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LOT 349
Outstanding Documented World War I U.S. Marine Corps Contract Colt Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 186144, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish,
walnut grips. Manufactured in 1917, this pistol was part of a 400 gun shipment on 10 October 1917 to the United States Marine Corps (p. 519 of “U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1894-1920” by Meadows). This particular Marine Corps shipment is interesting, in that it was originally intended for the U.S. Army. The shipment is detailed on p. 159-160 of the previously mentioned book, where it is noted that the ordnance department arranged for this shipment of 400 pistols to be diverted from the army to the marines due to the marines’ imminent departure for France and World War I. The pistols for the army were then later replaced
by the original Marine Corps shipment which would have been too late for the departing marines. During the course of World War I, Colt shipped a total of approximately 9,950 Model 1911 pistols to the Marine Corps and at least 25 Government Models, making these pistols incredibly scarce in comparison to their Army shipped counterparts. Unlike the Navy contract Model 1911 pistols, which have a special slide marking, those that were shipped to the Marine Corps had the standard Army nomenclature, as is present on this example. The left side of the slide is marked with the two-line, two-block address and patent markings with the Rampant Colt behind the serrations and “MODEL OF 1911. U.S. ARMY” on the right. The frame is marked with the serial number on the right and the U.S. property marking and circled “GHS” inspection mark on the left. The full blue barrel is marked on the chamber hood with “P” and “H”.
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