1919 Model 1911
"Black Army"
Pistol
serial #612133 is one of the last Model 1911s (The Black Army) produced by
Colt. In mid 1918 Colt changed their method of finishing the military 1911
pistols in an effort to speed up production while improving the durability of
the finish. The “Black Army”
finish was the result. From mid 1918 on the finish got blacker and duller. Colts
may have speeded up production, but the durability of the finish was not up to
pre-war standards, as evidenced by the number of Black Army pistols with
finish that has partially flaked off. The
vast majority of Black Armys have considerable flaking. As this finish begins to wear it almost appears to be a dark
grey parkerizing. Features common
to all late Black Armys: “United States Property” on the right side, Eagle
acceptance mark on the right side, Interlaced HP marked barrel, Heart shaped
cutouts under the stocks, and
double diamond walnut grips.
Pistol
serial #612133 is the actual gun featured in Charles Clawsons Colt .45 Service
Models, it has a full page spread on page number 177 figure 6-9. I
have included close-ups of every part to make it easier for people to use it
as a reference for 1918-1919 M1911s.
(Click on images
to see a larger version)
Rev 1.1
Email:
M1911@CoolGunSite.com