Make: Colt

Model: Government Model

Serial Number: C1312

Year of Manufacture: 1912

Caliber: .45 ACP

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Automatic Pistol with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a round-top "U"-notch dovetailed to the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered walnut with smooth diamonds around the grip screws. The grips have even handling wear. There are some light nicks and scratches with a more notable ding at the bottom edge of the right panel. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blue, Fire-Blue Controls, Parkerized Mainspring Housing

Finish Originality: Most remaining finish is Original to the parts. Worn areas of the slide show treatment with cold blue, the barrel is a High Standard WWII-era part, the mainspring housing has been parkerized.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is scattered minor erosion and stubborn fouling. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7+/10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 35% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is scattered wear along the slide flats that was treated with cold blue. The frontstrap is mostly worn to white. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches with a cluster of tool marks around the grip safety pin. There is some minor surface erosion in the worn areas of the slide and some scattered minor surface oxidation. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Good condition as not parts-original.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a canvas flap-holster, canvas two-magazine pouch and a total of two 2-tone 7-round magazines. One magazine has a short crack at the rear of the right feed lip.

Our Assessment: The 1911 and 1911-A1 pistols served the military of the United States from 1911 to 1985, through two World Wars and the Korean and Vietnam wars. They gained a reputation as a reliable handgun with plenty of stopping power, and are held in high regard by those who have used them. The design was the end-result of a series of developments by famous gun designer John Browning, starting with the Model 1900. The advances made by Browning were revolutionary at the time, and were so successful that they are considered commonplace today. Browning not only developed first a pivoting and then a tilting barrel to allow for a locked system, he developed the concept of “the slide”, which is now synonymous with semi-automatic handguns.

Having secured a contract for the US Military sidearm, Colt also offered the pistol to the commercial market as the “Government Model”. During this period, Colt was producing both commercial and U.S. military pistols, it would only be a couple of years before many began to be purchased by the initial belligerents of the Great War and only a couple more before the United States joined in. This is an early two-digit Colt Commercial Government Model from 1912. The barrel has been replaced with a WWII-era High Standard part and the mainspring housing appears to be from a refurbished military 1911, with some other small parts potentially replaced. There is some wear on the slide that has been treated with cold blue, but there is still some remaining original blue finish including fire-blue on some controls. With its impressively low serial number from Colt’s first year of civilian production, this pistol is a neat addition for any collection and would be a worthwhile restoration project. Please see our pictures and good luck in your bidding!