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The Following 4 Members Say Thank You to garand123 For This Useful Post:
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07-18-2015 11:13 AM
# ADS
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Advisory Panel
Nice pistol Chris, maybe these guys would like to see a bit more comprehensive pics? Picture heavy post?
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Legacy Member
Very nice one and a keeper.
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Very nice 1911! Congratulations!
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That would be considered a Black Army 1911, to speed up production Colt eliminated a finishing step. Most Black Army Colts finishes did not hold up well and would flake very badly with wear. Your piece looks very nice and has been well cared for. A few years back the Black Army Colts were bringing less money that is not the case today, for one with a nice finish left on them, they are actually bringing 500.00 - 1,000.00 more than the brushed one from that period.
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Where "Black Army" finishes actually began is a frequently debated question. I have always hated the term, and it is a collector term, not military or official. Kinda like Black Widow Lugers, collector/seller created term. In any event most collectors put the starting point past 300,000 serial number, some as high as 375000.
One thing I definitely have noted on the guns in the so called BA serial ranges is that there was more variation in quality of the finish than many seem to think. I have seen some pretty nicely finished pistols in this range and have seen some that it looked like big chunks of finish simply fell off. My theory is that some of the older more experienced Colt employees had a harder time intentionally putting a lousy finish on the pistols and simply did their job better than many that had to be hired for the big 1918 push in production. Who knows, but the finishes do vary quite a bit and not all BAs are created equal.
It is true that a high condition 1918-19 M1911 is quite hard to find and will sale for a good price.
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The Following 2 Members Say Thank You to mike radford For This Useful Post:
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The pistol shown is definitely Brushed Blue finish. "Black Army" surface prep was introduced at ca. s/n 303xxx, about the same time the Eagle's Head final inspection was introduced. I inspected a 303xxx pistol in KC a few years ago that had the late style surface prep and Eagle's Head finish. Had it been better condition, I'd show it to you now. But it was poor, so didn't buy.
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Thank You to Scott Gahimer For This Useful Post:
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This one seems to have a slightly better quality finish than many pistols in this serial range. I would like a minty one but they are tough to find.
Last edited by mike radford; 08-15-2015 at 12:15 AM.
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Thank you for the positive comments gentlemen. Mike that's a very nice looking Colt! It appears to be a true "Black Army".
- Chris
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Beautiful pistol. Am always hoping for one like that. Thanks for sharing. Do you mind if I use your pics on my blog? A link is in my signature line. Thanks again.
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