Colt M1911 .45 ACP U.S. Army Contract - Springfield Armory Shipment (Feb. 15, 1918) with Colt Archive Letter
This World War I Colt M1911 is a U.S. Army contract pistol documented by an included Colt Archive Letter confirming shipment to the Commanding Officer, Springfield Armory, on February 15, 1918, as part of a 2,200-pistol lot. It retains the early pre-A1 frame profile and period-correct features with U.S. military markings that identify it as government property and wartime issue.
Condition
Overall Condition: Good condition, showing some signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Overall Condition: Good - Clean, well-maintained, minor wear marks.
Bore Rifling: Good Rifling - Intact, well-defined lands and grooves.
Specific Condition Notes: There are markings from previous handling and use. The bore is bright and clean.
What’s Included
- Colt Archive Letter
- 1x 7-round steel single-stack magazine
Documented provenance is a standout feature. The Colt Archive Letter verifies sale to the United States Government and shipment to Springfield Armory on February 15, 1918, within a shipment of 2,200 pistols. This places the pistol squarely in the WWI production period and ties it to a major U.S. ordnance destination.
It bears U.S. service markings and factory legends including UNITED STATES PROPERTY, MODEL OF 1911. U.S. ARMY, the GHS acceptance cartouche, the provisional H stamp on the slide, the Rampant Colt logo, the Browning patent dates block, and the COLT'S PT. F.A.
MFG. CO., HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A. address.
The pistol shows the early pre-A1 configuration: an early frame profile without finger-relief cuts, a flat mainspring housing with lanyard loop, a long smooth trigger, a short grip-safety tang, and a wide-spur checkered hammer. Controls include a checkered thumb safety, checkered slide stop, and checkered magazine release, with rear vertical cocking serrations on the slide.
Sights are the original fixed GI pattern with a narrow half-moon front and a small-notch rear. The full-size carbon steel frame and slide wear a blue finish, and the grips are double-diamond checkered wood.