Nam 1911 Value?

[Professor Thump]

I have a chance to buy a Nam era Gov't Issue 1911 45 cal. I don't have much info on it yet but I should be able to buy it for a good price. It is in a moderate - good condition. It includes the holster which I think is gov't issued also. The seller say it shoots poor compared to his Gold Cup (which he is also selling)

What is the value of this gun and who was manufacturing in the late 60's - 70's? Colt only?

What should I look for to make sure it is in acceptable shape?

How much is a Nickel (chrome?) Gold Cup go for in Good condition $1000-1200? The guy says this thing shoots much better.

 

[curraheeguns]

If it is a "Nam" era USGI gun then it is a WWII gun that has probably been rebuilt at least once.

Value all depends on originality, condition and make. For instance my last WWII Remington Rand I had was an all original WWII gun with about 75% of the finish. I got $1400 for it. I have one for sale right now on this board for $1800 that is almost mint. It shows no shooting wear and very very little holster wear. It will easily bring $2k at the Jag if I do not sell it before hand.

However, that exact same condition gun that was rebuilt and not all original (but in the same condition) would be hard to sell for $1200.

Pricing a USGI 1911/1911A1 without seeing it is like asking how much a car is worth....it all depends.

 

[j706]

If the GI 1911 is something rare like a "Singer" manufactured gun it could be worth 10K or more. There are no doubt some guys that have a rare model and don't know what they have. Rare? Yea. Possible? You bet. I would try to find out the manufacture and other information. Lots of good web site to help you with the ID. Good luck. Love those 1911"s!

 

[antsi]

Don't know much about GI .45s other than I'd love to have one. Just a guess, but if it stayed in the service up until Vietnam it is likely to have been rebuilt at least once and less likely to be one of the rare all-original ones that get the hugely inflated collector values. Far as I'm concerned, that's better - I'd rather have a shooter anyhow and not pay mega-$ for it.

FWIW, I think the Gold Cup is most likely stainless steel.

 

[Professor Thump]

You are probably right on the cup being a polished stainless.

Sorry I don't have more info than this. I don't know if I will be able to buy it or not. The owner has a lot of bad mojo about the memories with that 45 and doesn't want to keep it. So I want to offer him a fair price. It sounds like I need to do a lot more research

I shot a GC 25 years ago (I believe that was what it was). It was my first auto loader experience. I didn't feel I could hit the broad side of a barn with it but now that I have had practice with my XD9 and gotten more accurate I would like to give it another go. I am assuming that the recoil on the 45 is the issue with what he is complaining about.

Sorry for the basic questions... Ask me about audio and I could help you a lot more.

 

[Old Salt]

When I am researching a fair gun price, the quickest way is to go to Gunbroker.com and see what comparable models sold for. This should work for the Gold Cup if you know the condition and series. Is it a Series 70 or 80? If two GC were in the same condition, but one was a 70 and the other an 80, the 70 should bring more.