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#1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 23, 2011
Location: Missouri
Posts: 350
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Remington-Rand 1911
Hey guys,
Decided to drop into a local gun show yesterday, in search of a USGI 1911. I remember there used to be plenty at this particular show a few years ago. Now, I only found 3 authentic ones. There was a Colt labeled as a "Colt WWII Repro". It lacked the United States Property marking, but was definitely interesting. I wound up back at the first table I stopped at that had a Remington Rand 1911 listed at $1200. I wound up talking him into $1100. He insisted on telling me the "story behind it", which he was definitely using as a sale point. Almost offered him the full $1200 just to shut up haha. So the finish is rough, grips are newer, and unbeknownst to me the barrel was shot smooth. Luckily, a few momths back I bought a mix master 1911 that had a remington rand slide, and a high standard barrel, so I just swapped barrels, and got that problem taken care of. Dating the serial number puts it at about http://imgur.com/gallery/kJrc4XO Hopefully the link works for pictures. Last edited by Mikef262; December 29, 2019 at 04:10 PM. |
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#2 |
Staff
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,742
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The barrel was smooth? You mean, no rifling? I've had a couple of guys tell me the rifling was shot out of their barrels, only for me to apply a carbon remover and have the rifling magically reappear. Mind you, you can shoot out a throat or funnel a muzzle, but I know of no way bullets can remove rifling. A defective barrel is a possibility, I suppose.
IIRC, the Remington Rand has a soft slide. So the magazine release can gradually peen its notch wider in the slot. Later Colts had that location flame-hardened, but I don't think that change made it in time for WWII. Anyway, keep an eye on it for burrs that may affect operation.
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#3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 17, 2012
Posts: 108
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Nice find!
I love my Remington Rand (1530XXX).
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#4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 13, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 12,453
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At $1200 it's not a real issue 1911A1. Those run around 2 grand and up depending on condition. The days of milsurp stuff being cheap are long gone.
"...unbeknownst to me..." Um, didn't you look at it? "...lacked the United States Property marking..." That just means it wasn't a Lend/Lease piece. Had a real issue 191A1 years ago with no United States Property marking. |
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#5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 23, 2011
Location: Missouri
Posts: 350
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T.O'Heir, two different guns I talked about. The one I purchased was the Remington Rand, and dated at 1943 based off the serial number. Please explain how it was never issued? Remington Rand made these 1911's for the military under contract. It is marked United States Property, so it was definitely owned by the military at some point. All stampings described in the original post also suggest it was inspected by military armorers.
Not trying to argue, just curious what makes you believe that? Simply the price paid? |
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#6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 10, 2014
Posts: 1,967
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I inherited one from a cousin. It was a mix match from the arsenal. It had a Remington Rand slide and an Ithaca frame, determined by the numbers on each. High Standard made most of the barrels (somewhere around 1.3 million of them) for that era.
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#7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 7, 2006
Posts: 11,106
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Mr. O'Heir seems to post a lot of incorrect stuff, and then leaves the thread.
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#8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 23, 2011
Location: Missouri
Posts: 350
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Bill,
Looking at his comments on other threads, I see that to be true. I did not believe his comment to be accurate, but then again, I am young, and recently gotten a job that pays me well enough to afford the expensive guns I have always wanted. I am by no means an expert on these old guns, and had no clue what any of the markings were until I took it home and researched them. I knew of Remington rand prior to the purchase, but any other stampings such as the FJA or G and T marks were foreign to me. |
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#9 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 30, 2011
Location: Savannah TN
Posts: 1,221
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Quote:
Deals on guns can still be had, so to find a a real USGI R-R for $1200 is really not an improbable thing at all. In the last few years I have scored a USP marked 1917 vintage 1911 in 95%+ condition for $800, a 1918 USGI also in 95%+ condition for $1400 and a very nice Ithaca 1911A1 for $1200, so they certainly can be found. The slide notch was indeed being hardened during WWII. My reference works aren't handy right now so I can't give you and exact date, but for instance, my early 1942 Colt USGI 1911A1 has a hardened slide notch visible a a darker area in the parkerized finish. ALL 1911's produced for the US government were marked "United States Property", ALL of them. My 1914 Springfield Armory made 1911 has as well as the other half dozen I currently, all the way up to my 1945 Remington Rand. I probably don't need to spell it out, but guns made prior to WWII could hardly fall under the Lend Lease Act. Lend lease 1911's were pulled from regular government production and shipped to Britain and other L-L recipients like China and Russia. S&W and Colt revolvers made specifically for L-L were indeed marked "US Property" to fill the legal requirement of the Lend Lease Act. If you see a "real" USGI 1911/1911A1 without the "US Property" It was either removed by someone after it left government service, or it may have been a lunchbox special. Guns that were mutilated by having the USP removed are not contactable and are worth considerably less than one in unaltered condition. |
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#10 | |
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Join Date: September 25, 2008
Location: CONUS
Posts: 19,047
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Some participants in this discussion seem to have scanned the original post too quickly.
Quote:
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#11 | |
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Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,742
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Quote:
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#12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 3, 2011
Posts: 140
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The Pistol Integration Committee approved flame hardening the slide stop notch 30 December 1942. Colt started around No 880000 and the other makers shortly thereafter per Charles Clawson's Collectors Guide, 3ed, p69.
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#13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 2, 2009
Posts: 181
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There are a couple of excellent pics of the slide-stop notch from the link in the OP.
There appears to be no appreciable wear at all. Looks good to go, no matter the correct information or misinformation. |
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