Not sleeping tonight

I have an opportunity to possibly purchase a Bob Chow ball gun from a good friend of mine who has no idea of what is on his hands. Other people have given him ideas based on a base 1911 with no collector value. It's from his father in laws estate to help pay for his housing in a old folks home. I'm trying to get a ballpark idea of value. for him and maintain a level of impartiality. I guarantee I won't sleep tonight thinking about this. It's a beautiful gun. He also has a K22 and K38 with Herrets grips that are beautiful too.

Have no idea but Bob Chow was a great gentleman, I used to go into his shop in the Mid 1980s right before he retired. He did a trigger job on my K-22 and it is a joy to shoot. If I could buy a 1911 that he did I would not hesitate.

I am going to agree with those who are valuing it as a shooter. It's nice to have a gun built by a known builder but in reality it's value is that of a shooter. Without seeing it maybe $1000 to $1200 and as much as $1500 if it is in really nice condition. By that I mean nice and tight with little finish wear.

I might add, that I have worked on several Chow wadcutter guns in the last several years. The workmanship by Mr. Chow is excellent. I don't think you can go wrong..

Jerry Keefer

In the 70s, Bob Chow guns were one of the few "go to" bullseye guns.

There was one on Gunbroker. Don't know if it's still listed, but I think the starting price was $3200 or so. At that price, I think it'll be there a long time.

Here she is:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109571993204376746394/ChowGun#5733678238201370226

Still trying to learn to post images

This is a perfect wad gun for someone who is not yet Distinguished. You should buy it and what happens to your conscious is something you alone will have to live with. Will you steal from a fellow BE shooter laying in a bed near death? That is your business but nearly all of us would give the guy a fair price or at least inform the seller what it is worth so that someone else does not take advantage of the helpless old BE shooter.
Perhaps you should offer to help the family sell the guns for what they are worth.

I gave the guy a very fair price and didn't let anyone steal it out from under him.I also pushed him a bunch of extra cash for ammo that I will probably never shoot because the boxes are so cool (I'm thinking for match prizes) I just wish his father in law didn't have alzheimers so I could hear all the history behind it. I'm now trying to sell off my other stock to pick up the K22 and K38. The history behind all of it is tough to describe to my contemporaries who like easy wins and lack the discipline to make the journey that this sport demands.

Where are you located? If you're in the CA Bay Area, if you go to Coyote Point rifle/pistol club on the weekends (PM me for more info) there are some Bob Chow experts. A few members have one of every type of pistol Chow worked on (high standard, revolver, 45 1911, 38special 1911, and I think another variation). I'm a member there also.

One thing you may want to do is take off the slide, on the disconnector area, he stamped in a bunch of letters and numbers. What is on there? Those letters and numbers tell us what he did exactly to the pistol and the date.

It's marked with Bob's name and what looks like 10164, but it might be 10 of 64. I don't really know. It also is marked mb bs and fa. I know that FA was full accuracy, but am not sure what mb and bs are. It also has a NM barrel, but there isn't a NM stamped anywhere.
I'll be in the bay area next month on business travel.Pm'd with details.

huntingnt wrote:It's marked with Bob's name and what looks like 10164, but it might be 10 of 64. I don't really know. It also is marked mb bs and fa. I know that FA was full accuracy, but am not sure what mb and bs are. It also has a NM barrel, but there isn't a NM stamped anywhere.
I'll be in the bay area next month on business travel.Pm'd with details.

10164 should be the date. FA means the pistol got the full workup by Chow. If you didn't know him, or he thought you weren't a competitive shooter he wouldn't do a "Full Accuracy". MB is the national match barrel. BS is probably Bomar Sights (versus Bomar Rib). Also on there might be the original customer's initials. Trigger job is part of the FA too if I recall. Did he do front and backstrap stippling? His front strap stippling was really nice and grippy. Chow should also be stamped on the front of the barrel bushing.

Just make sure you shoot the darned thing and not let it sit in the safe. Chow made his guns to shoot and always wanted to know his babies were doing.

Yeah. Chow is on the barrel, bushing and under the slide. I see chow and F Bob Chow in two separate places under the slide and what looks like an N on one site and a + on the other side. Even though it looks like a ball gun, is there any indication if the spring is for ball or wad?

Back then they all looked like ball guns aside from a full rib sight.

Springs were cut back then if the slide didn't cycle or stovepiped. Hard to tell now what was the intent. Easiest way is to weigh the trigger.

I am sorry that my post last night sounded so harsh. The accusatory tone was inappropriate and not really the way I wanted to say that.
Any of us would be proud to own that pistol and you are very fortunate to get to shoot something like that.

I have no idea why I assumed it was a wad gun and looking at the photo now I think it would pass for a ball gun easy enough if it has the right springs. If so, that would be very cool to shoot in the P100 this year.

No worries. This isn't the sport for thin skinned people and no offense was taken. I'll measure the trigger today and get back.
Update: It's a 64oz. trigger. Must be a ball gun.

put up more photos!

More photos added to the picasa link.

Great gun. Whatever you paid for the pistol, it's worth it for a piece of history and workmanship.

Shoot it and enjoy it!