Clark 1911 .38 Special Value

Local gun shop has a Clark built 5” Colt Series 80 in .38 Special. The barrel has no marking on hood so not sure what it is, the gun is open sights with full length Bomar rib. One magazine and not a Colt mag. The gun is in very nice condition. It has the signature Clark two set screws built into the frame for tightening slide.

They want $1999.00 which seems really high to me. Especially with only one magazine and not even a Colt mag. 

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Steve Gile/Iowa

Like any old gun, it’s worth what the seller and the buyer agree to.

Some dealers think that Clark guns were something special.  Maybe.  It doesn’t mean that Jim Clark Sr actually built it.  His shop had several smiths in his employ.  He did do quality check on each but he didn’t personally build every one.  Since Clark Sr and Jr passed, the focus of their shop changed.  More to “action pistol”.  And the build techniques Jim Clark Sr used have evolved and I’m not sure they’ve kept up.  

IMO, more than 1500-1600 is a bit steep.

Wobbley I have a 5" Heavy Slide built by Archie Anderson, one of their gunsmiths from that era. It shoots great.
Stan

I have this "6" inch "wad gun" built in 1974, and these are the50 yard targets from said gun  mimeographed instruction sheet signed by JC sr. and in his own hand writing on the back of each target is the load data also signed by Jim Clark senior, seen an awful lot of $5000 guns that can't match this. someone on the 1911 forum told me it was a nisch gun, no market, out of date at best $1500, I hope he's not holding his breath.

Might cost $1900 to build the thing, but as a used gun, it is an antique and an odd ball. How many Bullseye shooters are shooting iron sighted 38 Specials?  Probably fewer than the four Republican voters in the Vermont primary.


I have to mention, there are lots of great competition guns that were competitive in their day. But at some point in the future, the game changes, the rules change, and technology makes that target 44 Russian S&W top break revolver, noncompetitive in the modern game.

38spl 1911s are a collector type item. If they truly were competitive, modern builds would be readily available. I have one and have shot several matches with it, it is much less forgiving on the longline than a 45. It is a fun gun to shoot, but the “advantages” of 38spl are greatly exaggerated.

Seems kind of odd that JC Sr. would use a 25 yd target at the 50 yd line...

targetbarb wrote:Seems kind of odd that JC Sr. would use a 25 yd target at the 50 yd line...

25 yard target or not those are the 50 yard RR targets that came with the gun you see 1 shot and then he moves slightly for the nine shot group. This gun is a .45 acp, but I do find it funny about how people try to discount these guns as just some anomaly of the past, or how the methods of accurizing a .45 have some how changed over the years,

chiz1180 wrote:38spl 1911s are a collector type item. If they truly were competitive, modern builds would be readily available. I have one and have shot several matches with it, it is much less forgiving on the longline than a 45. It is a fun gun to shoot, but the “advantages” of 38spl are greatly exaggerated.

I see an awful lot of people still shooting S&W 52, 52-1 52-2'S, THEY DON'T STAY IN THE FORSALE SECTION LONG, OR DO THE MAGAZINES AT A $100 A POP.

Cmysix wrote:

targetbarb wrote:Seems kind of odd that JC Sr. would use a 25 yd target at the 50 yd line...

25 yard target or not those are the 50 yard RR targets that came with the gun you see 1 shot and then he moves slightly for the nine shot group. This gun is a .45 acp, but I do find it funny about how people try to discount these guns as just some anomaly of the past, or how the methods of accurizing a .45 have some how changed over the years,

They have changed quite a bit. Nobody uses tuner ribs anymore and barrel fitting is much better in guns now than in guns of the past.

KBarth wrote:

Cmysix wrote:

targetbarb wrote:Seems kind of odd that JC Sr. would use a 25 yd target at the 50 yd line...

25 yard target or not those are the 50 yard RR targets that came with the gun you see 1 shot and then he moves slightly for the nine shot group. This gun is a .45 acp, but I do find it funny about how people try to discount these guns as just some anomaly of the past, or how the methods of accurizing a .45 have some how changed over the years,

They have changed quite a bit. Nobody uses tuner ribs anymore and barrel fitting is much better in guns now than in guns of the past.

Say what you want about Jim Clark, his methods or whatever, if a shooter finds a Clark accurrized pistol in good condition it will be more than good enough to shoot whatever you are capable of. He built guns with and without tuners and/or ribs and they all shot very well.  He was a man of integrity and would discuss guns & reloading treating you as an equal. If he labeled a group as being fired at a specified distance it was so, whether on toilet paper, bond, or a random target.

The barrels, machining etc of today make it EASIER to build a good gun but not any better than Jim. BE uses the same targets & times today and record scores are not much higher. Give one of today's top shooters a Clark as described above and his scores won't be hurt.

I understand there are very good guns built today and this is not meant to disparage them or the 'smiths in any way. I only write this because of criticism of Mr. Clark and his guns. 
Ron Habegger

I didn’t think a “series 80” would be a desirable nor “ancient” pistol.
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