By Patrick Vollon
I think I have an interesting story for this site. About a year ago I purchased a 1911A1 COLT-made pistol. Condition is, believe it or not , brand new.
Before shooting the piece, I gave it a thoroughly cleaning job to remove the old grease and oil from the mechanical parts and even the outside. This gun looked like it had left the COLT factory yesterday…only the piece was manufactured in 1943!
The finish is a dull gray-green , the slide has the usual Colt markings and rampant Colt , on the frame (right side) it says “UNITED STATES PROPERTY” – “M1911A1” – “U.S.ARMY” and the serial # 942XXX. On that same side behind the grip panel, there are two crossed cannons in a circle ( Board of Ordnance ). On the left side of the frame in the trigger guard, there are the initials GHD (Lt.Col. Guy H.Drewry – inspector marks). Two “P” proof marks are stamped on the frame and one in a triangle.
This gun is a fine shooter and I left it as it came (no modifications ). My gun dealer informed me the gun was imported from the well-known German importer FRANKONIA ARMS and that several hundreds of 1911A1 where brought in from…Russia ! It seems that in WWII the US supplied Russia with more than 12.000 units of 1911A1’s under the Lend-Lease program. I don’t know if guns like these where also brought back to the US. Anyway, I think my gun was a real bargain.(I paid $500 for the piece.)
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