Question regarding Colt gold cup 1911 frame crack pictures added

gunmanquebec

gunmanquebec

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Hi guys
I'm currently working on a deal to buy a Colt Seri80 Gold cup 45 acp.
I wanted you guys input on this.

There a 2 -3 mm crack on the front of the frame (dust cover) at the front right beside were the rails start....

The owner gunsmith told me it's was probably because of the full guide rod he had installed and that it did not affect the gun at all... I do understand that some frames on 1911 usually crack on the top of the slide release... but ton the dust covers....:eek:

I can get the gun for a little over 600$ and was wondering if it was worth it. The owner told me that the gun as not fired more than 3000 rds.

my second question is any idea what could be the cost of fixing it....

Thank's for your input
 
Last edited:
Still it's a gold cup....

The pictures he sent me were to fuzzy to really see anything, I'm waiting for some better one
The guy told me you could bearely see the crack
I'll post them
 
Yup, a Gold Cup it may be, but a cracked frame is still a cracked frame....personally, I would not pay $600.00 for that pistol in that condition. Just my professional technical opinion...
 
gunmanquebec said:
Hi guys
I'm currently working on a deal to buy a Colt Seri80 Gold cup 45 acp.
I wanted you guys input on this.

There a 2 -3 mm crack on the front of the frame (dust cover) at the front right beside were the rails start....

The owner gunsmith told me it's was probably because of the full guide rod he had installed and that it did not affect the gun at all... I do understand that some frames on 1911 usually crack on the top of the slide release... but ton the dust covers....:eek:

I can get the gun for a little over 600$ and was wondering if it was worth it. The owner told me that the gun as not fired more than 3000 rds.

my second question is any idea what could be the cost of fixing it....

Thank's for your input
Click to expand...

We are both looking at the same gun from the guy in quebec city! :D
When I saw the price I just bout fell off my chair. When he disclosed the cracked frame, I backed out of the deal.

I can get a "NEW" CZ 97B for $735 or a Tanfoglio for $719 both in 45ACP. A Gold Cup with a cracked frame for $550... no thanks.
 
I've had a couple 1911 range guns develope cracks on the dust covers. I think it was from using shok bufs. They push outwards under recoil. The guns are still working and the cracks don't seem to be propogating. Buying a gun with a cracked frame is of course a crap shoot though.
 
buckbrush said:
Ben, it can be repaired with tig welding and then reblued. $600.00 is way to much for a pistol needing that much repair.
Click to expand...

+1

I had a Springfield develop the same cracks. It is mostly a cosmetic issue, not a safety issue.
 
As buckbrush said, the frame can be welded up and reblued ... or ...
you can drill a small hole at the botom of the crack to stop any further elongation, and just shoot it.

These cracks are why they invented the shokbuff. They occur when the back of the recoil lug of the slide hits the front of the frame, right where the recoil spring guide sits, and everything rings like a bell. These cracks were quite common in the IPSC guns of the 80s and 90s, before smiths learned how to balance recoil spring strength, slide weight, and THOUSANDS of full power IPSC loads. I've repaired a few, including an alloy frame Commander [ scarf out the crack, weld, grind, refinish in electroless Nickle ... with the Nickle you could not see the fix ]. Rebluing is iffy as the weld rod has to match PERFECTLY or you see the repair as a different colour. Nickle is a bit more forgiving as a finish.

PS: The Gold Cups were set up with weaker recoil springs and lighter slides for bullseye loads. Another common place to look for cracks in old Colt .45s, is the top left side of the slide, at the right angle where the barrel shroud notch is.

good luck ..
LAZ 1
 
prproulx said:
Is this a common weak spot on 1911's? I had a similar crack on a SA. It couldn't be fixed properly by my local smith but I wonder if it could be welded?
Click to expand...

Yes it is common. Yes, it can be welded, dressed, filed, and repolished, then reblued. A lot of work. It's a $300 gun, because it's going to cost you $400 to fix it. - dan
 
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