1911A1 National Match

I need a little help. I recently purchased a NM Colt in what appears to be its original shipping box. The date on the box is 12-62. The gun has a Colt slide on a Rand frame. From what I have read so far, the Army was using military slides on these guns thru 1962 and then in 63 used Colt factory slides. The pictures I have found of these guns shows the slide serrations as forward leaning, the ones on the gun I have are vertical. The slide has a "P" proof forward of the rear site. In addition to the normal Colt markings on the right side, the left side has "COLT'S MFG. CO. HARTFORD CT. USA". I will try to post pictures.

Any help is appreciated.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMG_0232-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMG_0234-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMG_0236-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMG_0242-1.jpg

Your pictures are not good enough to tell much about it, but the slide is a GI slide. In the early 1950's Ordnance bought replacement slides from Colt. The slides were marked just like their commercial (Government Model) slides, but had a rough military finish and were phosphated. The Micro sight was used through 1962, and the 1962 NM pistols did not have the serial number on the slide.
This is a 1961 NM pistol with the serial numbered slide.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../2wemkom-1.jpg

No 1911 or 1911A1 pistol slides ever had forward leaning serrations. Most likely an optical illusion in the pictures that you looked at.

Johnny,

Thanks for your help. I was concered that someone had put a civilian slide on an NM frame and I ended up with it. Sorry about the pictures.

Beginning in 1963 the Springfield Armory, and later Rock Island Arsenal, NM pistols used slides with angled slide serrations. The first NM slides furnished to Springfield Armory were manufactured by Colt, and were the same slides used on their Gold Cup National Match pistols. Drake also furnished NM slides with the angled serrations.

Duane,

The photo I was looking at is located at "National Match Notes". It is listed under the 1963 NM pistol. This appears to be a great informational site, but left me in doubt about what I had bought.

Thanks for the assistance

---------- Post added at 08:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:56 AM ----------

Johnny,

The box the gun came in has the date 12-62. Is there something I can look for that indicates when the gun was made into an NM?

Every year had some type of improvement or change, and while this is the best way to identity the year, the differences are too many to list here.
As noted in my original post, does your slide have four digits of the serial number stamped under the ejection port? The 1961 NM had the serial number and the 1962 did not. That said, the pistols were reworked each year so that the competitors would all have the latest improvements. If your pistol has the serial numbered slide, it could either be a rework of a 1961 pistol.

It has the serial number

Thanks again

What is the NM barrel number?

Nm7790313