The North American Arms Co., which was organized and incorporated on June 28, 1918, secured a contract from the U.S. Army to manufacture the M1911 in place of the defunct Ross Rifle Co. of Quebec. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Ross was producing the
Canadian
Army's standard straight-pull rifle, but combat use proved these arms to be unsatisfactory. Canadian troops switched to
British made Enfields, and the Ross Rifle Co. eventually went out of business. North American's contract of July 1, 1918, called for the productin of 500,000 pistols at a price of $15 (U.S.) each, and the U.S. government agreed to furnish raw materials in return for reimbursement through deductions on invoices for finished pistols. Lacking its own production facilities, North American leased the former Ross Rifle plant for this purpose. The Army canceled its contract with North American Arms on December 4, 1918, just as the first prototypes were being assembled. No pistols were delivered to U.S. authorities, but approximately 100 toolroom samples were produced. These are among the rarest of all M1911 pistols in existence.
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