No, it's the truth.  The barrel I have is an original M1911A1 barrel with
deep markings made by the factory.  Back in 1978, I went to Abel's Gun Shop
of Fredericksburg, VA, with an original M1911 serial 327,9XX.  That gun of
mine is a Circa 1917/1918 original, all original, except for the crap 1911A1
barrel the gunsmith put in the gun keeping mine.  The original barrel had
only Gothic letter markings "P" and "H" when looking into the breach with
the gun pointed away from the body.

The gunsmith was supposed to look at and evaluate the gun for me, I was 18.


When I returned for the gun, I failed to notice that he had switched the
barrel to the one you see in the pictures I placed on Gunbroker.com.  The
guy was acting a bit shady when I had gone back for my gun... offering me
what I had paid for the gun ($300 in 1978) plus would give me a gun for free
on top of that.  Well, I had gotten the gun from an old WWI veteran who was
dying.  It had been his gun in the war.  I had wanted the original barrel
polished up a bit, which as we know now would have been a dumb thing to do
in terms of valuation, but when the gunsmith discovered what he had, he put
a shinny barrel in it for me thinking that I would certainly take his offer
and get the $300 and a new gun.

See, he didn't count on how it was I came into the gun.  Anyhow, I didn't
realize until several years later that the barrel had been switched.  Right
after I got home with the gun, I went off to college.  When I got around to
looking at the gun later, I noticed from my ledger of markings, serial
number, etc., that I had made originally that this barrel was not mine.

Yes, that is a real barrel and yes, it is a coincidence too unreal to
believe that we have two barrels alike on the same website, at the same
time, for sale.

My purpose in listing was to try and find the owner of the frame belonging
to serial number barrel 7791193.  My guess is that person got my barrel once
the gunsmith ended up stuck having taken yet another client's barrel.  The
gun shop was closed down only a few months after I had done business with
it.  It could have been the person owning gun 7791193 was too a collector
and raised hell legally with the owner of the shop.  I think it was his son
that did the deed.

Anyhow, if you happen to know where frame 7791193 is, there may be a barrel
as described in the attached with Gothic "P" and "H" in it, thus ruining
that guns value as well as mine... which by the way I've researched and
found my low serial gun with its Navy Colt special markings of a ship's
Captain could fetch 20-25K per NRA.

I just want the right barrel.  Oh well, there you have it.  Probably more
than you wanted to hear.

Quoted:
Ummmm, Kart sells them for around $120 or so.

I read through it and is says blued steel, not solid gold...so that idea is out.

I wonder if he's hoping to find somebody that is missing their barrel so he can stick it to them?

Bob