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Colt 1911 historians?

dbrigham
My (very lucky) friend was going through the effects of his recently deceased father, who was a 1-star general in the U.S. Army and had a role in ordnance. My friend found a 1911 wrapped in an oily rag and showed it to me. I swear -- mint condition! We checked the serial # and believe the pistol dates to 1918. This is kind of a mystery to me, because my friend's dad didn't join the service until the late '30s, so why would he have such an old pistol? I'm wondering, maybe this was some kind of special presentation issue? Any suggestions on how I can satisfy my inquiring mind? Thanks!

Si vis Pacem, Para bellum
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • sst531
    Check out this site: http://forum.m1911.org
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  • nmyers
    The Army did not give away pistols. They did permit general officers to purchase pistols that were specially prepared by Springfield Armory, but these were marked as such.

    There were several circumstances under which pistols have been sold to service members & civilians, so it is most likely it is one of those. You may be able to learn something about its history by checking the website of the Springfield Research Service.

    Although not likely, it is possible that an all-original M1911 was issued during WWII. Of course, it might also be a Mixed Parts Mongrel that was commercially refinished; there's just no way for me (or anyone else) to tell without seeing high quality digital photos, or the gun itself.

    Neal
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  • 1911a1-fan
    what is the name of manufacturer on the pistol ?

    here are a few good sites
    http://www.coltautos.com/default.asp
    http://www.model1911a1.com/Remington.htm
    http://www.m1911.org/
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  • Xracer
    Right after WWI, many thousands of M1911s were put into storage.

    Early in WWII, what with the rush to arm our rapidly expanding military forces, many of these were taken out storage and issued "as is".

    Later, a number of these 1911s were shipped to various Government Arsenals and brought up to A1 standard with the replacement of 1911 hammers, triggers, grip safeties, and mainspring housings with the A1 variety. Some had all of these parts replaced, some had just some of them replaced. It really was a mixed bag.

    I could very well be that this was an all-original M1911 that was issued early in WWII.

    You can check on the serial # manufacture date here:

    http://usgi1911.tripod.com/serial/

    It could also be that this was an Arsenal reworked M1911, brought up to A1 standard. In that case it would have the original frame and M1911 serial #, but should also have an arsenal mark on it.

    Here's a good site to help you determine what you've got:

    http://usgi1911.tripod.com/id/
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