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LOT 447
Very Rare Grant Hammond .45 ACP Semi-Automatic Military
Trials Pistol - Serial no. 6, 45 ACP cal., 6 3/4 inch round bbl., blue finish,
hardwood grips. Developed in the mid 1910s by Grant Hammond of the Grand Hammond Manufacturing Company, the Hammond Pistol (aka the Liberty Pistol, due to the use
of plant space owned by Liberty
Motors in manufacturing) was one of the post-1910 rivals to Colt’s Government Model/1911 pistol. Brought to the attention of the Small Arms Division of U.S. Army Ordnance in 1917, the Hammond was subjected to multiple rounds of evaluation by individual officers, small groups, and finally formal trials by both the Army and Navy. For the men who tested it, the Grant Hammond was something of a heart-breaker; it was often described in glowing terms by those who shot it, but had issues that were never fully corrected even after multiple rounds of feedback to the manufacturer. Almost universally the testers loved the handling and the accuracy of the pistol, though chronic issues were experienced with the magazine, and the novel bolt mechanism, which could be pulled out quite easily for basic cleaning, was much harder to deal with in a detail strip scenario, and would be more complicated than the Colt’s slide to maintain. The design had great potential,
but was unable to make the evolution from an exciting prototype to a field-ready pistol, and as a result was not able to
knock the 1911 off its perch. This particular pistol appears to be the later version used for the Navy/Camp Perry trials in 1918, which included revisions like a more conventional magazine catch arrangement and the rear sight being shifted back for a longer sight radius. Mechanically, the evaluators made comparisons to the Mauser Broomhandle, as the pistol has a short recoiling barrel/receiver assembly with a bolt within, which cycles back on the frame briefly before the bolt disconnects
and completes the ejection and loading cycle. Blade front and fixed notch rear sights, with “PATENTED MAY 4, 1915 OTHER PATENTS PENDING” on the left side of the receiver, “GRANT HAMMOND MFG. CORP. NEW HAVEN, CONN., U.S.A.” on the right, and “HAMMOND” on top, knurled hammer spur, bright bolt, smooth trigger and checkered grips.
CONDITION: Fine, with 40% of the original blue finish, the remainder showing a mixed gray patina, bright wear along the high edges, and scattered light handling marks. The period replacement grips are very good, with some mild dents. The magazine correctly drops out, and the hammer slips to the safety notch when the bolt is cycled; otherwise, the pistol is in mechanically fine condition. These are very rare pistols. The consignor is only aware of 12 in existence.
Estimate: 15,000 - 25,000
287
Collector’s Fact
According to U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1894-1920 by Meadows, approximately thirteen Grant Hammond semi-automatic pistols were produced for trials.
SERIAL NUMBER 6
SIMILAR EXAMPLE PICTURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK U.S. MILITARY AUTOMATIC PISTOLS (1894- 1920) BY MEADOWS