CMP Service Grade WWII Ithaca 1911A1 .45 ACP Semi-Automatic Pistol 1943 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,311.00
LSB#: WY250325RR014
Make: Ithaca Gun Co.
Model: M1911A1, CMP Service Grade
Serial Number: 863352
Year of Manufacture: 1943
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto fed by Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short blade with a ramped rear face fixed to the slide. The rear sight is a square notch dovetailed into the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered brown plastic with reinforcement rings around the screws and reinforcement ribs on the inside, the left post-war and the right Keyes Fibre. The grips have light handling wear, more notable in the right panel, with some scattered nicks and scuffing. There are tool marks in the rings around the screws on the right panel. The checkering is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Parkerized
Finish Originality: Arsenal Refurbished
Bore Condition: The post-war replacement barrel’s chrome-lined bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10/10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 96% of its metal finish. The finish is lightly thinning at some edges. There are a few scattered minor marks. There are some small nicks under the finish. There is scattered erosion under the finish, most notable on the slide. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn and incomplete. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good-plus condition as Arsenal Refurbished (CMP rated the pistol Service Grade).
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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 in a tan plastic CMP branded case with a CMP Certificate of Authenticity, CMP chamber flag, cable lock, Army Technical Manual and single 7-round magazine (post-war).
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.
During the inter-war years, the design was further refined with an arched mainspring housing, relief-cuts behind the shortened trigger and some minor changes to other small parts, resulting in the 1911A1. This new model would be the US sidearm during WWII, and saw production by a few different companies. As in the previous World War, Colt and American Arsenals were not able to produce everything that would be required for this war, and production would be contracted to a typewriter company, Remington Rand, a company which made switches and signals for railroads, Union Switch & Signal, and one firearms manufacturer, Ithaca Gun Co. This example was made by Ithaca in 1943, and is one of the earlier guns produced by the Ithaca, New York based company.
It stayed in US inventory for some time, eventually being sold to the public by the Civilian Marksmanship Program in May of 2019 as a Service Grade. The AA marking on the frame indicates that it was refurbished at the Augusta Arsenal and may have been refurbished at least once more, though there are no additional markings to tell us where. The pistol is in Very Good-plus condition, and with its good bore and strong mechanics, would be well worth adding to a collection, especially for those who missed out on the CMP’s release of these pistols. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California -Bud
