[Denbo]

I was wondering if anyone could help me identify a 1911. My friends father has a GI 1911 that is puzzling(at least to me) It has no features of an A1 save the grips and a green parkerized finish which is almost perfect. It is marked US property. The only maker mark is a S in a flaming circle. Is this a Springfield Armory? The serial # is 5052xx. It is in the cardboard box that he bought it in back in 1962 and it is wraped in brown paper that has a wax(?) coating. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dsk]

It is most likely an arsenal refinish. A huge number of old 1911s went through the government arsenals for rebuilding around the time of the Korean War, and when they came out most of them had A1 plastic grips and other related parts, and a Parkerized finish. A lot of them also ended up with mixed-up slides and frames, such as a WW2 Ithaca slide on top of an old WW1 Colt frame.

 

[Denbo]

dsk,
Thanks for the reply. What would something like this be worth?

 

[Ty]

If the bomb with a "S" in it is on the slide then it is a Savage made slide and as DSK says it is probaly a rebuild because thats the only place you see these slides. Also look around the gun, is there a "AA", "RIA", or "SA" stamped on the frame. Most of the rebuilds I have seen with a Savage slide have been on a "AA" rebuild here is a link to a AA rebuild on my site.
http://coolgunsite.com/pistols/1911/1917%20Colt_Savage%20M1911.htm

------------------
Cheers,
Ty
www.CoolGunSite.com

 

[Redzone]

Also realize these arsenal rebuilds have a collectors value. As they got rebuilt from their exposure to the war zones weather. And from training US soldiers to shoot and practice. Some of them are earliest WWI frames and slides.

 

[Ty]

100% on the money redzone, actually if its a Savage Slide on a arsenal rebuild you will find that listed in the blue book at around 1200 or more, since it was one of the contractors that where awarded a order and then never made it to full production the only examples of Savage 1911s are the Arsenal Configurations.


------------------
Cheers,
Ty
www.CoolGunSite.com

 

[Denbo]

Thanks Guys!
Ty your info and website were a big help. Also went to the USGI site. According to the serial # on the frame, it looks like it is a Colt frame from 1918 with a Savage slide. I'll have to go back and see the pistol to check for the other markings. That woould be great if it was worth some $$. He bought the pistol for $17 (1962) and says he never fired it. It looks brand new. Oh, I forgot to mention that the wax paper had military markings and had a 1961 date on it. He has all the paper work from the gun shop in Texas that he bought it from.

 

[Ty]

cool, glad it helped. Save everything! If he decides some day that he wants to part with it the box and papers could bump up the bidding. To some collectors it ads value.


------------------
Cheers,
Ty
www.CoolGunSite.com