WWII and prior 1911A1

[Guest GunTroll]

In the list of the various 1911A1 that came from this time period which make is the most sought after by 1911 collectors?

IE. Colt,Singer,Remington,Ithaca,etc.

I'm holding an Ithaca 1911A1 right now, manufactured in '43 and I was just curious . And NO this one isn't for sale!

[Guest bkelm18]

I (well technically my dad) had a fairly good condition Remington Rand manuf. in 1944. It belonged to my great grandfather. Not sure if it was one he carried or not but it was marked "Property of US Government". Unfortunately my dad is not a gun guy and decided he wanted a big screen TV more than he wanted the pistol.

[Guest GunTroll]

WOW. I have nothing more to say about that.

[Guest Willie]

WOW. I have nothing more to say about that.

Not an authority on these guns by any means...but I think SINGER would be the Premium of these. I own a Remington Rand, and like it as much as any gun that I own.

[Guest bkelm18]

WOW. I have nothing more to say about that.

Yeah it was a real fine shooter. I'm still mad about that.

[Guest GunTroll]

Yeah it was a real fine shooter. I'm still mad about that.

I bet.

[Guest Seraph]

Singer is probably the most valuable. They only made 500 of them. I don't know if it's the most sought after, however, since most collectors would consider them out of reach, due to the incredible prices they command.

[Guest gcrookston]

Ithaca, arguably, was the best made of the 1911a1 contract pistols of WW2, -- after they resolved their heat treatment issues with the slides, which had a tendency to crack. Many of the first block of 60,000 pistols will be found with replacement slides (S/N 856405-916404). They are the 3rd most common manufacturer after Colt and Remington Rand, having produced in excess of 300,000 units 1943-45, still there are some interesting and rare sub-variations (see Ithaca Collection).

Singer would be the rarest, with 500 having been made (however I've heard reports that many more exist now than were originally manufactured -- buyer be ware), with WWI NAVY marked pistols perhaps being the most obtainable and desirable among advanced collectors.

[Guest GunTroll]

Thanks gcrookston! That link was very helpful.

[Will]

They are sought after only if it is original and not altered in any way. Ther are many factors that make them half price or a shooter. Original finish -not

refinished or arsenal refinished. Slide and frame both same Mfg -Slide #to gun on some WWII Colts-No oversize grip bushing or SS# scribed on gun

anywhere. Non original trigger or any small parts on gun although these may be put on if you could ever find them. Many other factors but these are the most common. Have a collector look gun over then you will know for sure. Buy a Charles Clawson Book if you have gun or plan on ever buying one it could save

you a ton of money.

[Guest GunTroll]

I'm not buying one. I'm working on one. I'm not a die hard 1911 fan. I don't dislike them but I don't stay awake at night thinking of them if you know what I mean. I'm not a collector and didn't ask for what to look for as if I was.

I was more just wondering the order of most sought after to least sought after as I alluded to in the first post. I've never had the pleasure to work on an Ithaca before and was just wondering. Thanks.

[Guest Pvt.Joker]

Personally, the others may be more rare, but Colt is still the original in these guns.

Edited December 21, 2010 by Pvt.Joker