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Title:	PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  U.S. PISTOL MODEL 1911A1 .45 SN# 937773
Maker/Manufacturer:	BROWNING, JOHN M.
Date of Manufacture:	1943
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 1374
Measurements:	OL: 21CM 8 3/8" BL: 12.7CM 5"

Object Description:

U.S. PISTOL MODEL 1911A1 .45 SN# 937773
Manufactured by Remington Rand, Syracuse, N.Y. - Augusta Arsenal rebuilt. Mixed model. Slide made by Union Switch & Signal. Serial number assigned to Remington Rand. Parkerized finish. Checkered brown plastic grips. Equipped with M1911 7-round detachable box magazine. Parkerized finish badly worn. Pistol was previously deactivated by pin punching triggerguard on both side of trigger, has since been filed smooth.

Markings:
Frame: Ordnance insignia. UNITED STATES PROPERTY/NO.937773 M1911A1 U.S. ARMY. Left side: AA (Augusta Arsenal rebuilt.) FJA. FJA = Frank J. Atwood.
Slide: U.S.& S. CO./SWISSVALE, PA. U.S.A. Left side: M1911 A1 U.S. ARMY.

Notes: "AA - AUGUSTA ARSENAL, post WWII rework, and inspection mark. STAMPED AFTER FINISH!" - Harrison.

"The M1911's battle record fills the story of our 20th century wars. Among other takes there was the battle of Edson Ridge, on Guadalcanal. The Marine defenses were based on interlocking bands of machine gun fire, delivered by the wonderful old water-cooled Browning .30. Waves of screaming Japanese were blown away in the torrential gloom, but those who made it to us were shot down individually with the big pistol. The enemy attacked with bayonet and bamboo spear, but such things don't work against John Browning's masterpiece. We had '03s, too, but the 1911 is far superior for quick work at arm's length in the dark." - Jeff Cooper, Guns & Ammo, February, 2003.

"Q. I have question about the G.I. .45 pistol. Can you tell me when the government started making the improved M1911A1 pistol? Can you also tell me when production stopped?
A. The M1911 pistol remained the standard service handgun of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps after the First World War. Its success in France during 1917-1918 ensured its continued prominence as the standard American military sidearm, and there was no real development work on another pistol during that period.
A few minor problems noted during World War I led to changes in the configuration of the trigger, hammer and grip and slight modifications to the frame. These changes were incorporated in new production pistols, and, in June 1926, the nomenclature was changed from "M1911" to "M1911A1." The OCM Item 5453 dated May 17, 1926, stated, "as means of ready distinction between the two models, it is agreed that all pistols bearing serial numbers under 700,000 should be designated M1911 pistols, while pistols bearing serial numbers beginning at 700,000 should be designated M1911A1 pistols." In the years between the wars, however, few M1911A1s were made because there were sufficient stocks of M1911s on hand to meet the limited demands of the peacetime military.
Of course, this situation quickly changed when America entered World War II. Colt stepped up production of the M1911A1, and contracts to produce the pistol were awarded to several other companies. Below are the firms that made the M1911A1 pistol dring the war and their approximate production total during that period.
ITHACA GUN COMPANY - 400,000
REMINGTON-RAND - 900,000
COLT - 400,000
UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL - 50,000
In addition, the Singer Company received an Education Order for the production of 500 M1911As, but the firm never produced the .45 in quantity. Older M1911 pistols still in inventory were inspected and issued. Many of those guns required some refurbishing to make them serviceable. This refurbishing, known as C&E (Cleaning & Repairing), rebuilding or overhaul by the Ordnance Department, generally consisted of replacing worn or unserviceable parts and refinishing the pistol with the standard parkerizing. The initials of the ordnance facility that performed the rebuilding were stamped on the frame of the pistol. While, officially, the carbine was supposed to be the .45's replacement, the total number of M1911A1 pistols procured during World War 1,875,742. The .45 automatic was the most widely issued United States military handgun of the Second World War.
After World War II, the M1911A1 stayed on in the government's inventory a
References:
Clawson, Charles W. COLT .45 SERVICE PISTOLS: MODELS OF 1911 AND 1911A1. Charles W. Clawson. Ft. Wayne, In. 1993.
Harrison, J.C. U.S. PISTOLS & REVOLVERS 1909-1945. The Arms Chest. Oklahoma City, Ok. 1994.