Send us your own comments about this object.

Title:	PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  COLT PISTOL ACE .22 SN# 4359
Maker/Manufacturer:	COLT
Date of Manufacture:	1932
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 1642
Measurements:	OL: 21.5CM 8 1/2" BL: 12CM 4 3/4" 38 oz.

Object Description:

COLT PISTOL ACE .22 SN# 4359
Manufactured by Colt, Hartford, Ct. in 1932 - Standard Colt Ace semi-automatic, blow-back operated pistol. Exposed spur hammer, micrometer rear sight, adjustable for windage and elevation, half-moon front sight. Blued finish, 10-round feed mechanism, checkered walnut grips. Weapon weighs approximately 38 oz. Weapon complete with 10-round detachable box magazine. Approximately 10,745 manufactured between 1931 and 1941.

Markings:
Slide: COLT'S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A./PAT'D APR. 20, 1897. SEPT. 9, 1902. DEC. 19, 1905. FEB. 14, 1911. AUG. 19, 1913. Rampant Colt. Right side: COLT ACE .22 LONG/RIFLE.
Frame: 4359.
Triggerguard: 23. V\P in triangle. Colt's commercial firing proof.

Weapon transferred to the Museum on 1 June 1932. Weapon listed as being here in special inventory of March 23, 1933.

Exhibit label: "COLT ACE .22 cal. Conversion. 22 caliber, 1931-1941, c15,000 made. In 1931 Colt began producing a .22 caliber target pistol that had the shape and weight of the .45 caliber pistol. About two years later an independent firearms designer, David Williams, develop a way to achieve the 'feel' of the .45 in the .22 caliber weapon. Both pistols used the standard government frame and kits were developed to convert from one caliber to the other."

Notes: "History and Development of the Colt Ace. On June 21, 1913, the Chief of Ordnance directed the Springfield Armory to develop a pistol to shoot the caliber .22 gallery practice cartridge (.22 short), or develop a sub-caliber barrel for the Model 1911 automatic pistol. The design was required to be the same as the service pistol in weight, shape, dimensions, and mechanism. It had been found by experience that proficiency in holding, aiming, and squeezing the trigger in actual shooting with a small caliber weapon during the early stages of training promoted confidence and better scores.
Springfield Armory designed a caliber .22 conversion unit consisting of a special barrel, extractor, and cartridge shaped steel cartridge holders. With this unit, any service pistol could be converted into a caliber .22 gallery practice pistol. The barrel was contoured on both sides in order to achieve the same weight as the caliber .45 barrel. The bore and cartridge chamber were positioned off center so the standard firing pin would strike the rim of the .22 cartridge. The steel cartridge holders were modeled after the Hoffer-Thompson design, and were in the shape of caliber .45 pistol cartridges, which were bored through the center to accept caliber .22 cartridges. The cartridges were inserted into the cartridge holders by hand, and the charged holders loaded into a standard chamber. The magazine required a rounded follower for proper feeding. A special extractor was installed in the slide to extract the cartridge holders after firing. However, the slide had to be pulled back by hand after each shot and tilted to one side in order to eject the holders, as the .22 cartridge was not powerful enough to activate the mechanism.
On September 26, 1913, Springfield Armory submitted a pistol fitted with this conversion unit to the School of Musketry, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for test. On December 15th, the test report stated that the gallery practice pistol was satisfactory for issue to the service. As a result of this recommendation, the Chief of Ordnance directed Springfield Armory to manufacture 25 pistols for issue to the regular service for test and evaluation. By late 1914, the service tests indicated that the gallery pistols were not satisfactory, as they did not operate semi-automatically.
In May 1914, Mr. J.H. Carl, of Gilroy, California, submitted a new design gallery pistol to Springfield Armory chambered for the caliber .22 long rifle cartridge, having the same weight and balance as the service pistol. The sample pistol was similar in appearance to the .45, but differed considerably in action. The slide was a solid forging, through which the bore was drilled. The slide did not move, but instead a sliding breech block at the rear of the caliber .22 long rifle cartridge would give a much greater certainty of action that the .22 short. Consequently, on July 13, 1916, an allotment was approved for the manufacture of 25 pistols of the same pattern in caliber .22 long rifle. One pistol was completed, but further work was suspended after America's entry into the war. Mr. Carl submitted two other designs, both of which were unsatisfactory.
The Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company developed a gallery practice pistol in 1915. A prototype pistol was tested by the School of Musketry in March 1916, but it was not adopted because the design differed so radically from the service pistol. Certain design features of this pistol were later incorporated in the Colt Woodsman automatic pistol
Springfield Armory temporarily suspended work on gallery pistols in April 1917 in order to utilize all facilities on the production of Model 1903 rifles. After the war, in December 1918, the Ordnance Office directed Springfield Armory to resume work on the remaining 24 pistols, caliber .22 long rifle. The pistols were completed and issued for service test, but the rimfire cartridges did not feed satisfactorily from the magazine.
During the mid 1920s, Colt developed a caliber .22 conversion unit designed to fit on the service pistol. The assembled weapon resembled the service pistol in appearance and action, but the moving parts were made lighter in order to operate with low powered .22 long rifle cartridges. In 1927, after preliminary tests by Springfield Armory, the Ordnance Department instructed Colt to convert ten U.S. Army pistols to caliber .22 long rifle for test by various Service boards. Springfield Armory returned ten Improved Model 1911 pistols to Colt for the conversion, serial numbered from No. 701211 to No. 701220. Results of these tests indicated that many design changes were necessary to improve the certainty of action. Colt made the recommended improvements and re-submitted the pistols for further testing. They were again tested by the Army and additional changes were recommended. The design was eventually perfected, but the original idea of a conversion unit proved impractical because of slight differences in tolerances existing on standard issue receivers and other parts. A considerable amount of hand fitting was necessary in order for the pistols to function properly. The variable quality of caliber .22 ammunition produced by different manufacturers also caused inconsistent performance. The design ultimately evolved into a complete new Colt pistol, which was placed on the market in 1931 as the Colt Ace Target Pistol." - Clawson

"The Colt Ace was introduced in 1931 as a sub-caliber model of the Colt M1911A1 for practice use for target shooters. The standard Model Ace was pleasant to shoot. Recoil was light, and the accuracy was good. However, the army perceived the need for a good training pistol, and in 1935 Colt began experimenting with David M. (carbine) William's design for a floating chamber. This device quadrupled the recoil of the pistol, even in the minute .22 caliber, given the same perceived recoil as the full-sized .45. The army seemd to like such a device and purchased a good quantity of them. However, the general shooting public wasn't so sure, and therefore, from 1937, when the Service Model Ace was in general production, until it was discontinued, the Standard Ace sold right along with it. In 1978 Colt decided they had a good thing with the .22 on the .45 frame, and they introduced the Ace, this timettle bit of special care to assure that the actions functioned smoothly, as Colt did with the rest of their target line. And finally, a special note about the last Standard Ace pistols, which were completed in 1947. Although they were officially discontinued in 1941, ater the war, Colt found a few remaining receivers and slides, and they completed them as pistols in that year." - Balderson

The Army purchased a total of 206 Colt Ace Pistols. The Army found that the function of the Ace was less than perfect as the .22 rimfire lacked the firepower to consistently and reliably blowback the slide.

"According to SA Annual Report (1932), 28 ACE pistols were purchased. This purchase is not listed in the report to Congress. Instead, that report states three 'Pistols, Colt Auto, Cal..22, 'ACE' Type,' were purchased. The RIA document lists 17. Clawson shows 100 for the calendar year, all of which were shipped to the Coast Guard on June 17, 1932. Although the Army normally bought small arms for the Coast Guard, there were times when the Coast Guard, and the Navy as well, bought handguns directly from the manufacturer." - Pate

"The procurement of Caliber .22 Pistols was almost entirely to meet Navy requirements. The Navy desired the Colt Service Ace, with the Williams Floating Chamber, to be used as a training weapon. However, due to the volume of Caliber .45, M1911A1 Pistols being produced by Colt, the Service Ace Pistol (which used many components interchangeable with the M1911A1 Caliber .45 Pistol) could not be produced without reducing production of a combat weapon. As a result, the Navy agreed to accept the High Standard Caliber .22 Pistols, Models B and HD, and the Colt Woodsman, Regular and Match Target Models. By 1945 reductions in requirements for the Caliber .45 Pistol enabled Ordnance to place contracts with Colt to manufacture the Cal..22 Service Ace Pistol for the Navy. Since most Receiver components of the Service Ace Pistol are interchangeable with the Caliber .45 M1911A1, Ordnance inspection gages for the latter were used by Ordnance for inspection of the Caliber .22 Pistol. The improved inspection paid off in pistols of excellent quality." - Walter W. Sanborn, PROJECT SUPPORTING PAPER RELATING TO MISCELLANEOUS PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS, 15 August 1945.

"The original Colt Ace .22 semi-automatic pistol was first introduced in 1931 and produced through the beginning of World War II. After the war, a few guns were assembled in 1947. There were some problems with the original blowback-operated Ace functioning, as the .22 cartridge did not always have the power to move the slide backward for proper ejection and reloading. That problem was addressed in 1937 with the introduction of the Service Model Ace, which included a floating-chamber design to allow more reliable functioning. The Service Model Ace was produced through 1945. After World War II, Colt's production of the Service Model Ace ceased.
In 1978, Colt reintroduced an Ace Service Model, which was produced until 1982. A conversion unit for converting a standard Model 1911-type pistol from .45 to .22 has also been offered for many years, currently as the Ace II." - Jim Supica, AMERICAN RIFLEMAN, March 2004.
Many of these pistols were purchased by R.O.T.C. units.

References:
Balderson, Robert H. COLLECTORS HANDGUNS. House of Collectibles. N.Y., N.Y. 1996.
Harrison, J.C. U.S. PISTOLS & REVOLVERS 1909-1945. The Arms Chest. Oklahoma City, Ok. 1994.
Pate, Charles. U.S. HANDGUNS OF WORLD WAR II: THE SECONDARY PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS. Andrew Mowbray Publishers. Lincoln, R.I. 1998.
Schwing, Ned. 1998 STANDARD CATALOG OF FIREARMS. 8TH Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 1998.

See, Scott Meadows, U.S. ORDNANCE DISPATCH: THE COLT SERVICE MODEL ACE. The Gun Report, April, 2000.