Unusual 1911

[highpower3006]

Here is a somewhat unusual 1911 in that it is a license built pistol made by a foreign government.

Norway commissioned tests with the intention of possibly adopting a new service pistol from 1904 till 1911. In 1911, a commission recommended adoption of the semi-automatic .38 ACP caliber Colt Military Model 1902 pistol, after field trials with 25 such pistols. However, as the US had just adopted the Colt .45ACP M1911 pistol it was decided to conduct further tests. A pistol of the new M1911 design was received in Norway in January 1913. After the conclusion of extensive tests the M1911 was recommended for adoption.

Even though the pistol was known as the Colt Model 1911, the designer and copyright owner was John Browning who had licensed manufacturing in the US to Colt. Norway attempted to get licensing through Colt, but discovered European production was through Fabrique Nationale. So in September 1914, Norway signed a contract with Fabrique Nationale of Belgium for manufacture. The pistol would be produced at Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk in Norway. Production was slow in the best of times and by the end of production in 1945 a total of only 30,534 were made. A further 2,319 pistols were assembled from existing parts after the war until production was halted at serial number 32854 in 1948.

While not particularly rare in the US, they are also not all that common either. In the US they are commonly called Kongsberg Colts, even though the licensing was through FN and John Browning was the designer. I managed to acquire this one through a trade several months ago and it fills a neat little niche in my 1911 collection along with my other 1911's that were made by the only other two countries that manufactured the 1911 under license.

This one was made in 1922 and as you can see, even after having been adopted eight years earlier, the serial number is only 2562. Probably the most unique feature of the Kongsberg Colts is the slide release, which is very distinctive. Another unique feature is the fact the they numbered nearly every part to the gun, which does make it rather easy to determine if one has had parts changed out. The grip panels are made from a very light colored wood (Birch?) and are painted black from the factory.

Overall it is in excellent condition considering it is 98 years old. All numbers match and it still has it's original lanyard loop magazine, the same as Colt 1911's had in 1914 when these were first adapted even though by the time this gun was produced Colt had dropped the LL magazine at the behest of the US Government.

[DukeConnor]

That is the first of these I have seen. As you mentioned the first thing that stood out is the numbering. I am curious as to what the benefit was to take the extra manufacturing time to number all the parts.

Very nice shape for being a hundred years old.

[Jim Watson]

The really rare one is the 1912.
500 bought from Colt, 500 made at Kongsberg before adopting the extended slide stop lever and calling it the 1914.

There were a lot of 1914s and a few 1912s imported in the 1960s, the Golden Years when you could have a gun delivered to your doorstep.

[44 AMP]

I understand that the 1914 model 11.25mm pistols were very popular with German occupation forces.

[bamaranger]

Somewhere in my archives I have either a clipped article, or an article that is part of a collection of reprints (Gun Digest?), that is entitled "Oddball .45's" It makes for some interesting reading, and there are many good pics. I'll snoop around in the stacks and see if I can find it so as to give full reference.

[ms6852]

That is a nice piece of history you have there.

[jmr40]

Thanks for sharing that. I never knew. How does it shoot?

[redlightrich]

Thank you for posting, Highpower.. That is a really neat pistol. 1911 is probably my favorite, and I always like to see different or odd variants.

Thanks again for sharing with us.

Rich

[Skans]

I enjoyed this post!!

[Bent Brass]

Excellent 2016 Forgotten Weapons video about these guns at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiVyT3TqS2c

[RickB]

I was watching a TV show - may have been Forgotten Weapons - and they described a situation involving a European government that wanted BARs;
FN had the European rights to the BAR, but couldn't deliver, so they arranged for Colt to ship guns for testing, the customer was happy, but FN kept stalling, because the Colts were inch pattern, and FN had promised metric BARs, which they weren't actually making at the time.
The would-be customer - I want to say it was Poland - was able to make their own metric BAR.

Kongsberg made another 50(?) .45s at some later date, '60s or '70s, to test their ability to put the gun back into production if necessary, and the guns ended up for sale on the U.S. market, but I can't remember ever seeing a gun claimed to be one of them.

Though they were never made in any numbers, FNs version of the 1911 was called the Grande Browning.

[Bart Noir]

If you want to dream of a truly unusual Colt 1911 pistol, consider the ones made in 9.8 mm caliber.

Yes this caliber exists. I've seen 3 of the rounds and bought one for my collection.

It seems Colt's wanted to make Euro sales of the new 1911 pistols but nobody in Europe was interested in a .45. So Colt's invented a new cartridge more powerful than the 9mm. This was the 9.8 mm round. Soon salesman were traveling around Europe demonstrating them to various military and police agencies.

No sales happened (that I know of) prior to something else happening, called The Great War. If there were any deals in the works, WW1 ended those.

Bart Noir

[RickB]

Unlike other mid-bore 1911s, the 9.8 was about 7/8th scale, shrunken proportionally for the cartridge.

[Jim Watson]

The Grand Browning was a proprietary 9.65mm.
I figure the gun and the cartridge were similar to the 9.8 Colt.

I saw a picture of the FN Browning 7.65 x 20 French whipped up as a last gasp when it was obvious France was not going to buy the GR or GP 9mm they asked for in the first place. Funny looking pistol.

[highpower3006]

I have heard of the Grand Browning and other FN versions of the venerable 1911, but I don't think I have ever seen one come up for sale here in the US.

I am something of a 1911 junkie and have 14 of them, nine of which are military issued guns:



I collect military firearms and am always on the lookout for a good deal on guns I would like to add to the collection, however prices on US military 1911's have gotten kind of out of hand in the last few years, largely pricing me out of the market. I think the last general good deal on US issued 1911's was those that were sold through the CMP.

Along with a few Russian and British military handguns, I also have some several WWI and II German pistols but like US 1911's, prices on original condition examples are high. Within the last year or so, I have acquired an interest in pre 1945 Japanese handguns. IMO the Japanese guns are undervalued in the market and if anyone has an interest in historical guns, they should strongly consider looking at firearms of the Rising Sun while they are still affordable.

[Classic12]

Beautiful gun, congratulations. I would love to find a Kongsberg, and yours seems in great condition

I believe that the 11.25 mm refers to the diameter inside of the lands as opposed to the grooves, as the .45 ACP is 11.43 mm, and the French commonly referred to the 1911 pistol as “le 11 43”

[armoredman]

Beautiful sidearm sir. Will she see range time, or collector only?