Make: Union Switch & Signal Co.

Model: 1911-A1

Serial Number: 1070017

Year of Manufacture: 1943

Caliber: .45 ACP

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short blade with a ramped rear face fixed to the slide. The rear sight is a square notch dovetailed into the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are post-war replacement two-piece checkered brown plastic panels with reinforcement rings around the screw heads and reinforcement ribs on the inside. The grips have light handling wear with some light nicks and scuffs. The checkering is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good Condition as not original to the gun.

Type of Finish: Parkerized

Finish Originality: Refinished, likely Arsenal Refurbished. The barrel is a post-war replacement marked “.45 AUTO / 7791193” on the top of the chamber. Some other small parts may be replaced.

Bore Condition: The chrome-lined bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is a little stubborn fouling and some tool-chatter across the lands. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 96% of its current metal finish. There are some scattered minor scuffs and thin scratches, mostly not through the finish. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn and incomplete. Overall, this pistol is in about Fine Condition as Refinished.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired 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 post-war aftermarket blued 7-round magazine stamped “.45 ACP” at the bottom floorplate.

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 both World War 1 and World War 2. As was the case at the outset of the Great War, the demand for Colt M-1911A1 pistols by the US Army at the beginning of WW2 would exceed the production capacity of Colt. This time, the US government had already planned to contract-out pistol production to other manufacturers. As the name suggests, Union Switch & Signal of Swissvale, Pennsylvania produced switches and signaling equipment for railroads. The company was founded by noted American entrepreneur and electrical engineer George Westinghouse in 1881. In 1942, US&S entered the realm of firearms manufacture when it received a government contract to produce M1911A1 pistols for the US Army. The US&S variant was a distinctive iteration of the M1911A1, with a few unique characteristics. First, none of the Union Switch & Signal 1911A1s had the Ordnance “crossed cannons” cartouche, even though the practice was standardized in late 1942. Second, it’s believed that when the drawings were originally delivered to US&S, the “P” proof mark on the slide was not included, leading to early US&S pistols up through about serial number 1060100 not having the mark at all. When this was discovered, Ordnance requested the marking be added to the pistol, but due to a poorly rendered Ordnance drawing showing the placement of the proof, guns from about serial number 1060100 to about 1082000 have the marking notably left of center where the curved part meets the flat. The later US&S pistols from about serial number 1082000 to the end of production, such as this one, have the proof marking in the same location as other makers (center in front of rear sight). Union Switch & Signal only produced 55,000 M1911A1 pistols from January to November 1943, making them the second scarcest maker of US WW2 .45s. Today, they remain highly sought after by collectors.

This US Army WW2 Union Switch & Signal M1911A1 Semi-Auto Pistol was made in 1943 and is in about Fine Condition as Refinished. It features a 5” post-war replacement chrome-lined barrel marked “.45 AUTO / 7791193” on the top of the chamber, 96% of its current parkerized finish, martial markings, post-war replacement two-piece checkered brown plastic grips, a post-war 7-round blued mag, strong mechanics, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling and no erosion (there’s a little stubborn fouling and some tool-chatter across the lands). Some other small parts may be replaced. The markings range from clear to worn and incomplete. There is a noticeable forward bend to the lanyard loop at the bottom of the grip frame. This would be a fine entry level addition to a US military or WW2 small arms collection, especially as it’s a scarce Union Switch & Signal example.