price check: colt governtment 1911

[3-fitty-7]

i've recently come to the dark side, after owning only revolvers i was out shopping for a smith 629 .44 mag and a 1911 caught my eye. it is a colt government series 80 MK IV in SS no papers box etc. i did put the money down but did not sign the papers yet, is $695.00 an ok price? around the grip frame was a little dirty from the previous owner but the shop guys said they would throw in an ultrasonic cleaning for free and i did take it on the range and test fire for 15 rounds and function was perfect but like i said, i only own revolvers so i dont really know what to look for in a used 1911. thanks in advance for your help everyone.

[Lurch37]

You don't say what condition it's in, but if in the 95 to 99 percent range I personally wouldn't have a problem paying $700 for that particular pistol. Around here that is a fair price for one in very good condition. From your description it sounds like maybe all it needs is a good cleaning. The stainless adds some to the value.

If you know your revolvers then you shouldn't have much trouble judging the condition of a 1911. Unless the thing is all buggered up, rusty, very grimy, terribly loose fitting, etc., then it will make you a fine handgun. If one or two of those conditions are present, then I tend to inspect it more carefully because it tells me that the previous owner didn't take very good care of his weapon, or he used it/carried it a lot or both.

If in doubt, one can "hold" the weapon for a day and checkout the gun auction sites and compare prices to what you are looking at. I always prefer getting a handgun that includes the box and papers, but have at times overlooked that. Although some people don't care, I tend to think the box and papers add value to the weapon.

Hope this helps and welcome to the "dark" side.

[hdawson228]

If it's terribly dirty and the previous owner didn't take at least minimal care, I would be suspicious. :cool: