[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 1915 1911 (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 4/2/2011 9:22:29 AM EDT
Tell me what you think. I was thinking about having Turnbull resto it. what do you think its worth? Opinions welcome
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I will get banned when I call you a total fool and idiot if you ruin it by sending it to Turnbull or anyone else for that matter.
You don't want me banned do you? How about I swap you a new in box WW1 reissue Colt [carbonia blued one] for it if you really want a new looking 1911? |
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I will get banned when I call you a total fool and idiot if you ruin it by sending it to Turnbull or anyone else for that matter. You don't want me banned do you? How about I swap you a new in box WW1 reissue Colt [carbonia blued one] for it if you really want a new looking 1911? LOL I have mixed feelings. The age old question "to restore or not to restore" talk me out of it or talk me into it. What do you think of the gun? |
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I will get banned when I call you a total fool and idiot if you ruin it by sending it to Turnbull or anyone else for that matter. You don't want me banned do you? How about I swap you a new in box WW1 reissue Colt [carbonia blued one] for it if you really want a new looking 1911? LOL I have mixed feelings. The age old question "to restore or not to restore" talk me out of it or talk me into it. What do you think of the gun? I think enough of it to offer you a NIB WW1 reissue instead of it being "restored". |
Don't give the boy any ideas.
| A buddy of mine offered a used glock for trade.I think I will take him up on it.............. Just joking dont get fired up. Seriously what is the value of the 1911. I am guessing $2000.00 think I'm close? Barrel rifing is realy good.H P markings on it and I have a two tone mag. |
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A buddy of mine offered a used glock for trade.I think I will take him up on it.............. Just joking dont get fired up. Seriously what is the value of the 1911. I am guessing $2000.00 think I'm close? Barrel rifing is realy good.H P markings on it and I have a two tone mag. It really depends on all the parts in the firearm. If they are correct and original, it's worth more then if they have been replaced with later updated parts. |
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It's your gun. Do with it as you want.
If you have no plans on selling it, by all means, send it to Doug Turnbull. It'll look pretty for another hundred or so years. Selling down the road? It will go down in value if restored. But that is what everyone says. I have no experience in such matters. Other than cars. Now THEY go up in value when restored. 
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For the love of all that is holy, do not destroy that piece of history by restoring it. Sell it and buy a WW1 repro, series 70 reissue, or whatever else with no collectors value and have at it. If you do anything to that pistol, you will be destroying a priceless piece of history. Which is ridiculous considering the fact that new 1911's and old ones that have been "bubba fucked" are so plentiful. |
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if you send it to turnbul for restoration you might as well just take what ever thousands of dollars you would spend and flush it down the toilet. that is essentially what you would be doing. your $1500+ pistol would be worth $1000 after the "restoration" if you want a pretty and new looking M1911, buy a reproduction and keep your original, original |
| I really don't have an accurate idea what it's worth currently but.......... If you do ANYTHING to it, you will ruin it's value as an unaltered original .45. Like others have said, if you what to mess with something, sell it to someone who will appreciate it in it's present condition and buy an old Series 70 to play with....... I personally find it beautiful in it's present condition..... |
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I have enough 1911 shooters. This has been sitting in a dresser drawer most of its life (wifes great uncle). So i guess I'll leave well enough alone and not restore it. Do you guys have a round about value or any info? I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? |
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I have enough 1911 shooters. This has been sitting in a dresser drawer most of its life (wifes great uncle). So i guess I'll leave well enough alone and not restore it. Do you guys have a round about value or any info? I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? Refinishing an old collectible 1911 will almost always devalue it unless it's been defaced/refinished already or has been damaged so as to be unusable. Even a worn original finish is far preferable to a refinish. Keep it oiled and protected correctly and it'll last a long long time. |
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I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? Every firearms price guide has the same comment when it comes to refinished guns, "deduct 50% if refinished". Anyone telling you differently hasn't got a clue about the collectable firearms market. As long as you store that 1911 correctly, it wil be around for your grandchildren to see. |
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I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? Every firearms price guide has the same comment when it comes to refinished guns, "deduct 50% if refinished". Anyone telling you differently hasn't got a clue about the collectable firearms market. As long as you store that 1911 correctly, it wil be around for your grandchildren to see. You're right when you talk about the firearms collectible market. I have no experience of that market to speak of. But if the OP was just going to hold on to this firearm for another 2-3, 4, 5 generations, like I said, I would send it to Turnbull Restorations. He isn't a slouch when it comes to refinishing/restoration work. |
| i have another 1911 from 1918. the frame has been refinished and the slide while same time period is not original to the frame. The finishes do not match.I might have turnbull refinish that one. They have given me a round about quote for a full resto @ $2000.00. The 1918 is there now for a more accurate estamate. I might be better off just buying a repo and parting out the 1918. What do you guys think. |
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Quoted: i have another 1911 from 1918. the frame has been refinished and the slide while same time period is not original to the frame. The finishes do not match.I might have turnbull refinish that one. They have given me a round about quote for a full resto @ $2000.00. The 1918 is there now for a more accurate estamate. I might be better off just buying a repo and parting out the 1918. What do you guys think. A Turnbull resto sold on gunbroker in August of last year for $1126 I started a thread about it over on 1911forum before the auction ended and there was a lengthy discussion http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=282550&highlight=turnbull It is simply not a good idea If you think that spending $2000 to make your pistol worth $1000 is a good idea, send me the $2000 and the pistol and I will give you back $1000 Collectors DO NOT want refinished or restored pieces. |
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It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. I got my 1917 Colt for $950, and the condition of it is damn near identical to yours... however, mine is not all original, and I had to do some searching to get original 1917 Colt parts in it, so YMMV... Turnbull does excellent work, but that pistol doesn't need to be restored. It's seen use in war-time, it's been to hell and back... why would you want to mask it's scars? Just so it looks prettier than it does now? That's impossible. Leave it alone. If you have enough shooters, put it in a display case. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=222497019 I have one of these in Walnut for my 1917. |
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I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? Every firearms price guide has the same comment when it comes to refinished guns, "deduct 50% if refinished". Anyone telling you differently hasn't got a clue about the collectable firearms market. As long as you store that 1911 correctly, it wil be around for your grandchildren to see. You're right when you talk about the firearms collectible market. I have no experience of that market to speak of. But if the OP was just going to hold on to this firearm for another 2-3, 4, 5 generations, like I said, I would send it to Turnbull Restorations. He isn't a slouch when it comes to refinishing/restoration work. You just don't understand that what you suggest destroys the history of the firearm. At that point, it becomes just another refinished firearm. All provenance is gone, destroyed forever and it can never be returned to it's original condition. Whether or not it will be held for generations is moot, what you do to the firearm removes the past history of the weapon, the patina of past wear and use vanishes forever to be lost to future generation. |
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i have another 1911 from 1918. the frame has been refinished and the slide while same time period is not original to the frame. The finishes do not match.I might have turnbull refinish that one. They have given me a round about quote for a full resto @ $2000.00. The 1918 is there now for a more accurate estamate. I might be better off just buying a repo and parting out the 1918. What do you guys think. Remember, if it went through a GI rebuild and parts were replaced as needed, while not in original condition and not worth the big bucks, it IS as it was when it left the Mil and those are starting to command decent bucks and are now viewed and a genre themselves. Have one myself, been refinished sometime in it's GI history and somehow it acquired a early 1911 dated barrel from the first batch of 7500 that is still in VG to excellent shape for it's age. Quite honestly, I could likely sell the barrel alone for what I paid for the pistol if I found someone who had a very early example that was correct save for a barrel replacement and really wanted it. I refuse to do it though, I'm just the current owner who will take care of it and pass it down to someone who will hopefully treat it the same way. |
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jmho, but I think it's worth about $1,000 to $1,500 the way it is. But the cool factor, if left alone and unrefinished and unrestored, is off the chart. And if it is screwed up and ruined by refinishing or restoring, it'll be worth about $600 as a shooter and not worth a second look.
If you want to check pics you could check simpsonltd where he's listing a Colt 1911 from 1916, a Colt 1911 from 1917, and a Colt Commercial 1911 from 1917. Or go to 1911forum.com or m1911.org or coolgunsite.com..... |
| I lump refinished / restored guns in the same category as commemoratives, beany-babies and garden gnomes.... kinda cool to look at, but you won't find one at my house. I think Turnbull does fantastic work and his pieces are extraordinary, but a 1915 1911 is not rare enough or important enough to warrant 'restoration'. Preserve it and enjoy it, but don't ruin it by redoing it. |
This will really piss you guys off.....Turnbull posted this on their facebook page the other day. It's a current restoration project. "Singer 1911 - Manufactured only 500 - This is amongst the most rare 1911's we have ever worked on, and we are bringing it back to its original condition. This particular Singer survived Hurricane Katrina." |
| I have been in Turnbull's shop a few times and I have seen their restorations, if anyone should restore it, they should. Their work is spectacular. I would say restore it unless it actually went to war, in which case it should remain untouched, particularly if it was carried by a family member. |
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Odd that in other countries, having your firearms refinished is considered routine maint. There is nothing wrong with a government arsenal or contractor refinishing a firearm as part of depot maintenance. Every 1911 pistol released for sale through the DCM has been arsenal rebuilt at least once by the government. That's what makes an unrestored gun worth so much money. There are very very few unmolested military firearms out there because the military rebuilds their weapons on a regular basis as a maintenance issue. |
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Odd that in other countries, having your firearms refinished is considered routine maint. There is nothing wrong with a government arsenal or contractor refinishing a firearm as part of depot maintenance. Every 1911 pistol released for sale through the DCM has been arsenal rebuilt at least once by the government. That's what makes an unrestored gun worth so much money. There are very very few unmolested military firearms out there because the military rebuilds their weapons on a regular basis as a maintenance issue. And you would be wrong. I have a Ithica released by the DCM with the papers and box [provenance as guaranteed proof it was released by them] that is completely original right down to the Du Lite finish. It has never been refinished or rebuilt. |
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I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? Every firearms price guide has the same comment when it comes to refinished guns, "deduct 50% if refinished". Anyone telling you differently hasn't got a clue about the collectable firearms market. As long as you store that 1911 correctly, it wil be around for your grandchildren to see. You're right when you talk about the firearms collectible market. I have no experience of that market to speak of. But if the OP was just going to hold on to this firearm for another 2-3, 4, 5 generations, like I said, I would send it to Turnbull Restorations. He isn't a slouch when it comes to refinishing/restoration work. You just don't understand that what you suggest destroys the history of the firearm. At that point, it becomes just another refinished firearm. All provenance is gone, destroyed forever and it can never be returned to it's original condition. Whether or not it will be held for generations is moot, what you do to the firearm removes the past history of the weapon, the patina of past wear and use vanishes forever to be lost to future generation. dude, its a gun, not a Faberge egg. If you want to sell it, keep it as it for max value. if you want it to keep it and have it last another 100+ years get it refinished, the protective finish on that weapon is mostly gone. Refinishing could be seen as preserving it, so it wont rust away to nothing, not destroying history. all the serial numbers, stamps, etc will still be there. |
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Odd that in other countries, having your firearms refinished is considered routine maint. There is nothing wrong with a government arsenal or contractor refinishing a firearm as part of depot maintenance. Every 1911 pistol released for sale through the DCM has been arsenal rebuilt at least once by the government. That's what makes an unrestored gun worth so much money. There are very very few unmolested military firearms out there because the military rebuilds their weapons on a regular basis as a maintenance issue. And you would be wrong. I have a Ithica released by the DCM with the papers and box [provenance as guaranteed proof it was released by them] that is completely original right down to the Du Lite finish. It has never been refinished or rebuilt. What I should have said was ALMOST every gun gets an arsenal rebuild before it gets sold. If a firearms is up to date on all it's parts and if nothing needs replacing, then the weapon in question would get a rebuild stamp showing it was inspected by depot level maintenance. If your pistol has no maintenance depot mark that means it probably never issued to a unit, and was probably held in a supply depot until it was surplused out. |
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I was asking to see what would be the best route to take. I love the looks of the old finish but also want to preserve it so my 2 year old son can give it to his son. Depending on who you talk to restoring will raise or lower the value. So with three other 1911's sitting in the weopons room I will leave this one alone. I do want to shoot at least one mag out of it. any one else have a 1915 with pics so I can compare? Every firearms price guide has the same comment when it comes to refinished guns, "deduct 50% if refinished". Anyone telling you differently hasn't got a clue about the collectable firearms market. As long as you store that 1911 correctly, it wil be around for your grandchildren to see. You're right when you talk about the firearms collectible market. I have no experience of that market to speak of. But if the OP was just going to hold on to this firearm for another 2-3, 4, 5 generations, like I said, I would send it to Turnbull Restorations. He isn't a slouch when it comes to refinishing/restoration work. You just don't understand that what you suggest destroys the history of the firearm. At that point, it becomes just another refinished firearm. All provenance is gone, destroyed forever and it can never be returned to it's original condition. Whether or not it will be held for generations is moot, what you do to the firearm removes the past history of the weapon, the patina of past wear and use vanishes forever to be lost to future generation. dude, its a gun, not a Faberge egg. If you want to sell it, keep it as it for max value. if you want it to keep it and have it last another 100+ years get it refinished, the protective finish on that weapon is mostly gone. Refinishing could be seen as preserving it, so it wont rust away to nothing, not destroying history. all the serial numbers, stamps, etc will still be there. Keep it protected with one of the scores of newer rust preventative products and it'll still be in fine shape in 100 years even with the worn original finish. |
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Odd that in other countries, having your firearms refinished is considered routine maint. There is nothing wrong with a government arsenal or contractor refinishing a firearm as part of depot maintenance. Every 1911 pistol released for sale through the DCM has been arsenal rebuilt at least once by the government. That's what makes an unrestored gun worth so much money. There are very very few unmolested military firearms out there because the military rebuilds their weapons on a regular basis as a maintenance issue. And you would be wrong. I have a Ithica released by the DCM with the papers and box [provenance as guaranteed proof it was released by them] that is completely original right down to the Du Lite finish. It has never been refinished or rebuilt. Wait, DCM sells pistols? LINK! LINK!!! |
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Odd that in other countries, having your firearms refinished is considered routine maint. There is nothing wrong with a government arsenal or contractor refinishing a firearm as part of depot maintenance. Every 1911 pistol released for sale through the DCM has been arsenal rebuilt at least once by the government. That's what makes an unrestored gun worth so much money. There are very very few unmolested military firearms out there because the military rebuilds their weapons on a regular basis as a maintenance issue. And you would be wrong. I have a Ithica released by the DCM with the papers and box [provenance as guaranteed proof it was released by them] that is completely original right down to the Du Lite finish. It has never been refinished or rebuilt. Wait, DCM sells pistols? LINK! LINK!!! The DCM was the forerunner of the CMP, they are now unable to sell pistols per their charter even if there WERE pistols to release and sell to the public. |
| Turnbull does great work I visited the shop great stuff but traditional blue finish will wear fairly quickly. This gun lasted 100 years the way it is,routine care with regular clean and oil will keep it going another 100.a turnbull restoration will cost 2k plus but will NOT add 2k in value.I vote for leave it alone-the wear is part of it's history leave it be. |
