I purchased the WWII Reproduction Colt 1911A1 at the Ft. Worth Gun Show yesterday. Only one dealer had them and he had three in stock that I was able to choose from. I think that I may be the first person in DFW to own one.
Let me first state that I am a WWII buff. I have been since I was a kid. The Colt 1911A1 was made for someone like me -- a person who wants a piece of history. My other favorite piece of history I own is a Colt SAA.
Okay, I fell for the packaging! What's wrong with a little nostalgia in this day of plastic? Sure, it's not a "real" GI issue 1911A1. But, how many of the "real" GI issue 1911A1s out there are truly authentic? From what I have seen and read, most have newer replacement parts anyway.
As mentioned I had the opportunity to examine all three of the gun dealer's 1911A1s. For two of them I was the first person to unpackage them after they left Colt. The finish was not perfect on any of them, but they were good looking. All three came with one magazine, unlike the Colt website says. The magazines looked to be current Colt. None had tooling marks, but they did have a few very light scratches. This would normally keep me away from a new gun, but this added to the charm of these guns. During the war, Colt, Remington, etc. did not put precious manufacturing resources into the finishing of the guns. The focus was on getting them to the GIs. I have read several comments about the reproduction Colt havin several small differences with the original 1911A1. That may be true but it's the nearest thing to the orignal out there.
Here is what appealed to me. The standard GI issue 1911A1 was a great gun. It was developed to be a short range self defense weapon. Over time it has really morphed. It was refreshing to see a 1911A1 sans large beavertails, skeletonized aluminum triggers, bobbed hammers, serrated front straps, flat mainspring housing, low profile sights, front slide serrations, beveled magazine well, stainless, nickel, teflon, etc. And on top of that it is made by one of the WWII 1911A1 manufacturers, Colt.
I have owned other Colt 1911 styles including the Colt Cup and Ace. I own a Kimber Stainless Classic. It is a very well made gun -- much better than my Colt 1911A1. I will never know how the 1911A1 shoots compared to my Kimber or other 1911s because I do not intend to shoot it.
Many people were involved in the development of the 1911A1. It was battle tested by hundreds of thousands of soldiers in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. It was a proven weapon. Over the years many good manufacturers and custom gunsmiths have risen up to produce or enhance the 1911A1. They include Colt, Kimber, Sprinfield, Wilson, and many others. These companies and individuals turn out really great guns. But are they really turning out a better version if you look at what the gun was designed for? It needed to work in hostile environments. My Kimber would probably fail to function in a hostile military environment. The parts needed to be exchangeable with others. My Kimber is hand fitted. Its looseness was a virtue. Soldiers were shooting other soldiers at close ranges. They were not shooting at paper targets or playing out scenarios at a training shool. It was shoot and kill before the other guy shoot. I kind of wonder if we've lost sight of what the 1911A1 was meant to be. IMHO, I think Colt has hit the nail on the head with this model. Good job Colt!
My serial number is WK01XXX. Did the numbers start with WK00001 or did they start with WK01001? I'm just curious if mine is in the first 1,000 or the second 1,000.
Let me first state that I am a WWII buff. I have been since I was a kid. The Colt 1911A1 was made for someone like me -- a person who wants a piece of history. My other favorite piece of history I own is a Colt SAA.
Okay, I fell for the packaging! What's wrong with a little nostalgia in this day of plastic? Sure, it's not a "real" GI issue 1911A1. But, how many of the "real" GI issue 1911A1s out there are truly authentic? From what I have seen and read, most have newer replacement parts anyway.
As mentioned I had the opportunity to examine all three of the gun dealer's 1911A1s. For two of them I was the first person to unpackage them after they left Colt. The finish was not perfect on any of them, but they were good looking. All three came with one magazine, unlike the Colt website says. The magazines looked to be current Colt. None had tooling marks, but they did have a few very light scratches. This would normally keep me away from a new gun, but this added to the charm of these guns. During the war, Colt, Remington, etc. did not put precious manufacturing resources into the finishing of the guns. The focus was on getting them to the GIs. I have read several comments about the reproduction Colt havin several small differences with the original 1911A1. That may be true but it's the nearest thing to the orignal out there.
Here is what appealed to me. The standard GI issue 1911A1 was a great gun. It was developed to be a short range self defense weapon. Over time it has really morphed. It was refreshing to see a 1911A1 sans large beavertails, skeletonized aluminum triggers, bobbed hammers, serrated front straps, flat mainspring housing, low profile sights, front slide serrations, beveled magazine well, stainless, nickel, teflon, etc. And on top of that it is made by one of the WWII 1911A1 manufacturers, Colt.
I have owned other Colt 1911 styles including the Colt Cup and Ace. I own a Kimber Stainless Classic. It is a very well made gun -- much better than my Colt 1911A1. I will never know how the 1911A1 shoots compared to my Kimber or other 1911s because I do not intend to shoot it.
Many people were involved in the development of the 1911A1. It was battle tested by hundreds of thousands of soldiers in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. It was a proven weapon. Over the years many good manufacturers and custom gunsmiths have risen up to produce or enhance the 1911A1. They include Colt, Kimber, Sprinfield, Wilson, and many others. These companies and individuals turn out really great guns. But are they really turning out a better version if you look at what the gun was designed for? It needed to work in hostile environments. My Kimber would probably fail to function in a hostile military environment. The parts needed to be exchangeable with others. My Kimber is hand fitted. Its looseness was a virtue. Soldiers were shooting other soldiers at close ranges. They were not shooting at paper targets or playing out scenarios at a training shool. It was shoot and kill before the other guy shoot. I kind of wonder if we've lost sight of what the 1911A1 was meant to be. IMHO, I think Colt has hit the nail on the head with this model. Good job Colt!
My serial number is WK01XXX. Did the numbers start with WK00001 or did they start with WK01001? I'm just curious if mine is in the first 1,000 or the second 1,000.
