Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns A CMP Colt 1911A1

Got this one in last month from the CMP...a 3rd round field grade 1911A1. Probably 60-70% of what looks like the original finish remaining. No rebuild marks. Frame, slide and barrel are Colt. Bore of the barrel is mint. It's an F-marked Colt WW II barrel, which is correct for this pistol (1944). A call to Scott Gahimer pinned down the date (shipped April or May, 1944) and that all the parts are correct, except the slide stop. I added a left grip panel, a 16 lb recoil spring, a firing pin spring and a grip screw. I'll leave the grooved slide stop in. I have a "correct" checkered one in my parts stash, but the one on it looks like it's been on the gun awhile. Not a big deal. Magazine is a nice C S-marked WW II era mag.

The gun shoots very well (and to point of aim) at 20 yards with TZZ match ball.

I'm happy.
Bob

Very good find! Congrats. How many lb do the original springs have? Why was the change necessary? How does the gun group at 20 yards?

Sweet.

They sure didn’t have much of a front site did they.

It should have been a 16lb. recoil spring and a 23lb mainspring. It's always best to change out the springs in older pistols, as I can guarantee it was never done in when they were issued, and they should be changed every 5000 rounds or so, anyway. It's a cheap fix, less than $10, so it's just smarter to change them out.

Wow, you hit the jackpot! My, and most, first release CMP 1911s were rebuilt/re-arsenaled with a mix of parts. Yours is the real deal warhorse, congrats!

I got a nice field grade in the 3rd round also. Not matching like yours though.

What a classic, good looking 1911. All matching is a plus. Pretty much perfect.

No, they sure didn't. I have a 1943 Colt and after shooting that it will make you appreciate things like a wide beaver tail grip safety and a good set of sights.

The thinking at the time about fighting handguns was that they would be mainly shot at close range, and it was thought to be a higher priority to make them snag free rather than to have sights that made medium and long range shooting easier.

Nice gun OP! What’s a good resource for researching all the markings and bits on these? I’ve got a relative’s 1911 from WWII that I’d like to learn more about.

coolgunsite.com is the go-to place for most 1911 stuff. 1911forum.com is also pretty good. Several members there are serious 1911 collectors and are very helpful. Good luck!
Bob

Nice pistol OP! I'm waiting on the call from the CMP myself. I'm number 34908 and they're into the 34700 range as of yesterday so I'm expecting the call in the next couple of weeks.

Very cool RGK!

Nice gun, Bob. Congratulations. Hope you have a lot of fun with it.

Thanks, and roger that. My CMP Colt reminds me of the 1911A1 I had in Iraq.
Bob