Make: Kongsberg Vapenfabrik, Norway, under license from Browning through Fabrique Nationale

Model: 1914, known as the “Kongsberg Colt”

Serial Number: 32144

Year of Manufacture: 1945, Early Post-War

Caliber: 11.25mm (.45 ACP)

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is rounded blade fixed to the slide. The rear sight is a “U” notch dovetailed into the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered wood. The grips show handling wear with much of their black paint finish worn off, but retain fairly well defined checkering. There are some compressions and scuffs. There is a loss at the top of the left panel above the screw. Overall, the grips are in Good-plus condition.

Type of Finish: Phosphate

Finish Originality: Original to the parts. The barrel has a non-matching number and no Norwegian inspector marks. Other numbered parts are matching. There is a poorly-struck import mark on the fronstrap.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is a little stubborn fouling. In this writer's opinion. the bore rates about 9 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 87% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are some scattered light nicks and scratches. The grip areas show minor handling wear. There is a patch of more notable wear on the right of the frame around the slide stop pin. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear except for the import mark. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition.

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 single nickel 7 round magazine with black-painted floorplate (correct Norwegian, earlier style).

Our Assessment: In the early 1900’s, the Norwegians were looking around for a pistol to replace their aging Nagant revolvers. They held several commissions to evaluate pistols, but they all came back recommending Colts – at first the Model 1902 in .38 ACP and finally the Model 1911. The Norwegian parliament kept refusing funding for the pistol, holding out for a “homegrown’ design. They finally gave up in 1914 and allowed the 1911 to be adopted. Norway held discussions for Fabrique Nationale, Browning’s representative in Europe, to secure a license to produce the pistols in Norway. Production finally began in 1917 with a few hundred produced. In 1918, a few slight changes were made, which resulted in a slide release that was both extended and lowered, which makes one wonder “Why didn’t we think of that?”.

The German occupied the Kongsberg factory in 1940 and remained there until 1945. During their occupation, production of pistols ceased in 1943 and 1944, with priorities given to rifles, and only the few hundred guns made in 1945 were German proofed. After the war, a couple thousand more were assembled from spare parts made during the war with production officially ending in 1947. The Norwegian armed forces liked them so much, those surviving WWII were kept in service until they were replaced by the Glock P80 in 1985. Kongsberg was also one of only two foreign licensed copies of the 1911 design.

This pistol was one of the earliest assembled after the war and has a slide marked 1945. The numbered parts of the pistol match with the exception f the barrel which has been replaced and an earlier production Norwegian magazine is included. This is a very nice find for collectors of European firearms and for those of Scandinavia in particular. There were only about 30,534 of these pistols made prior to and during the war, and only a few thousand assembled after the war, making any that survived to today a rare find. Please see our photos and good luck!