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Thread: Colt 1914 Government Model .45 ACP British/Canadian Markings

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  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Colt 1914 Government Model .45 ACP British/Canadian Markings

    Here for your perusal is Colt .45 ACP 1914 Government Model Pistol serial number C9591 which was 1 of 20 shipped to Remington Arms-UMC Company Bridgeport CT on October 5 1914. The Canadian C broad arrow property mark is stamped on the magazine floor plate and British Birmingham commercial proofing on the slide and barrel.
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    MuyModesto (28th March 2020)


  2. #2
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    Close up of Birmingham proofs.
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    MuyModesto (19th November 2020)


  3. #3
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    That's a fantastic find. Very nice!

    Thanks for posting the photos.
    Hawkmoon
    On a good day, can hit the broad side of a barn ... from the inside

  4. #4
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    Nice pistol. Do you have a Colt letter?

  5. #5
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    Very nice.
    Wouldn't it have gotten the BNP when it was sold off as redundant?

  6. #6
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    Yes I do have the Colt letter which stated it was 1 of 20 shipped to to Remington Arms-UMC Company Bridgeport CT on October 5 1914. Yes the BNP proofs seem to be added when pistol is sold off as redundant. From what I can determine from Birmingham Proof Mark Chart below the mark going clockwise looks like B (3 o'clock)-4(6 o'clock)-J(9 o'clock) which would indicate it was proofed in 1958. Also it seems the 1914 Canadian Government Model pistols were shipped with just one unmarked two-toned blue lanyard loop magazine normally supplied with Colt Government Model pistols due to necessity to get the pistols supplied quickly to the Canadian Expeditionary Force and later in 1915 spare magazines were ordered and marked with the C-Broad Arrow mark. According to a reply received from the Imperial War Museum in London:
    "During the autumn of 1914, the Canadian Government purchased 5,000 Colt M1911 pistols to equip its military forces. These were issued to officers, NCOs and cavalry troopers, but could also be purchased by officers wishing to acquire their sidearm permanently. Unfortunately, apart from a few pistols that received unit marks on the grip-strap, or were inscribed with the name of the officer who purchased them, there is no way of ascertaining which unit or formation they were issued to.I can’t see very clearly from your photos, but it appears that the proof mark on it post-dates the First World War. This would imply that the pistol was put through proof at Birmingham at some point after its First World War military career – and prior to it re-crossing the Atlantic."
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    Last edited by 1780inn; 28th March 2020 at 10:37. Reason: add info


  7. #7
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    Very nice pistol, congratulatons.
    Originality can't be restored, so put "originality" at the top of a priority list. If JMB didn't put it on the 1911 you don't need it.

  8. #8
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    10th October 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sergio Natali View Post
    Very nice pistol, congratulatons.
    Thanks Sergio; stay safe!

  9. #9
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    I sent information and photos of the pistol to the American Rifleman Magazine's Dope Bag and got this interesting reply from Field Editor Bruce Canfield.
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  10. #10
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    Interesting letter. Your magazine double stamped which I don't believe I've observed before.

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