Post by CXM on Oct 18, 2021 14:18:27 GMT -5
As promised here are a few photos of my graduation Colt's Government Model.
First, here is the gun as it is today... a plain Jane 1964 production Government model. It came with "Colt wood" grips and those grips were on it when I got it back... At first glance they seemed to be in good shape... Upon closer inspection you can see they have shrunk causing the screw holes to become oval shaped... not good... basically those grips are of no use.
If you look carefully you can see the oval screw holes... Once I got the grips off to oil under them they were not going back on. I fitted the pistol with some rose wood grips, but I am not entirely happy with the look though they to me at least look nice. The other option would be at this point to fit a set of WWII GI grips until I can find something I like better.
The gun it's self has not changed a lot in nearly 50 years away from the family...
There is a little holster wear on the sharp edges and a few pin points of rust, which should now be inactive after after oil treatments. It will probably come off with some 0000 steel wool.
Here is a close up showing the edge wear and the small amount of rust the gun has acquired.
I thought this story might be worth posting... so here goes...
Way back in 1974 I moved overseas... WAY overseas. It was an exciting prospect and I was happy in the extreme... except for the fact I could not take my guns with me... they were prohibited in that country...
Flash back 10 years. My Dad asked me what I wanted for a high school graduation gift... Well I knew I didn't want a hair brush set or one of those brass plated shoe horns with long handles. Definitely no ties or sox. I thought about it a while and told him I wanted a bight new shiny in the box Colt Government Model 45. Yes, I knew I had a nice GI 1911A1 I had bought as my first gun and it was a great gun... BUT... It was not a pristine new '45.'
So... following the celebrations the night of graduation, the morning after graduation... say late morning... like 11:30 or 11:45 or so... I didn't feel my very best the next morning if you follow my drift... I woke up to find a box printed to resemble (but not a lot) wood grain sitting at my seat at the breakfast table with a graduation card from my Mum and Dad (how Dad was able to acquire a new Government Model for me on short notice in those long dead days when both Colts and S&W revolvers and pistols were as scarce as honest politicians is another story.)
Anyway... Back to 1974... I had to sell off all my guns because I had no way to store them while overseas... I can still shed a tear or two over some of those guns... So I started selling them off... which brings us back to that now nearly new 1911... I had a friend who bought it from me... he was happy in the extreme. I was not but was hopeful he would enjoy the gun and care for it.
Now fast forward to the present. When I retired circumstances caused me to move back to Florida. Then move to Lakeland, where I was in 1974. A few years after that I ran into the guy who bought my 1964 vintage Government Model... And he still had that old GM... But, no... He didn't want to sell it. Sadly I told him if he ever wanted to sell it I would like to buy it back...
On Sunday my phone rang... it was my friend calling to tell me he was selling off all his guns to move to an assisted living facility and did I still want the GM? DID I STILL WANT IT
Anyway, I told him I would take and how much did he want for it... To my considerable surprise he said I could have it for what he had paid me for it!! I told him it was worth a lot more now... like 9 or 10 times what he had paid me for it... he replied his offer was very reasonable... said at that price he had the use of the gun free all those years.
So the deal was done and my graduation gun has come home... It still has the original "Colt Wood' grips that appear to have shrunk some... I expect they will fall apart when I remove them to fit some nice walnut 'diamond' grips to the pistol... have to see I suppose. The finish shows some wear... minor scratches and that sort of stuff... for a pistol made in 1964 that isn't bad at all... I may have it re-finished which should be easy to do...
I'll take some pics and post them in the next day or two...
All in all my luck has been running very good in the past few weeks... This is the second gun with some history i have acquired, the other being an early s&W M39 that belonged to a now deceased three star general who died recently...
FWIW
Chuck
First, here is the gun as it is today... a plain Jane 1964 production Government model. It came with "Colt wood" grips and those grips were on it when I got it back... At first glance they seemed to be in good shape... Upon closer inspection you can see they have shrunk causing the screw holes to become oval shaped... not good... basically those grips are of no use.
If you look carefully you can see the oval screw holes... Once I got the grips off to oil under them they were not going back on. I fitted the pistol with some rose wood grips, but I am not entirely happy with the look though they to me at least look nice. The other option would be at this point to fit a set of WWII GI grips until I can find something I like better.
The gun it's self has not changed a lot in nearly 50 years away from the family...
There is a little holster wear on the sharp edges and a few pin points of rust, which should now be inactive after after oil treatments. It will probably come off with some 0000 steel wool.
Here is a close up showing the edge wear and the small amount of rust the gun has acquired.
The circle and arrow point to a ding in the frame. I remember well the day shortly after I got the gun that I made that mark... I was really upset my new pistol was marred... When my Dad saw it I figured he would be unhappy... His comment was simply, "Well it's a tool and tools get marks on them." I was extremely relieved... and then some... Funny thing is I remember that day almost 50 years ago like it was this morning...
So that's about it... the old gun is back home... I'm glad to have it home... Hope it is happy as well...
FWIW
Chuck
I thought this story might be worth posting... so here goes...
Way back in 1974 I moved overseas... WAY overseas. It was an exciting prospect and I was happy in the extreme... except for the fact I could not take my guns with me... they were prohibited in that country...
Flash back 10 years. My Dad asked me what I wanted for a high school graduation gift... Well I knew I didn't want a hair brush set or one of those brass plated shoe horns with long handles. Definitely no ties or sox. I thought about it a while and told him I wanted a bight new shiny in the box Colt Government Model 45. Yes, I knew I had a nice GI 1911A1 I had bought as my first gun and it was a great gun... BUT... It was not a pristine new '45.'
So... following the celebrations the night of graduation, the morning after graduation... say late morning... like 11:30 or 11:45 or so... I didn't feel my very best the next morning if you follow my drift... I woke up to find a box printed to resemble (but not a lot) wood grain sitting at my seat at the breakfast table with a graduation card from my Mum and Dad (how Dad was able to acquire a new Government Model for me on short notice in those long dead days when both Colts and S&W revolvers and pistols were as scarce as honest politicians is another story.)
Anyway... Back to 1974... I had to sell off all my guns because I had no way to store them while overseas... I can still shed a tear or two over some of those guns... So I started selling them off... which brings us back to that now nearly new 1911... I had a friend who bought it from me... he was happy in the extreme. I was not but was hopeful he would enjoy the gun and care for it.
Now fast forward to the present. When I retired circumstances caused me to move back to Florida. Then move to Lakeland, where I was in 1974. A few years after that I ran into the guy who bought my 1964 vintage Government Model... And he still had that old GM... But, no... He didn't want to sell it. Sadly I told him if he ever wanted to sell it I would like to buy it back...
On Sunday my phone rang... it was my friend calling to tell me he was selling off all his guns to move to an assisted living facility and did I still want the GM? DID I STILL WANT IT
Anyway, I told him I would take and how much did he want for it... To my considerable surprise he said I could have it for what he had paid me for it!! I told him it was worth a lot more now... like 9 or 10 times what he had paid me for it... he replied his offer was very reasonable... said at that price he had the use of the gun free all those years.So the deal was done and my graduation gun has come home... It still has the original "Colt Wood' grips that appear to have shrunk some... I expect they will fall apart when I remove them to fit some nice walnut 'diamond' grips to the pistol... have to see I suppose. The finish shows some wear... minor scratches and that sort of stuff... for a pistol made in 1964 that isn't bad at all... I may have it re-finished which should be easy to do...
I'll take some pics and post them in the next day or two...
All in all my luck has been running very good in the past few weeks... This is the second gun with some history i have acquired, the other being an early s&W M39 that belonged to a now deceased three star general who died recently...
FWIW
Chuck
