Thought I'd share pics of the latest family member.
- Thread starter MLRS
- Start date
Lee Enfield
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Alberta
The quick & dirty way of telling whether it is (manufacturer) matching is to compare the size & font of the "P" which should be stamped on both the frame & the slide.
It looks like a mish mash of parts. Hard to tell, but appears to be a 1911 top on a 1911A1 frame. Blued makes it interesting.
My understanding is when Colt/military converted to the A1 series, these sort of pistols were assembled. So may be legit.
Also some of the smaller parts, ie. hammer, backstrap, grip safety, don't appear to have the same wear/patina (gawd I love that word) as the rest of the pistol. Might be due to the picture and lighting etc. though.
Same with the slide stop, and safety. They appear to be polished 1911 blue, while the pistol itself is a "brushed" military blue. Again, not neccessarily inconsistent with a factory conversion.
Mags are pinned plate, blued, so they go with the pistol. On the 'lip' of the front edge of the base plate, they may be lettered with the manufacturer's code, ie. L
I certainly wouldn't turn it down. I like it.
My understanding is when Colt/military converted to the A1 series, these sort of pistols were assembled. So may be legit.
Also some of the smaller parts, ie. hammer, backstrap, grip safety, don't appear to have the same wear/patina (gawd I love that word) as the rest of the pistol. Might be due to the picture and lighting etc. though.
Same with the slide stop, and safety. They appear to be polished 1911 blue, while the pistol itself is a "brushed" military blue. Again, not neccessarily inconsistent with a factory conversion.
Mags are pinned plate, blued, so they go with the pistol. On the 'lip' of the front edge of the base plate, they may be lettered with the manufacturer's code, ie. L
I certainly wouldn't turn it down. I like it.
Nice 1939 mfg Colt 1911A1.
The "P" proof on the frame should be a large font "P" above the mag release button.
Frame serial number should also be stamped under the firing pin stop on the slide if it is a matching piece.
These early military 1911A1's had plain checkered wood stocks. There should be 28 rows of checkering between the screw holes.
Barrel should be marked "Colt .45 Auto" in gothic type script on the side above the lug on one side and "P" on the other.
Mags should be marked Colt .45 Auto on the bases to be correct for the era. If they have a "C-L" on the base or "L" on the top of the mag lip then they are 'correct' but later WWII era mfg.
Different wear patterns on finish of small parts to frame/slide is not unusual.
Over all very cool find.
The "P" proof on the frame should be a large font "P" above the mag release button.
Frame serial number should also be stamped under the firing pin stop on the slide if it is a matching piece.
These early military 1911A1's had plain checkered wood stocks. There should be 28 rows of checkering between the screw holes.
Barrel should be marked "Colt .45 Auto" in gothic type script on the side above the lug on one side and "P" on the other.
Mags should be marked Colt .45 Auto on the bases to be correct for the era. If they have a "C-L" on the base or "L" on the top of the mag lip then they are 'correct' but later WWII era mfg.
Different wear patterns on finish of small parts to frame/slide is not unusual.
Over all very cool find.
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- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
Now to find a magazine with the staple on the floorplate.
And the lanyard with the double hooks.
We still had cavalry at that time.
And the lanyard with the double hooks.
We still had cavalry at that time.
Nice 1939 mfg Colt 1911A1.
The "P" proof on the frame should be a large font "P" above the mag release button.
Frame serial number should also be stamped under the firing pin stop on the slide if it is a matching piece.
These early military 1911A1's had plain checkered wood stocks. There should be 28 rows of checkering between the screw holes.
Barrel should be marked "Colt .45 Auto" in gothic type script on the side above the lug on one side and "P" on the other.
Mags should be marked Colt .45 Auto on the bases to be correct for the era. If they have a "C-L" on the base or "L" on the top of the mag lip then they are 'correct' but later WWII era mfg.
Different wear patterns on finish of small parts to frame/slide is not unusual.
Over all very cool find.
1st Mag: Bottom of base plate marked "COLT 45 AUTO" No other markings I can see.
2nd Mag: Top of the lip is marked with an "S", no other markings.
Firearm Markings:
On top of the slide just in front of the rear sight is marked "P".
Left side of frame above the mag release is a "P" and just behind the mag release is marked with a "H" (it is about half the font sixe of the "P")
Left side of the forward trigger guard is marked in a very small "P" and below that is an upside down triangle with what appears to be an very small "P".
Six digit serial number.
Stamped M1911A1 on the right side of the frame just in front of the slide release dome.
Behind the dome is marked "United States Property"
Right side of the forward trigger guard is stamped "00". the first "0" could be something else like a "6".
Ammo is marked on the bottom with an "R" an "A" and a "41" from one mag and the other is marked "peters".
This beauty was a wartime officer swap as I am told. The uncle of the couple that had this 1911A1 was in the war and did serve as an officer in Germany with the Canadian Forces. After the war this individual stored his wartime possessions in a trunk then a chest of drawers for 40 years. When he past on, the firearm was left for his nefew (the man I bought it from). The nefew never had a real interest in the firearm and his wife was anti firearms to boot. He wrapped in a tea towel and locked in a money box (like you'd use at a garage sale with the mags and ammo.
MLRS
Second mag is "Scovil" mfg, correct WWII production mag. Not as early as the pistol, though.
MLRS said:
"P" proofs appear to be in the correct area.
The triangle thingie on the tiggerguard bow is the Colt "View Proof".
MLRS said:
Frame serial number should also be stamped on the slide under the firing pin stop if your frame & slide are matching. Different serial number means a mismatch (often happened when arsenal repaired or sometimes got mixed up during other maintenance/cleaning with other 1911's). No serial number under the firing pin stop means a replacement slide.
MLRS said:
Correct markings.
MLRS said:
Nice find. You don't often see the early Colt 1911A1's with the checkered wood stocks still on them. Most got swapped out later for plastic replacement grips which were correct for later production.
Be careful if you try to take the grips off for cleaning though...Often the grips screws have been overtightened and if you try to remove them you will take the grip screw bushing out of the frame underneath, too.
Gotta go over to the girlfriends house but had time to check the stamp under the firing pin stop. The serial numbers match. This thing needs to be detailed stripped with a lot of TLC.
Fire, no fire?
Emailed Colt to see about history, be nice to see where it went.
Thanks for all the info.
MLRS
Fire, no fire?
Emailed Colt to see about history, be nice to see where it went.
Thanks for all the info.
MLRS
Matching!
That's a good thing! 
MLRS said:
I always completely detail strip any vintage 1911's I get. You wouldn't believe what 65+ years of dirt accumulates into the inside of a frame. Be careful, go slow, it is not a hard thing to do.
MLRS said:
Given it's condition, only it's vintage makes it a collectible. I'd only shoot factory hardball out of it & sparingly at that. First thing I would do would be to put a brand new 16 lb rated recoil spring in it for shooting. [Be sure to keep the original that came with it in a safe place - it is likely worn out by now but should be kept as it makes your pistol "correct". If you do shoot it with a new recoil spring I'd add a shok buff to the recoil spring guide. I would not recommend shooting it with the original recoil spring as it will likely batter it up unnecessarily.
MLRS said:
They will likely only respond once they receive the appropriate payment for the information. But they will provide you a cool authenticated letter telling you where it was shipped to.
MLRS said:
It's always cool to see an old warhorse show up and still in nicely relative condition.
Bittermansbro
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Awesome. Matching is even better. Good buy!
Thanks for all the help. I will take good care of it! Any idea of the resale of this piece?
MLRS
MLRS
Matching!
I always completely detail strip any vintage 1911's I get. You wouldn't believe what 65+ years of dirt accumulates into the inside of a frame. Be careful, go slow, it is not a hard thing to do.
Given it's condition, only it's vintage makes it a collectible. I'd only shoot factory hardball out of it & sparingly at that. First thing I would do would be to put a brand new 16 lb rated recoil spring in it for shooting. [Be sure to keep the original that came with it in a safe place - it is likely worn out by now but should be kept as it makes your pistol "correct". If you do shoot it with a new recoil spring I'd add a shok buff to the recoil spring guide. I would not recommend shooting it with the original recoil spring as it will likely batter it up unnecessarily.
They will likely only respond once they receive the appropriate payment for the information. But they will provide you a cool authenticated letter telling you where it was shipped to.
It's always cool to see an old warhorse show up and still in nicely relative condition.
Downside: Lack of original finish on slide & frame + rust speckling here & there on small parts. Cracked grip.
Upside: Hasn't been refinished. And is a 1939 production Colt military 1911A1 before they got into full swing WWII production. [The US didn't get into WWII until 1941]. There were only 3,636 Colt 1911A1's mfg in 1939. The entire production run went to the US Navy. [Source: http://www.coolgunsite.com/ ]
Value: Canadian market: $1,200 - $1,500 would be reasonable. Probably worth a lot more in the USA.
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