My $225 Colt .45

[regular122]

Found this M1927 Colt Systema .45 (made under license by Argentina on original Colt machinery) for very cheap. Internally it was very sound and is a wonderful heat treated, old school hunk of iron. But it needed some serious help. Spot rust throughout, some minor pits and traces of problems along the grip line. All serial numbers match.

I decided to rescue it as I couldn't turn down the price. Rather than make it something it was not, I went for a nice original blued but been around look. It functioned beautifully and was well worth the $225 I paid and the week's worth of nights watching movies and hand finishing it. Hope you like it as much as I do. Steve

[regular122]

In its rescued state.

[Suber]

I do indeed like it very much. My favorite sidearm of all time!!

[regular122]

Suber,

What was amazing to me was the price for an actual Colt machined pistol from the era of Colts. It would be hard to build one for that price and then there would be no guarantee of a heat treated weapon.

Does anyone out there know the years of these weapons by serial range? I think they stopped producing them around 110,000, so this would be a later made piece, my guess from the 1950s. Don't know for sure. Any more details on these would be appreciated. Steve

[james m]

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=68064
Click on the above link for more info. on Argentine Colts.
Jim

[regular122]

Thanks Jim. Some great info there. Places this pistol made in 1959. Much obliged.

Does anyone else have an Argentine .45 to show here?

Steve

[Ronnie Fry]

Good Info, James, I was not aware of some of these details.

Here are some shots of my three.... Hardly a matching set, but I thought it would be nice to have one from each branch....

r

[Ronnie Fry]

2

[Ronnie Fry]

3

[Douglas Jr.]

Nice work!
I´m sure that it was a very interesting project and now you have a pistol that worths at leat twice what you'd paid.

Congratulations,

Douglas

[Nimble1]

Great price!

And looks much better after you cleaned it up. I bought one about 5 years ago that had been arsenal refinished with a matte blue finish. Paid $300 for it. Yours was probably one of the last bunch brought in as most of them were pretty rough. Still a great value!

[Suber]

Suber,

What was amazing to me was the price for an actual Colt machined pistol from the era of Colts. It would be hard to build one for that price and then there would be no guarantee of a heat treated weapon.

Does anyone out there know the years of these weapons by serial range? I think they stopped producing them around 110,000, so this would be a later made piece, my guess from the 1950s. Don't know for sure. Any more details on these would be appreciated. Steve

It really is quite amazing what Colt pistols will bring from that period. It is not only that period, but any series 70 Colt has lasting value these days. I think for the money you did very well. I still kick myself for selling some older series 70s Colt 1911s that I owned years ago. They are worth some money these days.

[regular122]

Nice pistols Ronnie. Thanks for posting them. One looks like a wartime or maybe 1946 piece. I could kick myself too Suber with a Remington Rand I used to own that was still in the vet's original holster rig that I let go years ago for $400. Can't even touch that now. But the kids came along and I was able to turn some money on it as I only paid $165 for it in 1987. That is why I was really surprised to find an old hunk of Colt tooled iron at a low price. Anyway, thanks to all for the info and posting of yours (hope to see some more) and I really have learned more about these because of this forum. Steve