Ithaca 1911

[hittman]

I'm looking at a US Govt marked Ithaca 1911.

What should I stay away from or look for?

How do I date it to ensure it's WW2 vintage?

Are values all over the board?

It looks just like this one with similar markings. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=403245621

I'm not much of a semi-auto guy but this gun intrigues me for some reason and I know very, very little about 1911's.

 

[sousana]

Your best bet is to hit the 1911 forum, if they can't tell you, no one can.

 

[1911Tuner]

Look for deformed lugs in the slide. The damage will be at the rear faces and will have a stair-stepped appearance. IF it's there, the pistol is probably still functional, but you'll never get it to headspace within spec. If the barrel is original, you'll probably see the same stair-step deformation on the front faces of the lugs.

Look for a crack in the slide at the top of the port just forward of the corner on the left side, in line with the small rectangular block at the bottom of the breechface. If that crack is there...even a tiny one...the slide is a paperweight. Don't fire the gun under any circumstances.

A crack or cracks on the frame at the junction of the rails and the dust cover/tunnel isn't an issue, other than to bargain for a lower price.

For all else, you'll need to research the proof marks to see if everything is original or at least correct for the gun. There are very few truly original USGI pistols unless they were never issued or were liberated early on. If the gun has seen normal use, something has been replaced...if only a pin or the springs.

And be sure that some idiot goobernoodle hasn't polished the feed ramp. The top of the ramp should be clean and sharp. The barrel ramp should be a lot smaller and narrower than you're used to seeing on modern pistols.

 

[HIVO]

Sousana is right, look in the USGI section and be ready to post pics. You can also go to coolgunsite.com for ALOT of info. Good luck, hope you find what you need.
HIVO

 

[Snake45]

How do I date it to ensure it's WW2 vintage?

Are values all over the board?

It looks just like this one with similar markings. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=403245621

If it looks just like the one in those pics, with similar markings, then it's almost certainly a WWII-vintage Ithaca.

They made good 1911s, IMHO. I have three homebuilt 1911s built around Ithaca slides and none of them has ever given me the least bit of trouble.

Price/value will depend on three things: condition, condition, and condition. The more original, the higher the price. The reason stone-stock WWII USGI 1911s are so spendy is the same reason why '55-'57 Chevies are today: For decades, they were so common and cheap that no one gave a second thought about chopping them up and modifying and customizing them to individual taste, and then driving the hell out of them. Relatively few were left unmolested. :wink:

 

[HAWKEYE#28]

AMONGST OTHERS, MAKE SURE THE FRAME SN IS THAT OF AN ITHACA 45 AND NOT ANOTHER MAKER'S WITH JUST AN ITHACA SLIDE. I OWN AND USE CHARLES CLAWSON'S BOOKS, AS WELL AS SCOTT MEADOW'S TEXTS(SERIES OF THREE)...........ONE NEEDS TO BE VERY CAREFUL AND THERE IS A NEED FOR KNOWLEDGE BEFORE PURCHASE...... 8)

 

[skipper49]

You can take the advice Tuner gave as "gospel". I might add, that the cracks in the slide can be very hard to see. A fingernail can sometimes find one you didn't see. Ask me how I know.

Skip

 

[rugerguy]

hittman, yes, good info above and yes, values allover the place based on if the gun is "right", legit, and about as original as can be....lots of arsenal reworks out there, LOTS of parts guns, as Splitz noted, it has to "match" to be of any value, then its the condition and based on that of any original finish (parkerized) pictures would help, number would help, each contractor had their own series of noted serial numbers and any and all other markings on the outside of the gun as well as markings on the barrel, as well as what magazine is with the gun.......many DCM guns, lots of bring homes, and they ALL have a story 8) :roll: :wink:


we had one (Ithaca) on the table this past weekend at the OGCA, belonged to one of the Forum Members, lots of folks looked at it ,BUT at one time in its history, someone "reblued" this gun, killed any and all collectors value, many looked at it, but,,, "tsk, tsk, too bad, it is what it is...." so, never sold, never got ANY offers......
By the way, this Ithaca 1911A1 is in the #1,44x,xxx serial range, making it a 1943 gun........
and if I recall right, the serial numbers of the Ithacas were stamped AFTER the finish,so keep this in mind :wink: