Hey guys, just acquired a WW2Colt 1911. Just wondering if anyone could give me some insight on it. So it’s a 1943 colt 1911 frame with a Remington rand slide. There seems to be a Springfield armoury stamp on the frame, is this common? Also near the slide catch there is a marking that reads “FJA”. Anyway, I’d love to know a little more about the history on this, any info would be greatly appreciated!
Colt 1911 with Remington Rand slide/barrel
- Thread starter jrcarbine
- Start date
The "SA" stamp indicates at some point in it's service history it went in to the U.S. military Springfield Arsenal [hence the SA stamp] for some kind of work-over. It was quite common for pistols exiting the arsenals to have become "mix-masters" [ie Rem-Rand or Ithaca mfg frames with Colt or other contract make slides, etc +/or mix of other small parts].
Here's a "FJA" [Frank J Atwood] inspected 1943 Ithaca mfg 1911A1 I have that has a 1943 mfg Colt slide. The frame has an "RIA" [Rock Island Arsenal] arsenal stamp on it, which likely explains it's "mix-master" condition:
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So if the frame is marked FJA its not a Colt, its either a Rand or an Ithaca (serial number will help with that). If it also has a Rand slide, its worth looking into whether or not the other parts are consistent. Is the Springfield Armory stamp you mentioned the letters SA above the trigger or is it the crossed cannons to the rear of the grip? If its the cannons, that's not an arsenal stamp. That's an ordnance mark, they all got that one regardless of manufacturer.
Well the serial number on the frame is registered as a colt, I also searched the number on colts website and it came up as 1943. Yes they are the two cannons just behind the top of the grip. There is also a “p” behind the mag release. Also on the frame it reads “ United States property m1911a1 U.S. army”. The slide just says “ Remington rand inc Syracuse, N.Y. U.S.A” with a “p” infront of the rear sight.
That's not that uncommon. I've had a couple of pistols that were registered incorrectly as "Colts" and had to get the certificates corrected.
As I said before, you may have a correct pistol instead of a mixmaster. Check out that id page on koolgunsight that another poster mentioned. Check all the markings on yours and reference that site, it has pretty accurate info.
As I said before, you may have a correct pistol instead of a mixmaster. Check out that id page on koolgunsight that another poster mentioned. Check all the markings on yours and reference that site, it has pretty accurate info.
The Remington Rand 1911A1 I had showed "Colt" as the make on the reg certificate. When I sold it the STATT to the post office from the NB CFO had it a "Colt" under make and "1911A1USArmy" as the model.
It's the government......they make mistakes...........a lot of mistakes.
It's the government......they make mistakes...........a lot of mistakes.
The crossed cannons didn't represent an arsenal rebuild/refurb by Springfield. Every M1911a1 should have one. If yours doesn't have a stamp on the frame above the trigger (RIA/SA/MR/AA/etc) it probably didnt go through an arsenal.
Currently the crossed cannons is the logo of the commercial company Springfield Armory but it was never a maker's mark for military production.
As for your serial number fitting Colts range, there was overlap as the makers didnt share the same number bank.
And as far as I know there were no FJA marked Colts.
I'm no expert, just my little bit of research on a few pistols of my own. Either way congrats on your pistol.
Currently the crossed cannons is the logo of the commercial company Springfield Armory but it was never a maker's mark for military production.
As for your serial number fitting Colts range, there was overlap as the makers didnt share the same number bank.
And as far as I know there were no FJA marked Colts.
I'm no expert, just my little bit of research on a few pistols of my own. Either way congrats on your pistol.
Different shades of finish are also not uncommon. Can you see a line as if the first couple inches of the slide look like they are darker? That's from the slide hardening process, and is correct. Its usually a lot less visible if the slide has been refinished.
Further to your certificate issue I have three Hi Powers. One is a Chinese contract made by Inglis in Toronto, one an early 2000's FN roll marked Mk III in .40 S&W and the third a late 70's Browning Arms roll marked 9mm. The latter two were manufactured by Fabrique National in Herstal Belgium. All three have "Browning" listed under "make" on the registration in spite of the fact Browning actually made none of them.
My occupation FN1922 is listed as a "FN Browning"
My occupation FN1922 is listed as a "FN Browning"
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The Remington Rand 1911A1 I had showed "Colt" as the make on the reg certificate. When I sold it the STATT to the post office from the NB CFO had it a "Colt" under make and "1911A1USArmy" as the model.
It's the government......they make mistakes...........a lot of mistakes.
Same here. I called the cfc because I wanted it cleared up for my own records. The person I spoke with didn't understand what I meant, apparently to most its just a "Colt 45."
