Make: Colt

Model: 1911-A1

Serial Number: 718794

Year of Manufacture: Early1940 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup), as it was sent to Springfield Armory on April 26, 1940.

Caliber: .45 ACP

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 5”

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

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered "Coltrock" brown plastic panels with thin reinforcement rings around the grip screws, hollow-backs, and no mold numbers. The grips have little in the way of wear with only a few small marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Fine Plus Condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original, the slide is serial-matching.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is some scattered minor erosion and infrequent minor pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 7 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 87% of its metal finish. The finish is lightly thinning at most edges. Most of the balance is handling wear in the grip areas. There is infrequent minor surface oxidation, most notable in the slide serrations and the grip areas. There are some minor nicks and scratches with a thin "idiot mark" under the slide stop on the left of the frame. The action shows light operational wear. The screws are tool marked with usable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good Plus Condition.

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

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one period original but replacement Colt 7-round magazine. Originally two-tone, the magazine shows treatment with cold blue, and is stamped "COLT / 45 AUTO." on the bottom floorplate, denoting a pre-war commercial mag.

Our Assessment: The Colt 1911 .45 ACP semi-automatic pistol was designed by the legendary firearms inventor John Moses Browning, and developed for the US Army after the .38 LC revolver failed to stop charging Moro warriors in the Philippines. The US Army issued the powerful .45 to officers, NCOs, and machine gunners in the Punitive Expedition, World War 1, and World War 2. In the mid-1920s, the 1911-A1 iteration introduced the arched mainspring housing, shorter trigger, and relief cuts behind the trigger on the frame. These changes were implemented in a limited order of 10,000 pistols in 1924 and the new model was approved, but further orders weren’t placed until 1937. Initial production was limited with fewer than 2,500 made in 1937, just shy of 1,300 made in 1938, under 3,700 made in 1939, and only 4,696 made in 1940.

This US Army Pre-WW2 Colt Model 1911A1 was made in early 1940 and is in Very Good Plus Condition. This is a fantastic example of an early 1940 production 1911A1 when some interesting tweaks were still being made in production. This pistol is one of the first to be fit with plastic grips instead of walnut. The year 1940 also saw the introduction of Ordnance inspector initials being marked on the pistols, with Charles S. Reed's "CSR" marking on the frame in two places. Reed's marking would be replaced in early 1941 with Robert Sears' "R.S." marking. Lastly, the brushed-blue finish would soon be replaced with parkerizing. It features a 5” barrel, 87% of its crisp, original brushed-blue finish, the scarce, original two-piece checkered brown plastic "Coltrock" grips, a wonderful find for the discerning collector, Charles S. Reed's "CSR" marking on the frame in two places, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s some scattered minor erosion and infrequent minor pitting). This beauty was sent to Springfield Armory on April 26, 1940, and would make a terrific addition to a Colt or WW2 small arms collection.