COLT M1911A1 C/M Question

I recently saw a old thread(JP) of a blue M1911a1 that had its M1911A1 US ARMY stamp applied through the finish. It got me thinking about my C/M that has an odd look about its same stamp. I took some pics of it today in the sun trying to get a different view of it. What do you gentleman think about it?
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC05997-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC05989-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC05998-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...00599FF1-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC05996-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...5126E7D5-1.jpg

I can't tell much from your photographs. Are you able to compare yours to this 864000 range C/M? As you can see on this one, the marking was sandblasted before finish.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../346t8qf-1.jpg

I have taken numerous photos and just cant get my camera to focus up as close as the pic you show. The macro function on my Sony Cyber shot doesnt seem to work well. Anyway, your stamp looks thicker/deeper than mine. I need to get a more powerful magnifying glass to see if its been blasted over. Its for sure different than the one you show and the others I have compared it to.
Picture #2 shows it the best, note the M1911A1 part seems to have a haze and appears to be struck through the finish. The US ARMY looks the same, you just cant see it on the pic because of the angle

Maybe I can take a look at it sometime, if you aren't able to get a good macro.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scott Gahimer

Maybe I can take a look at it sometime, if you aren't able to get a good macro.

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I hope to be at OGCA in July, I'll bring it along and try to link up with you. I wish I could get the pics to come out better. I have compared it to all of your C/M's on the site and the M1911A1 US ARMY stamp is unique on this one. Maybe its just a light roll mark. Im pretty certain the pistol is original, nothing is jumping out at me saying its been messed with, but you never know I guess.

I won't get a chance to see it at OGCA in July. Can't make the show. Maybe next time.

Very interesting variation. I hope to one day have one in the collection.

Fellas, I don't want to seem too ignorant but what is a C/M? Also, in MPD1978's fifth photo, the serial number and and US property look stamped over something else after it had been peened over? Does that have something to do with the C/M? TIA

With demand very high for pistols to send to our troops, Colt shut down the Commercial side of production and sent over 6000 pistols over to the Military side of production. Some of the pistols already had The Government Model markings and serial number roll marked on them. These pistols had the markings crudely peened and remarked with Military marks and serial numbers. The nice blue finish was sand blasted off and the pistol was parkerized. This is what is known as C/M.

It is apparent that Colt had a huge backlog of unsold Government Model pistols, and this presented an opportunity to clean out their inventory. In addition to the almost 6600 completed pistols transferred to the military contract, a number of receivers, slides, barrels, and magazines were also transferred. The transferred receivers, slides, and barrels can be identified by their S mark rather than a G.

This matching number slide Colt 1911A1 has a transferred receiver and barrel, but the slide is military. Another oddity is that while the M 1911A1 U.S. ARMY was applied before finish, the UNITED STATES PROPERTY was applied after finish, leaving raised metal around the letters.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../10s83n9-1.jpg

Johnny... thanks for the info and photo of this interesting feature. (I'm always learning!) Do you know how wide of a serial number range has been observed with the USP struck (rolled) after finish? Or, is this unique to this particular pistol?

I believe the marking was just missed in initial production of the pistol shown, and was sent back through to have the marking applied. I have a blued 1911A1 that the M 1911A1 U.S. ARMY was applied after finish, and I believe it too was just missed initially. Will find it and shoot a picture of it.

I've always thought there may have been something about those receivers that wasn't up to spec., and that perhaps they were sent back for correction while the other receivers went on to have the next step(s) of production performed. Then, when the flaw was corrected, they simply rolled on whatever marking was missed. Pistols in this serial range were still being shipped in sequential order. That would have kept pistols together and not delayed shipments.

Interesting stuff... thank you both!

It is also inevitable that something will eventually to be missed, as in the case of this pistol. With the M 1911A1 U.S. ARMY being missed and then applied after the pistol was finished, it caused halos around the letters and numbers where the finish turned brown. This is also found on rust blued firearms where the markings were applied after finish. With the resulting halo, the marking appears larger than normal.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...7/np17bo-1.jpg