'43 M1911A1

[VaiFanatic90 360]

So after doing some research, I discovered an old M1911A1 that I had was actually produced back in 1943. I have been, however, trying to determine the original manufacturer. The slide itself is definitely from Colt, the frame however, resembles that of Remington Rand. It could just be that it is a Remington Rand frame that had its original slide replaced with that of Colt, but there are no actual signs, other than the FJA inspection initials similar to that of Remington Rand frames. It is also lacking the letters stamped onto either side of the trigger guard present in other 1943 Remington Rands. Anyone have any ideas??

[chevyman097 2,579]

I dont, but I would love to see pictures if its not asking too much. I LOVE 1911 porn..... and make them sexy if you have em.....lol jk

[VaiFanatic90 360]

Lmfao, they'd be taken with my phone, since the actual camera has gone AWOL! I'll see what I can do though ;]

[VaiFanatic90 360]

Here they are! Enjoy ;]

 

The real defining thing for a Remington Rand is the hammer.

[VaiFanatic90 360]

Had two more that I thought I'd add.

[Matthew Hopkins 1,065]

1911s went through re-arsenal process at least once in their lives, maybe more. so it's not all that unusually that a unserviceable slide was mated to a serviceable frame or visa versa, regardless of what manufaturer made them. arsenals didn't care what parts were made by who and tried to match it. that is the beauty of interchangable parts.

 

or it could be that sometime in the past the slides where exchanged by soldiers when they dumped several parts in

 

a solvent tank during cleaning, or inadvertently swapped elswhere ... the only thing that mattered to the solder or the armorer was that the serial number weapon was tuned in or issed out to the soldier assigned that weapon, not that this slide matched the manufaturer of this frame to that.

Edited June 19, 2010 by Matthew Hopkins

[VaiFanatic90 360]

Well, everything looks as though it fits. As with all '43s, the muzzle portion of the slide has some discoloration do to being finished before it actually hardened. The frame is definitely a '43, and so is slide, but it was my understanding that colt didn't manufacture in '43. It was Remington Rand, and then Ithaca took over for a period of time as well.

[chevyman097 2,579]

Very cool man! +1 love collectibles.

[VaiFanatic90 360]

1911s went through re-arsenal process at least once in their lives, maybe more. so it's not all that unusually that a unserviceable slide was mated to a serviceable frame or visa versa, regardless of what manufaturer made them. arsenals didn't care what parts were made by who and tried to match it. that is the beauty of interchangable parts.

 

or it could be that sometime in the past the slides where exchanged by soldiers when they dumped several parts in

 

a solvent tank during cleaning, or inadvertently swapped elswhere ... the only thing that mattered to the solder or the armorer was that the serial number weapon was tuned in or issed out to the soldier assigned that weapon, not that this slide matched the manufaturer of this frame to that.

 

Well, I'm not worried about the mismatch, if that is in fact what it is, I'm just having trouble telling what make the frame is. I shows signs of being Remington Rand, but lacks certain other details that others of the same age are shown to have. I just wanted to know if anyone else could have shed some light as to what it could be.

 

Very cool man! +1 love collectibles.

 

Thank you much! =]

[VaiFanatic90 360]

Took this photo the same night, thought you guys would want to see. The barrel is also from a '45 Colt M1911, determined by the "C" imprinted in a square on one side of the lug. The frame as it turns out is Remington Rand. After looking with a magnifying glass, I finally discovered what was the remains of the Remington Rand emblem. The disconnector in this pistol has been worn down, so when you push the slide back from the front, along with the barrel, and pull the trigger, the weapon would discharge. That's the only fix I can see with this, I would like to restore it (orignal color can barely still be seen where handgrips usually cover), but I don't want to ruin it's collectors value. Any ideas?

[Razorback 72]

WOW, Cool post on the Remington 1911A1, non matching parts. I have a very similar type of 43' Remington 1911A1 from WWll. This pistol was brought home by a soldier who decided to remove the SN and I had to take it to the ATF to have the number raised chemically. The top slide is definitely Remington, but the frame markings are almost gone. The Remington frames were stainless steel. I'll post more pictures of mine later, after I retrieve the gun and find my camera. I thought that my gun had been mis-assembled when my father gave it to me, but now after reading your post, maybe my frame is Remington as well. Great post and interesting subject matter. Here is a picture of the Remington-Rand Inc. 1911A1 top slide, and the second picture is my Colt 1911 next to my Remington 1911A1.

[VanKiller 322]

According to my books, Colt, Rem, Ithaca and US&S all produced 1911's during 1943. Sn ranges are the best way to determine year and MFG production. PM me the sn and I'll look it up.

[VaiFanatic90 360]

WOW, Cool post on the Remington 1911A1, non matching parts. I have a very similar type of 43' Remington 1911A1 from WWll. This pistol was brought home by a soldier who decided to remove the SN and I had to take it to the ATF to have the number raised chemically. The top slide is definitely Remington, but the frame markings are almost gone. The Remington frames were stainless steel. I'll post more pictures of mine later, after I retrieve the gun and find my camera. I thought that my gun had been mis-assembled when my father gave it to me, but now after reading your post, maybe my frame is Remington as well. Great post and interesting subject matter. Here is a picture of the Remington-Rand Inc. 1911A1 top slide, and the second picture is my Colt 1911 next to my Remington 1911A1.

 

Yeah, I thought that mine was mis-assembled as well, but my only guess is there's some story behind this particular piece. The frame is '43, but according to the research I did, the barrel is from a '45 Colt. However, I can't conclude if the slide came with that barrel. Apparently during their production, the slides were painted before they could harden. This caused some discoloration (which you can see in some of my photos) around the muzzle of the gun. It appears slightly darker. This apparently happened between the production runs of 1942-45.

 

sightm1911.com/1911Production.htm <--- That's the site where I gathered the info on the slide.

Edited June 22, 2010 by VaiFanatic90

[VaiFanatic90 360]

Well folks, after seeing how worn down the disconnector was (to the point where if you pushed the slide back and pulled the trigger, it would discharge), I decided to fix that safety issue and lay that worry to rest. Here are the pics. The macro screwed up on the last shot, but you guys get what I was trying to show.