Clark Custom Colt/Ithaca M1911A1 Heavy Slide .45 ACP Semi-Auto Pistol, C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,059.97
LSB#: WY250402DB002
Make: Colt frame, Ithaca slide, Customized by Clark Custom
Model: Custom U.S. M1911A1, Clark Heavy Slide
Serial Number: 701328
Year of Manufacture: The frame was made in 1924, the slide 1943-1945. Clark customized this pistol in November, 1970.
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Semi-Automatic pistol with detachable magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The slide is installed with a Bo-Mar rib. The rib is mounted with a fully adjustable square notch target sight at the rear and has a patridge blade at the front.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with gold-colored Colt medallions. The grips have light handling wear with some scattered light nicks and scuffs. The checkering is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition. The frontstrap has been stippled for additional grip.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original to Clark Custom, the last three digits of the serial “328” were stamped on the bottom of the slide when the pistol was customized.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is some stubborn fouling. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 8+ out of 10.
Overall Condition: This handgun retains about 87% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges. There is a light “idiot mark” on the left of the frame under the slide stop. There are some scattered light nicks, scuffs and small scratches. The grip areas show handling wear. There action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition as customized.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with a single 7-round commercial Colt magazine.
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. The design was the end-result of a series of developments by famous gun designer John Browning, starting with the Model 1900. The advances made by Browning were revolutionary at the time, and were so successful that they are considered commonplace today. Browning not only developed first a pivoting and then a tilting barrel to allow for a locked system, he developed the concept of “the slide”, which is now synonymous with semi-automatic handguns.
Here is an excerpt from an article by Holt Bodinson of American Handgunner with information on the legendary Jim Clark Sr:
“Jim Clark Sr. (1923–2000) was a remarkable man. He could not only build match-winning pistols, he could shoot them too. Competing in NRA bullseye he won the US National championship in 1958. As a gunmaker he won the 1985 Pistolsmith of the Year award. A rough equivalent would be designing and building an Indy 500 racecar, then climbing into the cockpit and winning the race.
Clark’s 1958 win is all the more amazing. It was an era when competitors who were supported and equipped by military shooting programs totally dominated. Clark (who had seen combat as a WWII Marine) won his title as a civilian; building his own guns, casting bullets and loading his own ammunition, training on his own.
In the early 1950s, Clark bought 20 Colt .38 Super pistols and converted them to shoot .38 Special wadcutter match ammunition. He wasn’t the only gunsmith doing so, but none of these conversions was more highly regarded than Clark’s. Another idea came when he bought (for 10 cents each) hundreds of 1911 slides the military had cut in two and sold as surplus. What do you do with hundreds of half-slides? Jim Clark used the parts to make his famous “long slides” which many competitors came to prefer for their long sight radius.
His many innovations were not limited to bullseye competition. When action/practical shooting competition took off in the 1970s, the Clark “Pinmaster” was developed for the popular Second Chance match. John Shaw used a Clark Pin Gun to win the US IPSC (in the pre-USPSA era) in 1980 and again in 1981.”
This Clark pistol was customized in 1970. It was turned into a “Heavy Slide” Bullseye gun. The slide has been custom-fit to the barrel as well as having a Bo-Mar target sight rib installed. The rib has been installed with dual set screws to bear against the barrel hood and ensure consistent barrel lockup. The frontstrap has been stippled for additional grip. Perhaps as interesting as the work Clark has done is the frame the pistol was built on. The serial number places it as a Colt 1911/1911A1 Transitional model, one of the 10,000 pistols made in 1924 to introduce the updates of the 1911A1. The slide is a WWII-era Ithaca slide and the barrel is a commercial Colt barrel. Clark Custom pistols are prized by shooters and collectors alike, and this one certainly will be no different, especially with its interesting assortment of parts. Please see our photos and good luck!
