Page 249 - 88-BOOK3

LOT 3418
Desirable and Fine 1913 Production U.S. Navy Contract Colt Model 1911
Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 40527,
45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. A total of 15,037 of these pistols
were manufactured by Colt with the desirable U.S. Navy slide marking, all of which were delivered prior to April of 1915. After that, all Model 1911 pistols delivered to the Navy would bear
the standard U.S. Army nomenclature, of which there were approximately 578,473 manufactured, making this variation comparatively very scarce. This is an example of an early 1913 production, U.S. Navy contract Colt Model 1911 pistol that was
shipped on 8 August 1913 to the Brooklyn Navy Yard (p. 515 “U.S. Military Automatic Pistols: 1894-1920” by Meadows/Ellis). The left side of the slide is marked with the standard two-line, two-block Colt address and patent dates with the Rampant Colt
behind the serrations, while the right bears the desirable “MODEL OF 1911 U.S. NAVY” marking. The full blue barrel is marked “PH” on the chamber hood, “5” on the bottom, and “J” on the left of the lug. The left side of the frame has the U.S. property marking and “WGP” circled monogram above the magazine release, while the serial number is on the right. It is fitted with blade front and rounded top notch rear sights, checkered slide catch,
thumb safety, magazine catch, and wide hammer, long smooth trigger, smooth flat
mainspring housing with lanyard loop, a pair of diamond pattern checkered walnut grips,
and a replacement full blue magazine. Includes a U.S. marked canvas magazine pouch and
an extra two-tone magazine.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 60% plus of the original blue finish with the balance having thinned to a mix of grey and brown patinas and some scattered light spotting. The grips are very good with some scattered minor blemishes in the otherwise mostly well-defined checkering. Mechanically excellent. The magazine pouch is fine with some mild wear.
Estimate: 7,500 - 12,000
LOT 3419
Fine World War I U.S. Contract Remington-UMC Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 3007, 45 ACP cal.,
5 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. In late 1917 or early 1918, Colt was ordered by the U.S. government to provide Remington-UMC with production drawings, sample pistols, and master gauges to produce the 150,000 Model 1911 pistols the
government had ordered from them to support the war effort. In March of 1918 the initial order was increased to 500,000. By June of 1919, and the cancellation of the contract, Remington had produced 21,676 Model 1911 pistols. Because they had been
made using a different set of technical drawings than Colt and Springfield, the Remington 1911 was purged from the inventory after the war to ensure parts compatibility. It has fixed sights, with the two-block, three-line patent and address markings around the “REMINGTON/UMC” logo on the left side
of the slide, “MODEL OF 1911/U.S. ARMY CALIBER .45” on the right, and the “E.E.C.” and “eagle head/E1” proofs on the left side of the frame. Fitted with a “P” proofed full blue barrel, two-tone magazine, and diamond pattern checkered grips.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 60% of the original blue finish with the balance having thinned to mostly a smooth grey-brown patina and numerous scattered small patches of light pitting. The grips are excellent with a few scattered minor blemishes in the otherwise crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
247