Saw a neat old 45 acp tonight [Archive]

rockrat

01-10-2018, 01:08 AM

Fellow joined our gun club and had brought his Great Grandfathers 1911 to the range. He said he had checked the s/n and it was made in 1914. He also had the holster and mags. It was at least 50%, but I would say it was closer to at least 60%. Told him I thought it was worth quite a nice piece of change and I didn't know if I would shoot it much if at all.

Should have taken pics

Bob in Revelstoke

01-10-2018, 02:45 AM

I have a 1911, commercial model, with a four number serial number. Made in 1912 or some books show 1913. I was only shooting cast in it and keeping the pressure down so it would cycle ok.

I retired it and bought a replacement. However, there is just something about it that is not the same as the old one. With the result my old friend keeps comming out of retirement more and more often. The onjly thing not original is the barrel bushing which cracked. It shows very little wear and the bluing is about 80%. The original holster is in good condition also.

osteodoc08

01-10-2018, 03:02 AM

Can't take it with us when we go. May as well enjoy them.

bullet maker 57

01-10-2018, 09:04 AM

I have one made in 1918. I take her out a couple times a year. She shoots as well as my Springfield mil spec 45.

lightman

01-10-2018, 01:29 PM

I have my Grandpa's and my Dad's 1911's that they bought through the NRA back when they did that. One of them is a Colt that dates back to 1918. The other is a Remington thats slightly newer. Pretty cool old pistols and fun to shoot.

Kraschenbirn

01-10-2018, 02:10 PM

The 'US'-marked 1943 Remington-Rand I carried in 'Nam followed me home (don't ask how!!). Piece was a 'battlefield pick-up' that never made it back into anyone's records. Definitely not 100% original; rearsenaled sometime in the 1950s before being 'loaned' to the ARVN, it still retains about 90% of parkerize finish on frame and slide.

Bill

rockrat

01-10-2018, 06:11 PM

I have Dad's aircrew gun. A Remington-Rand that he had nickle plated as he was in the pacific theater in B-29's

derek45

01-10-2018, 10:37 PM

3rd generation 1911 nut here.

My Grandfather carried this 1911 in World War One.

He passed when I was very young, but he told my Father, his son in law, to give it to me for my 18th birthday.

...and that every son, gets it for his 18th birthday.

Growing up, we shot it a lot, My father taught me how to field strip and clean it.

https://i.imgur.com/9XydGaB.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XDrXoYi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eeOginm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NeUpcLW.jpg

He also brought home a Luger

https://i.imgur.com/G7NO8Qn.jpg

texasnative46

01-10-2018, 11:26 PM

To All,

My dad was "in B17s" with the USAAC & brought home a Luger Carbine with shoulder-stock & holster, as a "war souvenir".

When we were kids we thought up MANY possible dashing, "romantic" & swashbuckling explanations of how he captured the Luger & from which "high-ranking NAZI" that he most certainly took it from.
(When I was about 17-18YO, he told me one evening on a camping trip that he traded a wind-up Westclox alarm clock & a bottle of cheap wine for it to a German SGT, who was a "returnee from the East". )

NOT an exciting but the TRUE story.,

yours, tex

RedlegEd

01-11-2018, 12:22 AM

This was my Grandfather's issue M1911 (made in 1914) that he used throughout his service (to include carrying it on the border chasing Pancho Villa) until he passed in 1948. It then went to my dad, who subsequently gave it to me. I've shot quite a few rounds out of it, then got a Mark IV in the early 80's to retired it. I still have the original stocks, but put these on to preserve them. Ed211619211620

knifemaker

01-11-2018, 12:59 AM

211621Mine is not quite that old. As a young deputy sheriff I purchased it from from a retired sheriff's sgt. The original owner he purchased it from used it in the pistol matches at Camp Perry. It is a Colt National Match that was made by Colt when they did a lot of hand fitting of the parts. Made prior to the Colt Gold Cup coming out.
I carried it for about 10 years as a patrol officer and it saved my bacon on one occasion when a wanted felony suspect made the mistake of pointing a rifle at me at a distance of 97 yards. Upon my retirement I had it ingraved and custom grips put on it and gave it to my oldest son who is a police Sgt. and firearms instructor as I was. It will be passed down to any grandchildren who goes into law enforcement.
That target is 8 rounds of my duty +P 45 acp ammo that is a 185 gr. HP at 1100 FPS. 25 yard distance and still accurate after all these years.

texasnative46

01-11-2018, 08:57 PM

knifemaker,

NIFTY .45!!!! = Your photo makes me wish that I hadn't traded the one that I carried for several years as a city marshal for an engraved Model 760 Remington in .244REM.
(I changed employment & had to carry "GI issue".)

yours, tex

MyFlatline

01-11-2018, 09:03 PM

Thumbcocker

01-11-2018, 09:09 PM

Awesome thread. Thanks for sharing the pics and the stories guys.

arlon

01-11-2018, 10:42 PM

I have one made in 1918. I shoot it a good bit, don't figure they were made to be babied..

country gent

01-11-2018, 10:47 PM

Did the magazine have the hardened feed lips of the early mags? On these you can see the blue change color down the body in a 1 1/2" or so.

Multigunner

01-11-2018, 11:03 PM

Before WW2 returning soldiers were sometimes allowed to buy the issued weapon they had carried. I guess it was more cost effective for the government than refurbishing and storing a few million weapons that were no longer needed.
IIRC Officers, and possibly non coms, could always buy their carry sidearm if they wished. If a rifle or side arm went missing the cost of it was taken out of a soldiers pay and nothing more was said.

After WW1 huge numbers of 1903 rifles went missing from army camps and national guard armories. A member of another board posted many documents of the period dealing with stolen Springfields and rifles that had turned up at pawn shops near a army base.
Pistols don't seem to have walked off by themselves at anywhere near the rate of long arms.

I still have my 1918 issued flap holster. Traded off my cherry Remington Rand many years ago when an injury to my right hand made shooting any gun with a grip safety difficult.
Back then they were still dirt cheap because they weren't really a Colt and I figured I could always find another.

texasnative46

01-12-2018, 08:07 PM

Multigunner,

Until about a decade plus ago, I bought any number of "other than Colt" 1911 pistols for 50-150.oo at the First Monday in Canton, TX.
(Maybe a dozen or more over time.)

Fwiw, I once bought a "CHERRY" Norwegian .45ACP SA (with 4 magazines & a cleaning kit) for 35.oo there, as NOBODY wanted that "off-brand thing". - I gave it to my cousin for his 40th birthday.
(My cousin Randy still has it.)

yours, tex

43PU

01-13-2018, 02:52 AM

My WW1 colt has a 4 diget serial number, sadly it has been updated to WW2 specs. Serial is 309X

Thin Man

01-13-2018, 09:09 AM

About 5-6 years ago a lady came to us to have her great uncle's pistol from the "Great War" inspected and cleaned. She wanted to learn if it would be safe to fire and had that plan in her mind. I opened the flap holster and took out what appeared to be a refinished 1911. We completed the repair ticket and I took the pistol to the bench. I removed the slide from the frame and turned the slide over to remove the barrel, then stopped. And stared. And stared again. I found I was looking at all original finish on a 1913 Colt 1911. I did a full disassembly and lube of the pistol. The quality of the parts, and their pristine condition, took my breath away as this pistol was in 97-98% original finish. The bore of the barrel looked mirror clean. It showed having been fired extremely little and no damage anywhere. When the owner came to pick it up I asked that if she ever decided to sell it I would appreciate a call. I'm still waiting (and hoping) for that call.

PhantomRider64

01-13-2018, 10:27 AM

My story doesnt even compare with most of these.:shock:

I have never been much of a pistol person but have always wanted a 1911. I finally got one a couple years ago, it is/was brand new GI model and looks very much like the originals. I have never been happier with a firearm purchase!:razz: The problem is that now I want to buy at least one war model.

Catshooter

01-14-2018, 12:52 AM

knifemaker,

About 30 years ago I had a conversation with a Pierce (Tacoma) County Sheriffs Deputy in a gun shop. He carried a National Match loaded with the Lyman 454424. He was in foot pursuit of a felon and decided to shoot him. Just as the hammer fell, a stop sign post (4X4) got in between him and his suspect's calf. The boolit went through the post and took two inches out of the felon's shin bone.

He liked his NM too. :)

Cat

knifemaker

01-14-2018, 01:31 AM

Cat, my department, as most, did not allow reloaded ammo for duty and I was not satisfied with most factory ammo that we had in the 80's. So what I did was to order Winchester factory primed brass and "custom" loaded it with Sierra 185 gr. HP and a stiff load of Unique powder where I was able to achieve 1100 fps and carried that ammo on duty as it was not reloaded ammo. I removed the factory recoil spring and installed a 18 pound wolf recoil spring and also a neoprene buffer in the gun to protect it from excessive battering damage. That gun was so reliable that it would feed empty sized 45 cases from the magazine. The gun I carried prior to getting the National Match 45 was a S&W model 57 in 41 magnum. That revolver was a great one for penetration into vehicles.

01-20-2018, 05:08 PM

I own a few 1911 pattern pistols, but the one that means the most to me is the 1915 SA 1911 that has been in my family for 103 years now. It passes from father to son at the discretion of the person in possession. It came to my safe when my father went into assisted living this past summer. I don't know the value of it, and don't care. It was the first handgun I ever fired, and it has been shot quite a bit over the years (but only twice in anger). It is all original except for the hammer, sear and barrel which my father replaced after WWII. I believe I am the first generation with other options, so it will not be fired as much going forward. I would like to believe that it will remain in my family forever.

Char-Gar

01-20-2018, 05:24 PM

It is good to see so many fine 1911 with stories behind them. I have been a fancier of the 1911 pistol for 56 years and have owned several score. I am down to just three now and it is a very fine pistol indeed. I put it together myself from Colt parts that span 40 years of production. There was no fitting necessary, just assemble the pistol. Colt knew something about quality control in those days.

Bigslug

01-20-2018, 07:28 PM

My child of 1917 was discovered and came home middle of last year. . .in time for it's 100th birthday.

212301

212303

212304

Ya know how the modern 1911 trigger is a shoe staked onto a stamped steel bow? None of that cheesy stuff here!

212305

It didn't come with the right mag, but fortunately, I had a couple in the stash.

212306

I'd been trying to find a "Not-A1" that wasn't a re-finish, Frankengun, or mechanically compromised for about 25 years, so. . .:happy dance::happy dance::happy dance:

Had it out for the first time a couple weeks ago with some Bullseye-pressure HG68's. Little sights = challenging! Flat mainspring housing = alien. Did I care? NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST!

jimb16

01-22-2018, 10:02 PM

Mine has no great story that I know of. But it is a 1945 production Remington with a Colt range serial number. I don't remember how many of those were produced, but I don't believe it was all that many. Anyway, it is in near mint condition with a 95+% finish. I rarely shoot it because it is just so pretty. If I have to go blasting with a .45ACP, I take the Kimber out for exercise!

slim1836

01-22-2018, 10:34 PM

My 1911 was made in 1917. Dad bought it in a hardware store out of a washtub full of 1911's in the mid 60s for $29.95.
It's a gov't model, civilian issue. Wish he had bought the lot of them.

Slim

vonxulu

01-23-2018, 02:21 AM

I have an Ithaca 1911a1 from 1943 I believe marked UNITED STATES PROPERTY and M1911 A1 U.S. ARMY. She shoots like a house of fire! Goes nicely with my Colt 1917. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180123/eadaeae446bd51de20e6d02547bdab49.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180123/54b9f042df56635109fca971d60bd6bc.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180123/8a28510618e5335f2374a9c23d1a9595.jpg

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rondog

01-23-2018, 02:54 AM