[walksoftly]

I've searched here and elsewhere for this information but so far, no joy.

My incoming 1943 US Army Colt has a stamping of the number 74 on the right side, upper front of the trigger guard.

And, on the left side front of the trigger guard, above the Colt Verified stamp, is the letter R.

I'm curious to know exactly what these two stamps represent and at what specific stage of the manufacturing process they were applied?

I'm new to the WWII Colt 1911A1 and will appreciate any enlightenment.








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[Melter942]

"The factory inspector's number or letter is stamped above the verified proof. The factory assembler's number is stamped on the flat of the right forward trigger guard bow..."
"U.S. Military Automatic Pistols, 1920-1945", Edward Scott Meadows

 

[walksoftly]

Hey Joe, Thank you very much for your reply. I spent a lot of time searching the internet and could not come up with the answer.

Once again, great thanks for the information. I appreciate it.

 

[dsk]

I doubt you're ever going to know at what specific stage the markings were applied. Colt didn't keep records of minutiae like that and pretty much all the guys who used to work at Colt back then are long gone.

 

[Melter942]

What specific stage of the manufacturing process the mark was applied is anyone's guess.

The assembler's mark could have been the first step in the assembly process or the last.

Would the inspector's mark have been after assembly and proofing but before finishing?