How to "split" a NRA surplus Colt 1911

[joeranger]

Decades ago my dad bought a Colt 1911 as part of his NRA membership...so the story goes. My brother and I both really want it so my 80 yo mom has it locked in a safe. I am just going to go buy a 1911 and my brother can deal with our mom. He wins. Neither of us "need" it. It's a brother thing It was dad's.

Does anyone remember a NRA program that let you buy a surplus 1911 for $27? I might be wrong about the price but that's the number stuck in my head as a kid

[HiBC]

The $27 price is long gone.
Some of the original (but probably rebuilt) 1911/1911/A1 vintage pistols MAY be available through the Civilian Marksmanship Program but they are likely sold out and I would not expect a low price bargain.

A lot depends on what you want. What the meaning of it is to YOU.

Some folks HAVE to have a Colt. Some are delighted with a Ruger or Smith and Wesson or Springfield. There are other very good brands available.

And there will be a LOT of opinions.

For my money, to get a decent (brand new)military grade shooter for a reasonable price the Philippine made Government model look at Rock Island Armory is a decent option.

Of course, some folks will howl in disagreement. Oh,well.

I don't know the best place to buy a RIA. A local gunshop with a range would be best. I know SARCO advertises getting them in regularly.

[Jim Watson]

In the 1960s the DCM program sold surplus USGI to NRA members.
A 1911 was $17 plus shipping. A National Match was $85. But it was intended that you shoot it to develop skill that would be useful in national defense. You were limited to one gun of a type lifetime, not like the later wheeling and dealing money making schemes.

The current CMP program is selling a relative few guns for $1000 or so.

I am sorry that one gun, two heirs has led to such bitterness, but it is a tossup as to whether inheritance or divorce causes more hard feelings in families.

[TheReplacementGonzo]

Honestly, if your mother has had that locked in a safe and it hasn’t been attended to properly for any great length of time.

It might be quite a mess.

Just food for thought.

[amd6547]

If there is any paperwork associated with the purchase of this 1911 from DCM, it would be worth locating and keeping with the pistol.

[highpower3006]

Some folks HAVE to have a Colt. Some are delighted with a Ruger or Smith and Wesson or Springfield. There are other very good brands available.

And there will be a LOT of opinions.

For my money, to get a decent (brand new)military grade shooter for a reasonable price the Philippine made Government model look at Rock Island Armory is a decent option.

In this case, it's not necessarily that it's a Colt, but rather that it's that it's a genuine US military issue 1911 that belonged to the OP's father.

Pretty much all of the1911/1911A1's that I have seen that came through the DCM sales back in the late 50's and early 60's were really nice. Some were unissued and others were arsenal rebuilt/refinished.

I have a couple of Rock Island 1911s and they are quite nice, especially for the price. In my opinion, any GI spec 1911 is going to shoot much like any other GI spec 1911. But no matter how you try and paint it, it is never, ever going to be the same as owning a genuine US Property 1911/1911A1.

If I was the OP and was trying to duplicate his fathers gun, I would probably spend the money and get a "real" GI gun, or conversely if that was too expensive, I would source one of the reproduction 1911's marked by Colt a few years back.

[L-2]

Highpower3006 knows his stuff, has great knowledge, regarding vintage & collectible firearms and 1911s.

Although I'm not a collector, I do understand the sentimentality of family property and also folks who do collect military/historical firearms.

I admire the OP for "stepping away/back" and not turning the inherited property into some kind of fight or legal issue. Apparently, the brother also shares the emotional attachment to the subject 1911 pistol. Whether someone is older, younger, more-deserving, or more knowledgeable is beyond me. That's where courts and lawyers can enter into a negotiation.

I like 1911s, too. But I'd rather have something relatively modern/current which I'll carry and use (which is what I've done).
I recently bought a used Springfield-Armory "Professional":
https://www.springfield-armory.com/1...5-acp-handgun/

which I promptly dinged by bumping something unknown, but it works 100% for my purposes, and qualified with it for a carry permit (LEOSA in NV).

[BillW]

Just to throw another variable into this situation. My Dad purchased a DCM Remington Rand 1911A1 back in the day. My brother got it in the distribution but I bought it from him. Now it is in my gun safe.

I have three boys. All three are actively interested in the gun. I have carried a variety of Colt, Les Baer and Ruger 1911 pistols during my 38 year law enforcement career. None of that matters to them; they want Grandpas 1911. Sigh.

[totaldla]

I thought all the military 1911s were destroyed under the Clinton administration - the CMP doesn't have any?

[highpower3006]

I thought all the military 1911s were destroyed under the Clinton administration - the CMP doesn't have any?

Not true. The CMP sells USGI 1911/1911A1's through either a drawing where prospective buyers were assigned a number and were picked in sequence, or some of the more original and therefore more valuable guns were auctioned to the highest bidder.

Currently they are not accepting any more applications and I don't know when or if they are going to open up the program again.

[gwpercle]

It was the CMP that sold the guns .
One requirement was you had to be a NRA member to get one ...
That didn't set to well with some folks who didn't want to be a member so a big Brew-Haw was made ...it might have went to court but in the end that requirement was dropped .
Now you have to compete in at least one CMP shooting match or join some collector club to qualify . My old man got a M-1 Carbine . I picked up a 1903-A3 Springfield when I joined... it was used hard .
Gary