World War One Colt M1911 - Pictures/Questions - UPDATED pg 3

Well, i haven't shot it yet. That said, .455 Auto pushes a 224 grain bullet at 700 fps, so compared to a 230 grain at 800 fps, so I think at most you'd notice slightly lighter recoil.
 
Nyles said:
Actually the Canadian service 1911s were in .45, only the British military ever bought one in .455. Does it say have the W-prefix serial number? Otherwise that's likely a registry error.

As well, the .455 model used a slightly wider mag that's stamped CAL .455 ELEY on the floorplate (and tends to sell for like $200). It won't fit in a .45 1911. If you swap out the barrel the .455 mag with feed .45 round just fine, or a .455 frame can use a .45 mag, but the reverse isn't true.

Just because, here's my .455:

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Yes mine is the British made W100### serial number and is still registered as a .455
 
So I took the pistol to the range today, did some shooting at 25m with some UMC 230gr ball I picked up off a buddy of mine. Here are some pics

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Overall I am VERY pleased with the results...especially considering I am a horrible shot with a pistol! :p
 
The .455 was a British revolver service round before WW1. I think it would only make sense to have both automatics & revolvers using the same ammo. It would cut down on supply problems.
 
The .455 Auto used in the British 1911s and Webley Mk.1Ns was a semi-rimmed round that was totally different from the .455 revolver round.

I suspect it was a case of parallel development, the .455 Auto first came out in 1904, which is about the time the .45 ACP appeared.
 
alright i couldnt resist heres pics of my colt 1911, serial number 508,### from what ive found that puts it between 1918-1919 production. anyone know where i can find more detailed info?

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Ardent said:
That's not actually the 314th 1911, that's no. 314. Big difference. :) Think of it as a lot number, military system. Tens of thousands had been rolled out by then. I have a 1914 Colt 1911, serial 92XX, shipped to the Canadian military in 1914. Only found out that last bit due to the Colt factory letter, it's worth spending for, mine came with the gun but if it didn't I'd be paying for one.
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If it really said No 314 it would be the 314th Colt but in fact he has photoshopped out the last 3 digits. I never did see the point of that, it's confusing and serves no purpose I can think of.
 
True enough about the photoshopped digits ... the anti's already KNOW the S/N of your gun so what's the point. And they're the problem...nobody on this site.

But hey...it's the owners discretion for sure.

Anyways... this thread popped back up and I had been thinking about a comment made regarding the two-tone colours of the frame.

I had asked Mr. Lisker about this back when I got mine, and his explanation was that the front part of the upper slides might sometimes appear darker because the front sections were heat treated differently than the rest of the slide. They were then blued or parked, and the difference in hardness would show up as lighter/darker finish, especially over time. ( Similar perhaps to that greenish park on a Garand that everyone wants... but takes 40 years in cosmoline to produce).

It shows a lot on these pics... I'm not crazy about it the 'look' but it's original as sin, so it remains.

Really though.... a bottle of cold blue and some steel wool from Canadian Tire would fix it up real good, eh?

( I keed...I keed....)

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