Sorry, that post wasn't very clear.
I guess I thought that AO started selling 1911s, with their logo, in the '80s. So I'd also thought that they must all have firing pin safety systems, which I now realize is what some professors call a "logical leap". Clearly this isn't the case here, since this gun doesn't have the safety.
I have no idea if this gun was made in the 80s or before, just that the frame and slide are definitely not USGI parts.
My confusing comment in the end was meant to point out that there definitely were makers of aftermarket 1911 frames like Essex, before the 80s, AND that those frames have a similar frontstrap profile to this gun. But this is neither here nor there, a) because more recent AOs also had this profile and b) other makers of early complete 1911 pistols, like AMT for example and even Springfield Armory had something similar as well (SA's was a bit less pronounced though).
It is my opinion that many such parts (frames, slides) were marketed by a bunch of different names but were often, shall we say not entirely unrelated in their manufacture (a practice that probably continues today), which is why I thought that mentioning others making guns and/or parts in those times, might be relevant.
Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
M. Setter
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