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LOT 390
Rare Documented World War I U.S. Marine Corps
Contract Colt Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol with Factory Letter - Serial no. 151412, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in 1916, this pistol was part of a 600 gun shipment on 27 November 1916 to the United States Marine Corps in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (p. 518 “U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1894-1920” by Meadows). The included factory letter confirms the current configuration, with the grips not listed, as well as the previously mentioned shipping information. 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 later production replacement 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.
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