Make: Colt

Model: M1911A1

Serial Number: 739807

Year of Manufacture: 1941 (https://colt.com/serial-lookup), shipped September 19 to Springfield Armory

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 brown plastic "Coltwood" panels with thin reinforcement rings around the grip screws, hollow-backs, and mold numbers in the hollows. The grips have little in the way of handling wear with only a few minor marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Excellent Condition.

Type of Finish: Parkerized

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

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is some minor erosion and stubborn fouling in the bore, mostly in the grooves. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 7 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 97% of its metal finish. There are a few scattered minor marks, and there’s light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Fine to Excellent 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 original US WW2 7-round magazine stamped “C-L” on the bottom toe of the floorplate, denoting an M.S. Little subcontract Colt mag. The magazine shows extensive finish loss and some minor oxidation.

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 1926, the 1911-A1 iteration introduced the arched mainspring housing, shorter trigger, and relief cuts behind the trigger on the frame. In mid to late 1941, Colt began finishing the guns by parkerizing them, a more durable finish than the original bluing, and fitting them with more cost effective “Coltrock” plastic grips as opposed to the more expensive walnut.

This US Army Pre-WW2 Parkerized Colt Model 1911A1 Pistol was made in mid to late 1941, as the “Arsenal of Democracy” was gearing up but before the US officially entered the war, and is in Fine to Excellent Condition. It features a 5” barrel, 97% of its crisp, original parkerized finish, a serial-matching slide, martial markings, the early rounded front sight, "U"-notch rear sight, and scarce, original two-piece checkered brown plastic "Coltrock" grips, a wonderful find for the discerning collector, an original US WW2 7-round magazine stamped “C-L” on the bottom toe of the floorplate, denoting an M.S. Little subcontract Colt mag, good mechanics, and a semi-bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s some minor erosion and stubborn fouling, mostly in the grooves), and is a classic “RS” (Robert Sears) inspected example. This beauty was shipped to Springfield Armory on September 19, 1941, and would make a terrific addition to a Colt or WW2 small arms collection.