WWII US Remington Rand 1911A1 1911-A1 .45 ACP Semi-Auto Pistol, 1943 C&R
SOLD FOR: $2,525
LSB#: 231030LJ054
Make: Remington Rand
Model: 1911-A1
Serial Number: 1387518
Year of Manufacture: 1943 (Clawson’s “Colt .45 Service Pistols”)
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short blade fixed to the slide with a serrated, ramped rear face. The rear sight is a square notch dovetailed into the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered brown Keyes Fibre plastic with reinforcement rings around the screws and reinforcement ribs and a star on the inside. The grips have minor handling wear with a few scattered minor marks and one more notable nick on the bottom of the left panel. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Fine condition.
Type of Finish: Parkerized
Finish Originality: The slide and frame finish is Original. The barrel has no markings and appears to have been refinished.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore, just some stubborn fouling. In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 95% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges and corners. There are some oil marks, mostly covered by the grips. There are a few little marks through the finish. There is a faint “idiot mark” on the left of the frame below the slide stop. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear, though there are no markings on the replacement barrel. Overall, this pistol is in about Fine condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger pull is crisp. There is minor play between the slide and frame. This pistol has manual and grip safeties. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a single 7-round magazine marked “L” on the top of the floorplate.
Our Assessment: The 1911 and 1911-A1 pistols served the military of the United States from 1911 to 1985, through two World Wars and the Korean and Vietnam wars. They gained a reputation as a reliable handgun with plenty of stopping power, and are held in high regard by those who have used them. As was the case at the outset of the 1st World War, demands of the US Military would outstrip the production capacity of Colt when the United States entered World War II. In this case, contracting pistol production out to other companies had been planned for and simplified due to educational orders and a production study, notably conducted by the Singer sewing machine company, which developed comprehensive plans and instructions for a company which had never made a 1911A1 to order materials, machinery and set up manufacturing for the pistol.
Remington Rand was the star example of this project’s success, and by the end of the war would go on to produce just about as many as all of the other maker’s combined, at the lowest price and highest quality. This example was made by Remington Rand in 1943 and is a nice example of a Remington Rand 1911-A1. The pistol is in about Fine condition, retaining 95% of its parkerized finish. The barrel has been replaced and/or refinished, but everything else looks just right. The pistol retains strong mechanics and a nice bore. This would make a nice addition for a collector who wants to add a Remington Rand to a 1911 or WWII small arms collection. It should also still prove to be a good shooter. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California -Bud
