Another Pistol to Identify

[Grumpy]

The `prancing pony` indicates that it was built with Colts blessing.......but it isn`t labelled a Colt.

[Mark]

Does the grip safety actually work or is it there for decoration?

[Mark]

My bad, it's not what I was thinking.

(Ballester Molina but I should have googled it first as I forgot the slide looked different)

[Grumpy]

Yes, the grip safety works.......everything works.

[Mark]

Has the slide release (and grip panel!) or hammer been replaced perhaps?

[Mark]

hmmm...
All I can make out is 25 and some fraction....and AUTO PISTOL....some squiggles...

But the prancing pony on the stocks looks so much like colts decal...

I'm stumped.

CC, that fraction has letters instead of numbers(hint hint)....

[Grumpy]

Mark, as far as I know all the parts are original.......however considering the condition of the frame I wouldn`t be surprised if your suspicion that the grips might not be original is the case.
I have just made a search and have discovered that the 1927 Argentinian contract Colts had plain grips ...... which appear to be wooden. The grips therefore would appear to be replacements.
If you`re wondering what the significance is of the year 1927 then I can tell you that this is the probable year of the pistols construction.

[GasramGandu]

The horse looks like a Centaur or Unicorn.

[Mark]

Well I have 2 choices, and both have parts different than what is depicted.

The Sistema Colt Modelo 1927 has a distinctive hammer, with a sharp edge on it. Don't ask me why, that is about the last place on a 45 you should have something sharp! Maybe they designed it that way so when the web of your hand crawls over the safety it will chop out the offending part cleanly to make sure it can't ever happen again!



However, note the slide markings. I've only seen a one of these guns in real life and the frame was marked similar to the pic. One of the reasons I thought it might be ths one was the caliber designation is the metric equivalent, (11.25 m/m as Cottage Cheese was noticing). Not many contracts used this designation, which I why I suspected it was it. But again the slide markings are different.

Another contract that used the metric designation was the Norwegian model, but they had a really distinctive (polite term for WEIRD) slde release. So I didn't think it was one of those initially. However, the more I looked at it the pitted area below the slide release would be the area covered by that shape.

And then, when I looked at some clear pictures the slide markings are the same, so this leads me to believe this is a Norwegian "Kongsberg Colt" with a standard slide release replacing the distinctive pattern used on the original. Also note that replacing the release necessitated replacing the grip panel as well, which also makes sense from the point that the replacement is plastic and think all grips were wood back in that era, though I may be wrong about that.



Please everyone note the creative cropping done in the original image to remove the lanyard loop!

[Grumpy]

"Please everyone note the creative cropping done in the original image to remove the lanyard".

( )

Well done Mark ! Yes, `Kongsberg Automatisk Pistol Model 1914` Cal 11.25mm ( .45 ACP )
A licenced Colt 1911A1 manufactured under licence and from Colt drawings ln Norway from 1927.

I did mention this pistol a few weeks ago as it was actually ordered back into production by the NAZIs in WWII - so there are genuinely NAZI marked 1911A1 .45 ACPs. Obviously no-one remembered

Just in case anyone hasn`t noticed, 1911s are a passion of mine..........a useless one in a country where most pistols have been banned for the last 10 years !

[cottage cheese]

"Please everyone note the creative cropping done in the original image to remove the lanyard".

( )

Well done Mark ! Yes, `Kongsberg Automatisk Pistol Model 1914` Cal 11.25mm ( .45 ACP )
A licenced Colt 1911A1 manufactured under licence and from Colt drawings ln Norway from 1927.

I did mention this pistol a few weeks ago as it was actually ordered back into production by the NAZIs in WWII - so there are genuinely NAZI marked 1911A1 .45 ACPs. Obviously no-one remembered

Just in case anyone hasn`t noticed, 1911s are a passion of mine..........a useless one in a country where most pistols have been banned for the last 10 years !

Hey thats neat... NAZI 1911s!

... totally slipped my mind that Norway, among many nations, took a crack at the 1911. I'm told they were really well made.

Grumps...is there somewhere can I get a 1911 serial looked up, with regard to its history and last known official user?

[Grumpy]

CC, the serial number can be used to discover the actual year of production but factory records don`t indicate the end user as the guns were either issued by the military or sold via third party retailers in the case of commercial examples. The only individual pistols of which some particular record might have been made are those that were made to special order - factory engraved pieces and the like.
The values of 1911/1911A1s vary hugely depending on many factors......It`s worth remembering as well that Remington Rand made more 1911A1s during WWII than Colt did .... and that the Singer Sewing Machine Co made only 500. Even identifying which factory made a particular pistol isn`t always easy ..... a situation complicated by the fact that those pistols officially rebuilt post WWII were done without worrying about which slide originally came with which pistol thus creating a load of hybrids.

[Sakobav]

Darn it I was close on Kongsberg colt had read it somewhere. Good details by Mark.

Best