RAF issue 1911 in .455

cpbird91

cpbird91

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I have a chance to buy a WW2 take home 1911 that has RAF issue marks but the interesting bit is that its in .455 which I didn't know they were issued in. I'm just curious if anyone here has any info on these series of pistols.

Thanks
 
Any idea of the ballpark value of one of these sort? By serial number it's a 1914 production but I don't have any pictures of it to upload yet unfortunately. It's certainly in shooter condition. I'm going to take another look tonight so I'll try and get a few photos for anyone who can shed some insight on it to help figure out a fair price for both parties.
 
If I remember correctly, those 1911's in .455 Webley were purchased for issue in the Great War, and were reissued for the second go-round. They were/are rare, as not that many were made in that calibre.

You might want to check out the Blue Book of Gun Values, it's likely to be in there.
 
shredder said:
If I remember correctly, those 1911's in .455 Webley were purchased for issue in the Great War, and were reissued for the second go-round. They were/are rare, as not that many were made in that calibre.

You might want to check out the Blue Book of Gun Values, it's likely to be in there.
Click to expand...

the Blue Book was a great resource, thanks. Got all the info I need.
 
1911 . ORG has some good references.

I own one of these as well. There value has steadily climbed. So has there magazines. Usually two toned and all marked 455 eley on the heel.
 
I'm happy to say I got it for a much more reasonable price then either of those examples

Once the transfer finishes I'll post pictures
 
Are you certain about the serial number being for 1914? The .455s were numbered in the commercial range (this included foreign military contacts), but with a W prefix rather than the C prefix used on the 45s. The .455s didn't start production until 1916, and the RAF contract didn't start until 1918 and should be between W91100 and W110696. Is it possible you're dropping the prefix and looking up the USGI contract serial dates?

Also, he's not super clear in the video, but just to be 100% sure you know, the .455 Webley Auto is NOT the same as the revolver cartridge and they are not interchangeable. Also make sure the barrel is original, many of them were rebarelled with .45 barrels after they were sold out of service since the ammo wasn't available. It'd be worth substantially less with a .45 barrel. Same with the mags, although a .455 mag will work with .45 cartridges (but not vice versa) so they're less commonly replaced.

I have W105234 from the RAF contract, I bought it almost 10 years ago at a gun show in Edmonton for a price that was absurdly low even then. I think one in decent original shape should sell in the $2000 - $3000 range in Canada, of course they come up rarely enough that its hard to set a going rate. Photobucket no longer allows direct linking but I think copying and pasting the links would work:

http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/Nyles303/media/bWVkaWFJZDoxNjUzNTcwMw==/?ref=1
http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/Nyles303/media/bWVkaWFJZDoxNjUzNTcwOQ==/?ref=1
 
You're right about the dating. I was going off the first database website I had found but since then have come up with more reputable info.

Luckily it still has some '39 manufactured government issue .455 auto included so I'm confident it hasnt been rebarreled so I'll be able to at least fire 20 rounds before I need to start reloading.
 
I've read that many of the "W" (brit. issue) .455 1911s had the barrel changed out for 45acp. Drop a round in and see if it seats properly.
 
It's your gun but it is valuable enough so that shooting isn't recommended by most collectors. Only takes one round to maybe end up with a crack in it. Most guys don't fire their older 1911's at all FWIW.
 
Mike Webb said:
It's your gun but it is valuable enough so that shooting isn't recommended by most collectors. Only takes one round to maybe end up with a crack in it. Most guys don't fire their older 1911's at all FWIW.
Click to expand...

I agree with Mike and was about to post the same thing.

You *may* have acquired a valuable non-refurbished 1911 in .455 and it would be worth posting some photos first. If you're a shooter and don't care about collectibles it may be worth selling and getting a few 1911's you can take to the range regularly.

Cheers,
-Steve
 
So as fate goes, the woman's son was doing one final clean of his step fathers old pistol before I was to take possession and he somehow lost the slide stop. I picked up a modern production after market one to make the pistol functional but I assume the collectors status and value have dropped significantly. As such the woman refunded me a large portion of the sales price to make up for the lost part and a promise that should It ever arise she would send it on to me.

I can understand the sentiment about not firing the pistol, as a lover of milsurp rifles I have always enjoyed having a functional piece of war history that I was able to interact with on a very direct level. However I have never owned a 1911 before, nor even heard of them in .455 before now so I am aching to get out and fire the 20 rounds of .455 it has with it. To me this isn't an investment piece, due to the low price paid and with the non original slide stop now I doubt it would even fetch too much anymore.

Is it possible to simply swap out the barrel and magazines to be able to fire 45acp more regularly?

Was your concern for developing a crack something that these old 1911 are prone to?

I have only ever owned soviet pistols before now so I know there is much to learn. All the same it feels great to actually hold the original and infamous colt 1911. I will get photos up today.
 
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