Strasnhe marks on a COLT 1911

[mrclark303]

Sorry Peter I misunderstood the sense, you're right there is something amazing to find such stamp on this kind of pistol, have you seen that before?

As Peter said, very common mark, I have seen 1911's with both Birmingham and London proof marks in the past, thousands of them must have been through the Proof Houses over the last 70 odd years

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

It is quite a common mark but your book says it's a mark from the 1600's!!!!!!!

[browningautorifle]

I just don't think it's quite the same mark.

[green]

Definitive proof mark of London proof house under 1954 rules of proof.

[browningautorifle]

1954 rules of proof

That makes sense.

[RazorBurn]

Definitive proof mark of London proof house under 1954 rules of proof.

Just trying to further my education. Does that proof mark mean it's a Lend - Lease 1911 sent back to the United States? If I remember my readings right, all firearms in Britain had to be proof marked for export too. Am I right in assuming that's what it is, or is it an acceptance proof mark?

[browningautorifle]

all firearms in Britain had to be proof marked for export

It could have been a bring back or a trader from the war years. Won in a poker game by a soldier...it just ended up there.

[mrclark303]

Just trying to further my education. Does that proof mark mean it's a Lend - Lease 1911 sent back to the United States? If I remember my readings right, all firearms in Britain had to be proof marked for export too. Am I right in assuming that's what it is, or is it an acceptance proof mark?

Possibly, but as said, thousands of 1911's will have been through the
Proofhouse's in the last 70 odd years, until 1997 they were popular among pistol shooters in the UK and many additional examples that passed through the UK will have been proofed too.

[Simon P]

The "London Armoury" on the Commercial Rd in East London were building Colt 1911s using surplus parts, they had a running advert in Guns Review advertising them throughout the 1980s.

These would have all been proofed at the London Proof house which was on the same road.