CMP Field Grade Remington Rand Ithaca Slide M1911A1 .45 ACP Pistol 1944 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,450.00
LSB#: LSB260416SH008
Make: Remington Rand frame, Ithaca Slide
Model: M1911A1, CMP Field Grade
Serial Number: 1922304
Year of Manufacture: 1944
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto fed by Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5″, Duroyd replacement barrel.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a short blade with a serrated, ramped rear face fixed to the slide. The rear sight is a square notch dovetailed into the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are post-war replacement two-piece checkered brown plastic. The right panel has “39” in white paint. The left panel shows minor handling wear with a little more notable wear on the right panel. The right panel has some scuffing and nicks. There are tool marks in the rings around the screws. 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 chrome-lined bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is a little stubborn copper fouling. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 9+/10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 50% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is even finish wear with scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is a more notable ding on the front of the trigger guard. There is infrequent minor surface oxidation. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Good-plus condition as refurbished (CMP rated this pistol Field 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 General Shaver 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. 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 has been through a post-war arsenal refurbishment and has a 1944 Remington Rand frame mated to an Ithaca slide. It stayed in US inventory for some time, being sold to the public by the Civilian Marksmanship Program in 2022 as a Field Grade. It is in Good-plus condition, retaining about 50% of its new parkerized metal finish, a nice bore in its chrome-lined post-war replacement barrel, and strong mechanics. With its CMP case and paperwork, this would be a nice addition to a collection, especially for those who missed out on the CMP’s release of these pistols. Please see our photos and good luck!