New Owner

[freewillie40]

I have M1911 serial # 392xxx built between May 1918 & Oct 24th 1918
How can I find out if it was Issued in WW1
when & to what unit Issued too, date Issued.

It appears to be totally M1911, If it was inspected Prior to issue WW2 would it have marks by the Ordnance Dept anywhere?
Has Colt Inspection eagle with S12 under eagle
Are there markings elsewhere?

Thanks Bill

[exitwounds]

Your pistol could have been shipped to the Ord. Dept, Bush Terminal, Brooklyn, NY between Jul 27, 1918 to Sep 3, 1918. Four shipments totaling 22,500 pistols in your serial number range shipped to that location. There was a smaller shipment of 200 pistols that went to Camp Perry, La Carne , OH also. Only a factory letter would tell you for sure which location NY or OH, it was sent to for sure. Pin-pointing it to a specific unit or person is like trying to find a needle in a haystack since records simply don't exist. Occasionally someone will find documentation such as a weapons card, unit roster, disposition record, etc. containing specific information like that but most has been lost, destroyed, in storage, etc. and may never be found. You could try running the sn# in the SRS database http://www.armscollectors.com/srs.htm and maybe get lucky enough to get a hit, only an exact match in sn# is relevant. The S12 Type I Eagles Head is an Army Inspector of Ordnance Mark from Springfield Armory, MA. You can verify your pistols parts by viewing www.coolgunsite.com ID Pages and 1911 Gallery showing pictures and details to determine the correctness of your pistol. Or post some pictures here to give us a look.

[TattooPaul]

Welcome aboard buddy! Please forgive me but I feel obliged... :fp:


Just funnin'... It will help us see what the gun has to say though, too. There's a lot of info in all the proofs, stamps and other marks. I'm working on better detail pic's of my '43 A1 to get help from some of the experts here to add to what my books tell me. You'll find a LOT of folks who know a great deal about these vintage pieces and they're glad to help. A good digital camera can be a great asset in figuring this all out...

Spend some time in all the different sections, not just the forums. You won't find a better single repository for so much different info. Enjoy!!!

[freewillie40]

Thanks for reply will check as suggested Bill

[freewillie40]

Your pistol could have been shipped to the Ord. Dept, Bush Terminal, Brooklyn, NY between Jul 27, 1918 to Sep 3, 1918. Four shipments totaling 22,500 pistols in your serial number range shipped to that location. There was a smaller shipment of 200 pistols that went to Camp Perry, La Carne , OH also. Only a factory letter would tell you for sure which location NY or OH, it was sent to for sure. Pin-pointing it to a specific unit or person is like trying to find a needle in a haystack since records simply don't exist. Occasionally someone will find documentation such as a weapons card, unit roster, disposition record, etc. containing specific information like that but most has been lost, destroyed, in storage, etc. and may never be found. You could try running the sn# in the SRS database http://www.armscollectors.com/srs.htm and maybe get lucky enough to get a hit, only an exact match in sn# is relevant. The S12 Type I Eagles Head is an Army Inspector of Ordnance Mark from Springfield Armory, MA. You can verify your pistols parts by viewing www.coolgunsite.com ID Pages and 1911 Gallery showing pictures and details to determine the correctness of your pistol. Or post some pictures here to give us a look.
Hi
Thanks for your good info I will check those sites Bill