Quote Originally Posted by Vernon Morris View Post
Have RR. 1943. Sn.946XXX. Sn. Large S & N is about half size of S it is underline like the earlier before factory shut down. Slide is the Type II. My question is it has a type 6 colt barrel ( left side Colt 45 Auto also P, bottom of barrel marked S which I think is a commercial barrel transferred to the military. Any input on the barrel would be appreciated. The grips or of later Keyes Fiber with reinforcement rings.
There is no S and underlined n on an original pistol. Do you mean large N and underlined o? That is the early style serial number prefix.

Your pistol is a little late to have a Colt barrel in it from the factory. Most of the Remington Rand pistols with Colt barrels were produced with type 1 slide markings and are in the 916405-932xxx serial range. I've not seen one higher than 930504 with a Colt barrel I thought was original.

You can examine the barrel, slide and frame to look for specific wear patterns to get an idea of whether or not your barrel might be original. However, if the pistol wasn't used much and then the barrel was changed and used...well then that creates a false impression. The HS barrel in your serial range is most common, but most common has little to do with originality.

Each pistol has to be thoroughly examined to determine the likelihood of it being original. There are several wear points and parts to examine.

The Colt barrel you describe was being used at the time your pistol was produced and shipped. However, that does not mean it is original in your specific pistol.

Most people look at a pistol and depend on the markings on a barrel to determine if the barrel is correct or original. I wish it were that easy. Simply put, there are too many swapping parts to make pistols "correct" by the book and ruining pistols that have been together forever.
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