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trade value

1K views 19 replies 4 participants last post by  Mury Cunningham 
#1 ·
A guy has offered me a trade for a firearm I own.

The individual said he ha a Caspian Colt .45. The pictures he sent me makes me believe different.

2 Photos he sent me attached.

A friend of mine said the .45 in question looks to be a original WWII model.

Can you please tell me what you think by the pictures and what you think it might be worth.

Thank You.
 

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#2 ·
You have what appears to be a parts-gun.

The slide looks to be a Colt-made 1911 slide.

The receiver is a 1911A1 receiver, and the serial number is not GI.

I can't read the full address on the receiver, but it does say VT, USA, and Caspian is in Wolcott Vt.

Caspian, to my knowledge, does not sell guns. They sell parts, so you can build your own.

My guess is someone has built the gun, using a Caspian receiver (which is a good part) and a Colt slide (I have no idea whether that's a GI or commercial slide), and who-knows-what for the rest of the gun. GI parts kit? Ed Brown parts? Philippine parts?

Value - somewhere between 200 and 1500, would be my guess, since, as a parts gun, you don't know what's in it. To give some idea, a new Caspian receiver can be found for just under 250 bucks.

What does he want to trade for?
 
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#4 ·
Hmmmm. A Glock 19 is 540 bucks, at Buds. I'd probably do it if I could see the gun first. Or if I knew and trusted the seller. I wouldn't do it blind - just someone off the net, where I ship him my gun and his comes to my FFL, 'cause like I said, just ain't no tellin' what's in a parts gun.

I'd for sure want more and better pictures. Pictures taken at angles are nice and artistic, but when making purchase decisions, I want straight-on square pictures taken in good lighting with no glare. I want close-ups of ALL the roll-marks on the gun.

And I'd ask about the internals.
 
#7 ·
Ask him the persons name that did the custom work.
That will play an important part.
Does it have a NM bushing ? If so, it will be numbered below the barrel.
Better pics are a must. Right now, it's just a parts gun.
We need better pics and you need better info.
 
#11 ·
My ever-working suspicious mind tells me I need to respond. ;) Unless you know this person to be someone above board, I'd advise a bit of caution. Folks meeting folks they don't know, with the intention of buying/selling/trading guns, can be iffy. Not unusual to read, or hear about someone being robbed or shot because of meeting a stranger. One would think folks would know better, obviously some don't.
 
#13 ·
Well, it's not really a 70s Series. Lots of folks use that term to refer to anything that is pre-80s Series. :p

With a Caspian frame, a Colt GI slide and a GI parts kit, it should be worth four to five hundred, in my opinion, even if it's just set up as a GI gun. I'd make the trade and take the minor financial hit - but then, I like 1911s and don't like Glocks. :)

As Shooter said, anyone can put a gun together. I'd check some things to make sure nobody went crazy with the files and stones.

Make sure the gun's empty.

Cock it, put the safety on, pull the trigger as hard as you can - see if the hammer falls. It shouldn't.

If the hammer stayed up, just take the safety off. D0n't touch the trigger. Sometimes actions are screwed with enough that the only thing that kept it from firing was the safety, and when the safety is taken off, the hammer falls. Make sure that don't happen.

Take it to full cock, keep your hand away from the grip safety and pull the trigger as hard as you can - see if the hammer falls. It shouldn't.

Lock the slide back, drop the slide using the slide stop - see if the hammer follows it. It shouldn't.

With the hammer down, holding it in firing position, take your off hand and pull the slide all the way to the rear (cocking the gun) and let it go WHILE HOLDING THE TRIGGER BACK LIKE YOU JUST FIRED IT. See if the hammer follows the slide forward. It shouldn't. Do this one three or four times.

Cock it, take the safety off, shake the gun around, slap it against your other hand hard - see if the shaking or the shock of hitting your hand makes the hammer fall. It shouldn't.

If it does any of that stuff - hand it back. All of these are signs of someone that did not know what he was doing, working on the action.

Take it ALMOST to full cock and let go the hammer - see if half-cock catches it. It should. If it does not - hand it back.

Lastly, dry-fire it, and see if you can live with the trigger.
 
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#15 ·
You haven't told us the important thing.

Did you do the trade?
 
#16 ·
Alpo, and Shooter45.... According to Caspian, The receiver was shipped to Mr. Curtis of Curtis Customs in 1988. Curtis was suppose to be a well known Armorer who retired from the Air Force.

I did make the trade last night. Now it has been 20 years since I have function check a .45 but I did remember most f it last night. I also red through your list and re-checked all functions. All functions test and seem to work properly. Few more pictures for you to look over and give opinions on. And a Thank You for you input.
 

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#19 ·
I think you did good. Looks like it was set up as just a stock gun - standard bushing, short guide rod. Looks like an aftermarket trigger, though - not GI. Least I've never seen one with those two dimples in the sides.
 
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