December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/12/2024
Colt resumed production of commercial government Model 1911A1s in October of 1946 at serial number C220001, as they had stopped production of the US contract guns in September of 1945. The first approximately 2000 commercial pistols made after the war ended were actually military pistols in various stages of manufacture at the end of the War, and were completed with commercial serial numbers in 1946 as commercial pistols using new and surplus parts. There are numerous variations found in the transitional range of C220001-C222500. This gun is at the end of the variation range. The top of slide has the military proof P and a non glare blue finish but unlike the "New for 1946 Non Glare Finish", the entire frame is commercial blue. The brown plastic grips are Keyes with ribs. The trigger is a wartime short checkered type. The slide stop is serrated, and the safety is checkered. The arched mainspring housing is serrated with loop, military type, as is the narrow checkered hammer. The legend on right side of slide is standard commercial "COLT'S AUTOMATIC CALIBRE .45" with pony at face. The left side has the one line Colt address legend and no pony. The barrel lugs have the Colt 45 & P stamp and may be polished and restamped military surplus. These 1946 variant guns are an interesting group. In addition, there is a shoulder holster made by TexTan, a company that had a government contract during the war. They took the standard GI pattern and made this commercial venture with no US, and instead, has decorative border tooling and is lined. Straps are intact. CONDITION: Fine. Retains at least 75-80% commercial blue finish. Gun shows holster wear with overall high edge wear, forward lower slide wear, some small areas of thinning, thinned straps and scattered handling marks. Bore is strong and lightly frosted.