Yesterday we provided the historical background to Colt’s ‘Model of 1911’ .45 ACP, which was adopted by the US Army on March 29, 1911. Originally designated ‘Model of 1911’, in 1917 it was changed to ‘Model 1911’, and finally in the mid-1920s to ‘M1911’. We had a look at a nice example of a commercial ‘Government Model’ Model 1911 which was manufactured in 1920 (sold this morning). Now we move to the WWII era with a M1911A1 manufactured by Colt in 1943. Read on for another LSB journey in firearms history…

The Colt ‘Model of 1911’, also known as the ‘Colt Government’, is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986. It was widely used in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The design was modified after WWI and adopted in 1924 as the M1911A1, which was manufactured by Colt as well as by new contractors, including Remington Rand, Ithaca Gun Company, Union Switch & Signal and Singer.

There were a number of differences between the original Colt M1911 and the 1924 Colt M1911A1 pistols.  We are attaching a diagram to point them out. However, in brief, the 1911A1 has a thicker front sight, an arched mainspring housing, a longer hammer spur, a shorter trigger, and a longer grip safety spur. Remington Rand produced the majority of M1911A1 pistols, followed by Colt, Ithaca, Union Switch & Signal. Singer produced a mere 500 pistols, making them the rarest and the most sought-after by collectors.

The U.S. procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during the Colt’s service life. In October 1986 it was replaced by the 9mm Para Beretta M9 pistol as the standard U.S. sidearm.

The pistol that we are offering today is a .45 ACP M1911A1 produced by Colt in 1943. It is in excellent original condition. The slide and frame have matching serial numbers and the Parkerised finish is practically intact.  This is indeed a nice M1911A1 that would enhance your collection, and also perform nicely at the range.

Today’s post is also featured on our Facebook Page.

If you wish to own this iconic firearm, please send us a private message or phone us on 99471091 to reserve it until you visit the shop to see it physically. You will require as a minimum a Target Shooter Licence A or a Collector Licence A to be able to purchase it. LSB’s knowledge and experience in historical firearms assures you of a good investment. We offer a lifetime guarantee on the genuineness of the pieces in our vast inventory so that you may buy in full confidence.

We take great pleasure in bringing you these daily snippets of firearms history and we hope that you enjoy reading them.