Colt Sistema slide question

**Jake7757** · 21st January 2018, 09:31

I have a Colt Sistema.
Barrel, slide and frame serial numbers all match. 51336 from I think 1949
Were the slides being heat treated by than?

**Hawkmoon** · 21st January 2018, 10:56

There is no such thing as a Colt Sistema (or a Sistema Colt). If yours dates to 1949, it's probably a Sistema. I'm not sure about heat treating of the slides, but I think the answer is yes.

**Jake7757** · 21st January 2018, 11:26

I apologize for the incorrect model term. Yes it is a Sistema Mod 1927 from Argentina and built in 1949.
I appreciate your reply.

Originally Posted by Hawkmoon

There is no such thing as a Colt Sistema (or a Sistema Colt). If yours dates to 1949, it's probably a Sistema. I'm not sure about heat treating of the slides, but I think the answer is yes.

**Martensite** · 2nd December 2018, 09:01

Originally Posted by Hawkmoon

There is no such thing as a Colt Sistema (or a Sistema Colt). If yours dates to 1949, it's probably a Sistema. I'm not sure about heat treating of the slides, but I think the answer is yes.

Your "Colt Style" (LOL @ Hawkmoon) Sistema has a heat treated slide stop notch and other bits. You are good to go!

**Jake7757** · 2nd December 2018, 12:53

Thank you Martensite

Originally Posted by Martensite

Your "Colt Style" (LOL @ Hawkmoon) Sistema has a heat treated slide stop notch and other bits. You are good to go!

**MacEntyre** · 8th December 2018, 05:38

Hmmm... not tryin' to stir the pot, especially after a long absence... but my Sistemas say "Sist. Colt Cal. 11.25mm Mod. 1927" right on the slide.

Anyway, regardless of whether they exist, they were built to JMB specs (except for 6 minor details), with technicians trained by Colt, on machinery set up by Colt, and that is the value of the Sistema Colt Model of 1927.

Colt went to great lengths to make sure that the Argentines could make 1911 pistols correctly, with "Colt" in the roll mark. One of the best histories of the Argentine 1911s is at the other 1911 forum, in this thread.

Really, not tryin' to stir trouble.

Also, I don't have an account at the "other" forum... I like this'n much better!

**Hawkmoon** · 8th December 2018, 10:24

Colt built the original batch of 1911A1s for Argentina. Those were Colts, and are referred to as the Argentinean contract pistols. The ones that say "Sistema" were made in Argentina, not by Colt. Thus, by definition as well as by fact, they are not Colts. The "Colt" in the rollmark refers to the cartridge, not the maker of the pistol. .45 ACP, after all, is an acronym for "Automatic Colt Pistol."

Properly, the Sistemas are not "Sistemas," either. That's part of the model name. The maker was found on the left side of the slide: D.G.F.M. - (F.M.A.P)
Direccion General de Fabricaciones Militares (Fabric Militar de Armas Portatiles). Roughly translated, this means "General Directorate for Military Fabrications (Military Factory for Portable [Small] Arms)."

The right side rollmark should be read and interpreted as a complete statement, not pulling "Colt" out of it to mean something other than intended. "Sistema" is the Spanish word for "system." The right side rollmark is "SIST. COLT CAL. 11.25mm MOD. 1927". That translates to "System of Caliber Colt .45, Model of 1927." It's the equivalent of an American-made 1911 (or any pistol) saying ".45 ACP" or ".45 Auto" on the slide.

Colt went to great lengths to ensure that the Argentinean pistols were well-made because Argentina paid them to do that. That doesn't make them Colts. Sorry to be overly pedantic about this, but I don't think we do Colt or Argentina or these pistols any service by perpetuating and promulgating misinformation. They are fine pistols -- I own a couple -- but they are not Colts.

http://sightm1911.com/lib/review/sistema.htm