WWI Remington UMC Model of 1911 US Army .45 ACP Semi-Auto Pistol, 1919 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,700.00
LSB#: LSB250525MC021
Make: Remington UMC
Model: Model of 1911 U.S. Army
Serial Number: 20439
Year of Manufacture: 1919
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated, ramped blade staked to the front of the slide; the front sight is a WWII-era replacement. The rear sight is a “U”-notch dovetailed to the rear of the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with smooth diamonds around the grip screws. The grips have even handling wear with a few nicks and scuffs, more notable in the right panel. There are some tool marks in the diamonds. 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: Refinished, likely arsenal refurbished.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is scattered minor erosion and stubborn fouling in the bore with a couple of spots of more notable erosion. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7-8 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 75% of its current metal finish. The finish is thinning at most edges, more notable on the slide. The slide has some scattered wear with worn areas going to a patina that blends nicely with remaining parkerized finish. The slide has some light surface oxidation with scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. The frame’s finish is generally strong throughout with some scattered light marks under the finish. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn, but legible. Overall, this pistol is in Good condition as refinished (see Mechanics).
Mechanics: The grip safety does not properly prevent firing. Otherwise, the action functions correctly. The trigger pull is crisp and the slide has light play on the frame. 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 post-war Mason Rust magazine.
Our Assessment: The outbreak of The Great War saw every major European power scrambling for any and all arms they could lay their hands on. This demand caused the expansion of military arms production in America, despite not having entered the war. In addition to expanding their existing facilities, Remington UMC made entirely new factories in New Jersey and Vermont just to supply ammunition to the Russians and French, respectively. In 1915, Remington completed what was, at the time, the largest factory complex in the entire United States, a 1.6 million square foot factory spread over 75 acres solely to supply the Russian Empire with M1891 rifles and bayonets. As Russia descended into revolution, America entered the war, and the facility was turned over to producing Browning .50 caliber machine guns, flare pistols, and Model 1911 pistols.
Bringing 1911 production online was easier said than done as Colt apparently didn’t have any drawings for the design, and never did supply Remington with sets of master gauges. Colt supplied a first set of drawings, but they only included nominal dimensions with no indication of tolerances. A second set of drawings was supplied later, and found to have 430 discrepancies when compared with the first set! Remington proceeded to find five military issue Colt 1911s which had satisfactory parts interchangeability and produced their own drawings by measuring every part and setting the nominal measurements as the average and the tolerances as the extremes. This is certainly not the ideal method of starting production, but Colt wasn’t helping and there was a war on! Remington UMC had originally received a contract for 150,000 pistols, later increased to 500,000 in March 1918. At this time, it was thought that the war could go on for years, the Germans launched Operation Michael in the same month this order was increased. Instead, the Germans were pushed back to the Hindenburg line, that line was breached, and the Armistice was signed in November. The result was that Remington UMC produced only 21,676 Model 1911 pistols. The manufacturing equipment was transferred to Springfield Armory, and was later distributed to various manufacturers during WWII to produce 1911A1 pistols.
This example of a Remington UMC 1911 is from 1919, fairly late in their production. The pistol has a new parkerized finish, likely arsenal refurbished, though the difference in color between the slide and frame indicates they were paired up at a later date. It has a properly “P” marked Remington UMC barrel and WWI-era grips. The bore is in good shape, especially for its age, and the mechanics are good apart from the grip safety which does not properly prevent firing. With the limited production of the Remington UMC 1911s, any would make a neat addition to a collection. Please see our pictures and good luck in your bidding!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
