[megatronrules]

OK I looked at a 1918 original colt 1911 today it was in great shape I fell in love with it instantly but.,it was a $2,000 gun Now my next best thing is the WWI replica colt is making right now I called my local dealer and he can get me one for $850 or so out the door. Now here comes the crazy part or what some of you may see as crazy...... I want this gun as a CCW/home defense/range gun.

I love the 1911 and this gun is a 1911 in its purist form. I know some will say I shoulden't use this gun as a CCW and that I should put it away in my safe,but I feel a gun like this should be enjoyed,used shot,carried and the like. I don't feel like waiting for years to see if it goes up in value when I could be enjoying it right now.,having a gun like this and not using it is like having a showroom new condition '57 chevy and not driving it.

Besides I know I'll love it so much I'll never sell it anyway. I'am currently without a 1911 but I think my choice for a replacement is a winner hands down. So what do you guys think,anyone else here have one of these guns if so do you use it as I've described? I already have $450 saved up to put down when my dealer orders me mine so I'am halfway there. Anyhow you guys sound off cause I respect your opinions and want to hear them thanks.

 

[dsk]

It'll be your gun, so do what you want. As for mine, I don't shoot it because:

1. The finish is too pretty
2. The sights are too small to be of much use
3. The long hammer and short grip safety spur will chew bloody hell out of my hand
4. The smooth MS housing feels slick and makes it hard to hang onto the gun
5. That was a lot of money to spend just to trash the thing

All these issues plague the original guns too, of course. As you noticed however, originals in good shape have skyrocketed in price so $850 is a relative value. If I truly were going to shoot it anyway I'd change a few parts out, such as the sights, hammer and grip safety.

 

[M1991A1]

megatron,

This is coltjeeper (M1991A1's brother).......

Don't feel ashamed for wanting to shoot and enjoy your WWI repro. I do everything you said you want to do with mine. I am alittle more mindful of how I treat it though, its not my Glock 19. To tell you the truth, the finish is holding up alot better than some other pistols I've carried. Yeah the sights are small but it has never malfunctioned and is deadly accurate. I even considered if the finish wore too badly on it to do one of two things with it; a) leave it alone and let it have that aged look to it, or b) have it parkerized and put on a set of plastic GI stocks and call it my repro of an arsenal refurb.

I know this is an exceptionally nice pistol that Colt has put out. But it is just a pistol that is still new production and more than likely is going to take your lifetime to really appreciate in value. Then when your kids get it they will never shoot it just like we are cautious with older Colts now, because of value. For god's sake, if we did that with all guns how the hell would we be able to fight wars and defend ourselves. I say ENJOY it!

 

[hjk]

Megatron,

The WWI repro is a great looking gun, and it really isn't a collector's item as such. If I had one, I would shoot it and enjoy just as I would any current production model. Besides, it will look even more realistic with some wear on it.

 

[BillD]

It'll be your gun, so do what you want. As for mine, I don't shoot it because:

1. The finish is too pretty
2. The sights are too small to be of much use
3. The long hammer and short grip safety spur will chew bloody hell out of my hand
4. The smooth MS housing feels slick and makes it hard to hang onto the gun
5. That was a lot of money to spend just to trash the thing

All these issues plague the original guns too, of course. As you noticed however, originals in good shape have skyrocketed in price so $850 is a relative value. If I truly were going to shoot it anyway I'd change a few parts out, such as the sights, hammer and grip safety.

Sounds like from your items above that you end up with a gun that you can't shoot. What good is a gun like that? If you want art, buy a painting.

Also sounds like we have headed in the right direction in the way the 1911 has been modified and upgraded over the years. Fancy bells and whistles my eye. They have made the gun much more user friendly.

 

[Rebelsoul]

I say USE IT like you said you wanted to.
As far as the wear on it is concerned,if you don't abuse it,it will be a very honest looking wear,kinda like a your favorite pair of jeans.
It won't hurt it a bit,as long as you take care of it like I think you will.
As far as the small sights are concerned,if you practice with it,you will be able to hit what you want to at a reasonable distance.
As far as personal protection is concerned,there's isn't anything better in my book.
I don't think you'll regret buying it and using it for your purposes...as a matter of fact,I think it'll be your favorite pistol.
There's a certain mystique about these guns,you'll see.

 

[megatronrules]

So true rebelsoul I've always loved the 1911 and the place it holds in our firearms history. I especialy love how this gun will be an exact duplicate of the 1918 manufactured WWI G.I. gun I held today that cost $2,000. Now $850 I'll be able to do in a month or two but $2,000 no,besides even if I had the money for the old colt I don't think I'd carry it due to its age I'd be afraid of a part breaking at the worst time.

With the WWI repro same gun but brand new in and out also I bet I get alot looks at the range.

 

[DHart]

I don't have a WWI reproduction, but I have a bunch of new Colts, including a WWII repro.

I like to keep my 1911's in really nice condition, so I take good care when I handle and shoot them... well I have one or two that aren't quite as "special" to me.

I think a WWI or a WWII repro would be a perfectly reasonable defense gun... they run right and in a defense situation, the sights are good enough to get a defense job done... you won't be doing much super-precision aiming when you feel you're about to be killed! I rotate my WWII repro into and out of my defense-gun rotation without worry.

Anyway, I don't think guns are investments at all! If you keep them in nice condition, they will hold their value nicely. But I don't expect to do much, if any, selling of my guns anyway... that will happen after I am gone and I don't care at that point. I feel that if you don't shoot and enjoy your guns, the next owner (your wife's next boyfriend) will! You might as well have the pleasure yourself, what are you doing, saving the pleasure for someone else?

I'd vote to shoot the dang thing and have fun using it. Take fairly nice care of it, but use it! If you really want a gun to throw around and trash, buy a Glock. Or do it to a Colt! But I think you should buy what you like and use it! (But no need to ABuse it!)

 

[RGL01]

Mega,
I say buy it, and use it as your everyday gun. You have some "Panash". Don't be ashamed of it.

 

[Real Hawkeye]

Nothing crazy about that. I have, on occasion, carried my old pre-WWII Commercial Colt Government Model, which is entirely original in terms of the parts. I have to say, however, that I feel better able to defend myself with a more modern variant of the old 1911. I have become used to the modern style thumb safety, for example, and the old-style grip safeties tend to bite me. Something about carrying an old-style 1911, though, that is pretty cool, and I could understand wanting to do so. If it doesn't bite and you can operate the thumb safety with certainty, go ahead, and more power to you. Have fun.

 

[luvtolean]

If you want art, buy a painting.

To me good mechanical design is artistry, and there is as much, if not more, to appreciate in a 3D object you can study from many angles than a painting you sit in front of.

Maybe it's just because I'm a mechanical engineer...

Mega, I say buy the gun you want and use it. You will shoot a gun that excites you more often, and that will make it a better weapon in a defensive situation than some newer/cheaper pistol you don't like.

 

[DHart]

If you want art, buy a painting.

I totally disagree.

I appreciate fine design from a functional AND an aesthetic standpoint. And Colt 1911's are a perfect example of a design which not only functions well but is beautiful to behold! I enjoy looking at my Colts and shooting them.

If all you want is a gun which functions and don't care about looks, save yourself some money and just buy a Glock and be done with it.

 

[dsk]

My feelings exactly. This is only my opinion, but I can't see paying close to $1000 for a really pretty gun whose primary attribute is the finish, then wearing the thing out. If guns are nothing but tools, then I found my "tool" already in the form of a Glock 19. If a 1911 is preferred, I'd just buy a cheap Springfield or Norinco. I have a whole bunch of 1911s, but only three or four of them actually receive a lot of use. Some of the others I've shot on occasion, but many of the rest have never been fired by me. Why so many that I'll never shoot? Because I'm a collector, not as much of a shooter.

Now, if on the other hand you only have two or three guns to begin with, then I can certainly see buying just one nice gun, then shooting it a lot. To each his own. Some may see my reluctance to shoot some guns a waste, but the truth is I trade off my guns all the time and seek maximum resale value on them. For example, I once bought a pristine Colt pre-70 Government with no marks on it at all. I kept it for a few years, but never shot it and rarely even worked the slide! Eventually I got the bug up my rear end to buy a different gun, and the Colt was sold to somebody else at about the same price I originally paid for it. Had I shot it it would have dropped in value, and I would've taken a big hit.

To some here it sounds like a total waste of time, doesn't it? Buy a gun, never shoot it, then later sell it. Buy another, treat it the same way. That's just the way we collectors are, and there really isn't a better way to explain it. While I have no plans to ever sell my WW1 replica, I'd never say never as I've already sold off guns I thought I'd always keep. A few I regretted, most I don't. Unlike most other so-called "durable" goods like cars and TV sets, guns don't depreciate much in value and can be sold later for close to what they cost when new. Sometimes the value actually goes UP, especially if the gun was made before some bone-head law was passed, or the manufacturer either discontinued the item or screwed with the design (can anyone say Series I Kimber?).

It's all just a hobby. I like to look at my guns nowadays, not shoot them. Some prefer to shoot them, and couldn't care less what they look like. I rarely shoot these days because I have a six-day-a-week job that keeps me here until late, so I hardly have time to even change the oil in my car or do laundry, let alone go out and shoot. If my lifestyle ever changes I may start shooting more again, and maybe I may designate more of my safe queens as range guns. Until then, they stay in the box where they aren't degrading in value.

 

[DHart]

dsk... looking at 'em is definitely a pleasure! They are works of art!

 

[Huevos]

To some here it sounds like a total waste of time, doesn't it? Buy a gun, never shoot it, then later sell it. Buy another, treat it the same way.

Doesn't sound like a bad plan to me if you can make it work. My problem is that I can never force myself to sell one of my guns, so I might as well shoot them cuz they're not going anywhere...Sam

 

[FJC]

All are valid options, and it's your choice what you do with your pistol.

Buy it and lock it away as a safe queen - that's fine, I've done that with some pistols.

Buy it, shoot it, and carry it - your choice as well.

Personally, if I had the money for one, I'd buy it, shoot it, but not carry it. I'd like to keep that fine finish in good shape, which carrying will definitely not do. As well, I feel the later Colts are better for carry purposes (firing pin safety and all). So, *my* choice would be to buy it, shoot it plenty, but baby the finish and keep it looking as pristine as possible.

I'd purchase a more stock model for carry purposes, one with a more durable finish, or one with a finish I wouldn't mind seeing wear on.

But *any* of the choices are legitimate!

 

[DHart]

I'm like huevos... I just can't part with my guns... even the ones I don't shoot for whatever reason... I just can't seem to give them up.

Well, if push came to shove, I've got a Springfield Compact that I could pretty easily live without (but it's a very nice gun) and my TRP is another very nice gun, but letting it go wouldn't be too terribly difficult.... or would it...

Springfield LW Compact - factory wood grips

Springfield TRP

Letting one of my Kiimbers go would be tougher, because they're Series 1 pistols and very nice. And as for the Colts... I just don't think giving one of them up would be possible!