Was browsing my LGS and came across something that I have not seen before. It was described to me as a "bullseye" pistol that someone had built from a Colt GI. Supposedly popular in the 50s. Anyone know anything about these? They are asking $1000 for it.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y2PQsFKBmBrzG21Z9

Very common to do, unfortunately all the value is killed and $1000 is way to much for it.  $600 would be closer to actual value. Not the best shooters anyways as the slides, unless it had a later hard slide added, had a much shorter lifespan then a modern 1911. Someone did do a nice job on it on some things.

If one could prove one of the premier gunsmiths of the day built it then value would be there.

Glad I didn't buy it then!

I didn't notice any identifying gunsmith marks other than what I took pictures of. It's possible something was on the original grips but it had some pretty rough looking Pachmayrs installed.

Actually the linked photos are not what I would call a bullseye pistol at all. Most bullseye pistols ( almost all were gunsmith built since arsenal built usgi match pistols were hard to get) followed the patterns of the military match pistol modifications started in the late 1950’s
The gun in the linked photos is what was considered a high speed carry gun in the early 1970’s

I agree that doesn’t really look like a bullseye pistol. That hammer would preclude it from being a NM hardball gun.

The grip safety looks pinned. It does look like an early hot rod carry gun.

There are better deals out there.

Grafting S&W adjustable sights onto other platforms was a fad in the 70's.  I want to say Swenson started the craze.  The writer Skeeter Skelton was a big proponent.   As others have said, not a bullseye gun but an early attempt at a high speed carry 1911.  $1000 is absurd money unless it was an actual Swenson, which this one doesn't appear to be.

Thanks for all the good info. Shame its not worth what they are asking but it was an interesting find none the less.

To an extent, I agree.

However, the magazine buzz-penciled to the serial number kinda screams that the magazine was tuned to this gun to feed wadcutters.

1911 frame, (no cutouts), ring hammer, stippled front strap and slide top.  Could have been intended for both.  Slide kinda looks like it might be an early hard slide.

Pic of gun.

Attached File

What is a "hard slide"? and how does it differ from the Colt slide on the pistol?

"Hard Slide" is short for "fully hardened slide".  To understand the term, we have to go back to the early days of the 1911, wherein the slides were not hardened.  They were prone to cracking at the front, right behind the recoil spring plug tunnel, and the slide stop notch on the side was prone to peening.

Also, the breach face tended to have issues, which resulted in Colt inserting a plug of hardened steel into it, with the firing pin opening in the center.

Around 1940 military production began hardening the front of the slide by dipping it in molten lead. In 1943 or so, they also began flame-hardening the slide stop notch.  Slides with one or more of these hardening procedures are referred to as "spot-hardened slides" and frequently the hardened areas appear darker under bluing or Parkerizing.

Late in WWII, some of the manufacturers were experimenting with hardening the entire slide with a process called "austempering", but this didn't enter production until Colt started doing it in  1947 - once surplus government contract slides form the war were exhausted, these entered Colt's commercial production.

Around this time, the government began arsenal rebuilding their 1911 pistols for future use and distribution as military aid.  They needed replacements for worn, bent, or cracked slides, and these were originally sourced from Colt, which took the slides from their regular production, with the same roll marks, but rather than high polish and blue, they were sand-blasted and parkerized.  This was the first "hard slide" in the military system.



Later hard slides came form Colt, Drake manufacturing, IMI, and others, but the markings were different.  With the exception of Colt, which continued to use their name, the manufacture was identified by a Commercial and Government Entity Code, or CAGE code, and the part was identified by a Federal drawing number that is often confused for a serial number.  AFAIK, there were two drawing numbers, differing by what appears to be angles, or vertical slide serrations.  The rarest one appears to heave been made by Drake Manufacturing, and was only procured in 1964 for use to build service match pistols.

Example:



I think all slides being built now, with the possible exception of handmade Khyber pass or Philippine guns, are hard slides.

I think I was wrong about the slide on this pistol.  Someone with better knowledge of the rollmarks used will have to chime in on whether it is a spot hardened slide or nto hardened at all.  Probably OK to shoot but I would avoid stiff loads.  Shame about the frame - it had the "sweetheart" mag well cutouts, but the stippling and the wiping of the "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" mark have erased any collector value.

Heat-treat of the front of the slide started at Colt in 1925, and apparently was also used by all other producers in the WWII era.