Unusual colt 45

[Bill Hughes]

I was visiting with a friend today and we went out to his range to shoot a little. He had an unusual 1911A1 that I shot and the gun shoots better than I can at 75. It has a colt slide but the frame is marked ESSEX SN 43422. He said that the internal parts are all colt. Who is ESSEX and did they make complete guns or just the frames and what time frame? Thanks, Bill Hughes:bash:

[John Wyatt]

The ESSEX frame is commercial, not GI. They don't have a very good rep

[jjroth]

definitely, 70's, as a source for new frames for making IPSC "race" guns, meaning all tricked out.
Nor sure where they were made, but some were 50/50 proposition on quality.

[chuckindenver]

Essex frames are ok, nothing real special, but they work, alot of shooters built up pistols from Essex frames,
they do need some smoothing out, but i like them.
an Essex frame shooter with Colt slide, in good shape should fetch 475.00 all day.