.

 

[ZoidMeister]

Value = $500 - $600 (+/-) depending on condition.

Just because it's fugly, doesn't mean it cannot perform.

Z

@hawkins1120 ,

Okay, I'm going with the guys above on the frame. Definitely not military or a Colt.

It might be VERY interesting to see both sides without the grips on that one. Might tell more of the story.

Oh yeah, your original subject line and question was "Valuable or not?"

I'm going with NOT, with extreme prejudice.

Revised Zoidian valuation - $350 to $450, max.

Z

 

[july19]

Anyone have an idea of the value of the grips?

 

[ZoidMeister]

Anyone have an idea of the value of the grips?

Tree dot fiddy . . . . .

 

[ZoidMeister]

I thought I should look up the serial number and see what I actually have before I started messing with it. According to the S/N (C31xx) it's a Colt commercial production frame from 1913, but the slide says Remington-Rand.

BTW,

The photos below are from my 1917 Colt Commercial. These are photos from when I traded for it. The obscuring of the serial number was by its previous owner.

I post these to give you an idea of the font Colt used on their early Commercial frames. Obviously, your frame looks radically different.

Given the grips, if I had to hazard a guess on yours, I would guess that the slide may have been taken from a military gun sometime during the Korean War. Given that the original frame would have been marked U S. PROPERTY, I am guessing that someone discarded the original frame and mated whatever remaining parts to a frame of Korean origin. That would date the frame post 1911A1 manufacture, as is the slide.

You can see that the trigger opening in my 1917 Commercial does not have the A1 scallops like your more modern frame has.

This is just a guess.

Z