A nice M1911A1 from Swissvale, PA

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Don't get the wrong impression. If I am at a gun show and a good pistol is laying on a seller's table with a low price, and I see it, I typically buy it...and sometimes even at a discounted price. I am not opposed to anyone making or saving money. I just won't lie to someone in order to take advantage of them. I don't mind paying a fair price for anything I buy. Some things are just worth more to me than others.

As you I see it there is a distinct diffrence in purchasing from a dealer at a gun show and the family possesing a firearm with a family history. In the first case seller beware. In the second case I applaude your effort to pay fair market value. I have found individuals do appreciate the fact that others will provide stewardship and appreciation of a firearm and its history when you make it clear you are not purchasing it simply to turn it over to make a profit.This appreciation has often been reflected in the price at which an item has been offered to me for sale.

[Hoss]

I'll admit I thought you were talking about a US&S, I'm always on the lookout for info and stories about them.

But I'd like more information on the 2 tone magazines. This is the second time I've seen them mentioned recently. 1 or 2 came with my US&S. I didn't think they were special, I assumed the colors were due to them being stored in a magazine pouch. What's the story on them? Should i stop using them? Goodness knows I have enough 1911 mags that it won't hurt to take those out of the rotation. In fact, one of them seems to occasionally misfeed in my series 80 and I was considering replacing the spring.

[Johnny Peppers]

Originally Colt heat treated their magazines before they were blued. Since Colt used heat blue, it was found that the heat from the bluing process was removing some of the tempering in the magazines. Then Colt started bluing the magazines and then heat treating them. The heat treatment consisted of dipping the upper part of the magazine in molten cyanide at almost 1500 degrees F, and then quenching in oil. The heat treatment removed the bluing to the depth it was dipped in the cyanide solution. Beginning in 1938 Colt began changing their tempering process, which resulted in the full blued magazines.