Colt Black Army 1918 No. 01018 45 ACP, $1000

[Newsfeed Hound]

The Colt is the most expensive pistol tested at twice the tariff of some GI pistols. Just the same, the pistol could not be excluded on that factor. The Colt Black Army is a close copy of the original as it was manufactured in 1918.The Black Army was a wartime variant with a finish darker than blue-finish handguns. This was in the days before Parkerized 1911A1 pistols. The Black Army features correct (or nearly so) scroll markings and military acceptance marks.

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[Johnny Peppers]

The first of the new Colt Model 1911 pistols were farmed out for the final finish, which was a heat blue. I believe the second variation used in house hot salt caustic blue to cut down on the cost.
It was mentioned that this was in the days before the Parkerized 1911A1 pistols, but from 1924 until 1941 the 1911A1 was blued. The so called "Black Army" was blued just as the previous 1911 pistols were, but the final surface prep was not as good, leaving a rough dark finish, which did not hold up well as on previous pistols.