I've been watching a rough looking USGI 1911A1 on buya.com for several months now. Decided to check back in with the pawn shop last Thursday and they were a little more willing to negotiate on the price. Below are the two photos that were posted on Buya...as you can see, it didn't appear to be anything to write home about.
I requested additional photos by email several times, but never got a response. Finally reached an employee at the shop by phone a couple months ago and he sent me a few photos by email. Condition was a little better than expected and I could see that the pistol was an SA rebuild (Remington Rand slide on Ithaca frame), but their low dollar was still too much at the time. Aside from the visible corrosion issues on the frame and slide, the barrel looked questionable.
I finally decided to take a chance on it and made an offer for $150 less than what the rack grade CMP pistols are priced at, hoping that the barrel would be GI and serviceable and that the corrosion issues would mainly be external. The pawn shop countered at a price that was $62 higher and I accepted. At that price, grips and a replacement GI barrel could still be purchased without any danger of being upside down unless the slide or frame was cracked. The pistol arrived at SSP North yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised about it's condition. Everything locks up tight and the pistol hasn't seen much use since rebuild...it's just suffered through some improper storage. There was still some active rust present in the slide serrations and around the rear sight, but it was all easily removed with oil and a nylon brush. All the internals, controls, etc appear to be fairly fresh from arsenal refinishing. All parts, including the frame, slide, and High Standard barrel are matching and coated in a dark manganese parkerized finish. The barrel was the biggest surprise as it actually cleaned up much better than expected, with only a small amount of very light pitting in the grooves.
Here's the finished product. Luckily, I already had a set of correct 50's era replacement grips on hand. The pistol is far from a safe-queen, but she's exactly what I was looking for. A serviceable USGI pistol that hasn't been altered or refinished post-military use.
I requested additional photos by email several times, but never got a response. Finally reached an employee at the shop by phone a couple months ago and he sent me a few photos by email. Condition was a little better than expected and I could see that the pistol was an SA rebuild (Remington Rand slide on Ithaca frame), but their low dollar was still too much at the time. Aside from the visible corrosion issues on the frame and slide, the barrel looked questionable.
I finally decided to take a chance on it and made an offer for $150 less than what the rack grade CMP pistols are priced at, hoping that the barrel would be GI and serviceable and that the corrosion issues would mainly be external. The pawn shop countered at a price that was $62 higher and I accepted. At that price, grips and a replacement GI barrel could still be purchased without any danger of being upside down unless the slide or frame was cracked. The pistol arrived at SSP North yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised about it's condition. Everything locks up tight and the pistol hasn't seen much use since rebuild...it's just suffered through some improper storage. There was still some active rust present in the slide serrations and around the rear sight, but it was all easily removed with oil and a nylon brush. All the internals, controls, etc appear to be fairly fresh from arsenal refinishing. All parts, including the frame, slide, and High Standard barrel are matching and coated in a dark manganese parkerized finish. The barrel was the biggest surprise as it actually cleaned up much better than expected, with only a small amount of very light pitting in the grooves.
Here's the finished product. Luckily, I already had a set of correct 50's era replacement grips on hand. The pistol is far from a safe-queen, but she's exactly what I was looking for. A serviceable USGI pistol that hasn't been altered or refinished post-military use.
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