1943...

GC

GC

Well-known member
I have in my possession a 1943 Colt 1911 .45 ACP marked "UNITED STATES PROPERTY M1911 A1 U.S. ARMY." She's a worn smooth parkerized classy old war horse. Right now I have it stripped down to bare bones individual parts soaking in solvent. Gotta do some scrubbing, lube and reassemble. Have some 230 gr. hardball and can't wait to get on the range with the old warhorse. I'll get some pictures when I get her all put back together.
 
Oh neato! Over 40 years ago I shot a WWII vintage 1911 that belonged to the dad of a friend of mine. I thought it was fun but I found the factory sights to be a bit of a challenge. Compared to the recoil of my .44 mag I thought it was a real pussycat to shoot.

I have in my garage an OD green can of 1942 GI ball just waiting to be opened up and shot. Wouldn't that be fun to shoot though that old war horse? Too bad you dont live closer to me or we could.
 
John Browning was a true genius on all things... except maybe handgun sights. You are right my friend, the sights are nearly unusable. I've always heard of how inaccurate the old G.I. 1911's were and I have to believe that the sights were the biggest limiting factor for the servicemen of the day.
 
Very nice piece of history!

As far as accuracy goes, ammunition has come a looong way since the 40's. With good ammo, she might run out just fine. Looking forward to pics.
 
Originally Posted By: GCJohn Browning was a true genius on all things... except maybe handgun sights. You are right my friend, the sights are nearly unusable. I've always heard of how inaccurate the old G.I. 1911's were and I have to believe that the sights were the biggest limiting factor for the servicemen of the day.

The beauty of a good 1911 is that the dang things are on target each time I lift one up.

My buddy got a cheap 1911 a few years ago that seemed to have the tiny older style sights. For close quick work the sights were useless but the things point so well it isn't a huge deal and those tiny sights actually made ranged shooting easier than with the large tritium sight on my SW1911TA.

Edit, just thinking about my 1911 has given me an itchy trigger finger. I'm going to start a new thread about some parts I could switch out to get it to fit my hand a bit better.
 
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I had several A1's over the years and always ended up sending them on down the road, as they were just not all that accurate, until I got hold of a 1911. What a difference that flat mainspring housing makes for me.

Regards,
hm
 
That is awesome, treat the old girl nice. Good thing is they were made to be shot !!! Last old one I handled was in basic training, that thing rattled like a coffee can full of marbles. But I still remember shooting it.
 
Originally Posted By: RustydustOh neato! Over 40 years ago I shot a WWII vintage 1911 that belonged to the dad of a friend of mine. I thought it was fun but I found the factory sights to be a bit of a challenge. Compared to the recoil of my .44 mag I thought it was a real pussycat to shoot.

I have in my garage an OD green can of 1942 GI ball just waiting to be opened up and shot. Wouldn't that be fun to shoot though that old war horse? Too bad you dont live closer to me or we could.

I remember as a kid a relative who worked at the Post Office bringing home a couple cans of old .45 acp to be " destroyed" as they were not going to be issued the sidearms anymore.
Great couple days of "destruction" using an old surplus 1911 and a Colt 1917 acp revolver.

Have fun GC




 
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