1944 Colt Question

[James in NC]

Guys, i'm looking at a 1944 colt serail number 169####. The slide and frame appear to be a little different in color. The frame actually has a green tint to it. Any ideas? Has something been refinished here? There is also a strange mark on the back of the receiver near the ordnance inspection mark. There is a '3' inside a stop sign shape. I have no idea what this is. Any help would be appreciated.

[wichaka]

Might want to post a pic of it, and the marks.........easier for us to get you the right info. you're looking for.

[Phil]

I think that sometimes the parkerizing finish tends to take on a greenish hue after a long time.

[Phil]

Guys, i'm looking at a 1944 colt serail number 169####. The slide and frame appear to be a little different in color. The frame actually has a green tint to it. Any ideas? Has something been refinished here? There is also a strange mark on the back of the receiver near the ordnance inspection mark. There is a '3' inside a stop sign shape. I have no idea what this is. Any help would be appreciated.

It's the cosmoline that gives parkeriing its green tinge. Here's a quote from George Roghaar, a refinisher in Boca Raton, FL (I didn't even know that they ALLOWED guns in Boca :-)

PARKERIZING OR PHOSPHATIZING

Unlike hot blueing, barrels are plugged before parkerizing, as parkerizing is a coating, not a stain. Parkerizing adds dimension and a rough finish-neither of which we want in a barrel. Guns are dis assembled, stripped of old finish, bead blasted, then Parkerized within two hours of blasting. Any longer wait may result in an uneven finish.


ZINC PHOSPHATE Dark gray color similar to the WWII finish on military guns. To get the green overtones often seen on vintage Parkerized guns, coat with grease or Cosmoline, let set as long as you can, then wipe off.


MANGANESE PHOSPHATE Black color as seen on modern guns. It's been my experience that formulas that claim to offer both gray and black in the same can, depending on how long you leave the gun in the solution, don't give you a true black color. You really need both zinc and manganese based formulas to do the job right.

So don't try to remove the green tinge - it would probably knock a few hundred $$ off of the value, at least.

[Johnny Peppers]

Late in production Colt discontinued the practice of sandblasting their slides. This gave them a distinctly different color from the frame which was still sandblasted. You did not indicate the color of the slide, so it would help to know what color it is.
Newly manufactured 1911A1 pistols were not packed in cosmoline. They were dipped in a preservative oil, allowed to drip, wrapped, and put in a cardboard shipping box. Most did not remain in the packing boxes for very long, but the very late Remington Rands sold through the DCM in the early 1960's which were still in the original packing boxes had not turned green. They were still the light gray of the original finish. The green color seems to be more a difference in phosphate procedure than what the weapon was in contact with. Original 03-A3 Remington receivers have a distinctive green color while 03-A3 Smith-Corona rifles are a dark gray color. While cosmoline may color the phosphate, it cannot be said that it is the only reason for the green color.