I’ve gentleman wants to partial trade a Colt Clark Custom Meltdown for my TRG. I’m not a pistol guy, and definitely not a 1911 guy. Can anyone give me a reasonable value and are they decent or no?
Ryan
Ryan
Sidearms & Scatterguns Colt 1911 - Clark Custom Meltdown
- Thread starter Estes640
- Start date
The Clarks, Jim Sr. and Jim Jr., have a tremendous gunsmithing history. Many innovations in over 65 years of business. Both are deceased now. A Clark meltdown makes a carry gun as smooth as a bar of soap. Not a single straight edge. Not to everyone's taste. The value is probably dependent on the age of the custom work, ie done by one of the Jim's, and the model of Colt. I imagine a pre 70 series melted twenty years ago would be quite valuable to a collector. Here's a Clark for sale. https://www.larrysguns.com/Products/Clark-Custom-Meltdown-1911-45__pis_used_Clark_melt.aspx
Look at the market carefully.
I got a pre-war commercial Colt customized by Armand Swenson for half the price of a similar condition untouched pre-war commercial Colt.
The values are not additive.
Meltdown says carry gun to me so if it has a lot of holster wear, deduct from the value.
The other thing about buying a custom gun is make sure you don't want to change anything or it's a configuration that you believe will hold value with the widest segment of the collector market. If you turn a custom made by a well known smith in to a mix master, all the custom value disappears.
To me, Clark Custom is a big name and Armand Swenson is also. If you're not familiar, Armand was old school, designed the Swenson style ambidextrous thumb safety, one of his signatures was putting S&W adjustable sights in a 1911 slide and he taught John Jardine gunsmithing who is a master in his own right and responsible for the Valtro 1998A1 which many believe to be the height of 1911 pistolsmithing.
Without the history lesson, a lot of people have no idea what it is. Clark might have a little more name recognition because I think they had a line of carry sights and other parts. Also, "Swenson" has become a brand of cheap pistol parts recently, probably because no one thought to copyright Swenson.
I got a pre-war commercial Colt customized by Armand Swenson for half the price of a similar condition untouched pre-war commercial Colt.
The values are not additive.
Meltdown says carry gun to me so if it has a lot of holster wear, deduct from the value.
The other thing about buying a custom gun is make sure you don't want to change anything or it's a configuration that you believe will hold value with the widest segment of the collector market. If you turn a custom made by a well known smith in to a mix master, all the custom value disappears.
To me, Clark Custom is a big name and Armand Swenson is also. If you're not familiar, Armand was old school, designed the Swenson style ambidextrous thumb safety, one of his signatures was putting S&W adjustable sights in a 1911 slide and he taught John Jardine gunsmithing who is a master in his own right and responsible for the Valtro 1998A1 which many believe to be the height of 1911 pistolsmithing.
Without the history lesson, a lot of people have no idea what it is. Clark might have a little more name recognition because I think they had a line of carry sights and other parts. Also, "Swenson" has become a brand of cheap pistol parts recently, probably because no one thought to copyright Swenson.
I agree with that, but I am a Colt collector, and to me it’s kind of like a Wilson. I have a custom Combat commander with providence from the Wilson Jewelry Store, ivory grips mind you, and was offered $3k by another collector. Early, big name, exactly as he accurized it, and in 98% (mostly because SS).
I think Clark Meltdowns are badass, and would not mind at all adding one. If I did it would have to have providence though. Does he have papers marking that S# as a Clark? From there it all depends on what you have in the TRG. With glass? I’d think somewhere between $2k and $3k depending on condition. Most of the time SS is more rare, but those melty looking Clark bluing jobs are so gorgeous I’d think those would be more. That’s the one I’d want anyway.
I think Clark Meltdowns are badass, and would not mind at all adding one. If I did it would have to have providence though. Does he have papers marking that S# as a Clark? From there it all depends on what you have in the TRG. With glass? I’d think somewhere between $2k and $3k depending on condition. Most of the time SS is more rare, but those melty looking Clark bluing jobs are so gorgeous I’d think those would be more. That’s the one I’d want anyway.
Series 80, looks pretty new, not the Royal Colt Bluing...nitride? They want $2,500 for a new one, so maybe $2,200 LNIB? Why else wouldn’t you buy new from Clark?
I think $2,200 value is very generous. It's not really my cup of tea and series 80 doesn't help.
Unless I saw a lot of people paying that much (and thought I could flip with good profit), I would pass.
I don't know the value of your rifle. I can add up the costs but used rifles seem to lose more value than used pistols because the barrels don't last forever.
That M1991 is about the low end of Colts production circa, well 1991 or so.
Im sure Clark's worked any kinks out of it but that doesnt strike me as one of their early desireable customs.
Their hardball guns were fantastic and that crazy stippling the had on the front strap is like hook velcro to skin, it absolutely becomes one with your grip.
The 1991A1 was a good copy of the WWII service pistol with the firing pin lock. I had one bought circa 1991 for $400. Sold it to buy a Springfield M1903. Love the M1903 but wish I had found another way to finance it without selling a good beater 1911.
Im sure Clark's worked any kinks out of it but that doesnt strike me as one of their early desireable customs.
Their hardball guns were fantastic and that crazy stippling the had on the front strap is like hook velcro to skin, it absolutely becomes one with your grip.
The 1991A1 was a good copy of the WWII service pistol with the firing pin lock. I had one bought circa 1991 for $400. Sold it to buy a Springfield M1903. Love the M1903 but wish I had found another way to finance it without selling a good beater 1911.
