WWI Springfield Armory 1911 US Army .45 ACP Semi-Auto Pistol 1916
SOLD FOR: $2,902.77
WOA#: WY240530TP032
Make: Springfield Armory
Model: 1911
Serial Number: 116460
Year of Manufacture: 1916
Caliber: .45 ACP
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “PATENTED APR.20,1897 / SEPT.9,1902. DEC.19,1905.FEB.14,1911 / COLTS PT. F.A. MFG. CO.”, “SPRINGFIELD ARMORY / U.S.A.” and with a Flaming Bomb proof at the rear. The left of the frame is marked “UNITED STATES PROPERTY” and at the magazine release with a Flaming Bomb proof. The right side of the frame is marked “No 116460”. The right side of the slide is marked with an American Eagle Springfield logo and “MODEL OF 1911. U.S. ARMY.”. The left link lug is marked “S”, the rear face of the chamber-hood is marked “M”. The following parts have a small “S” marked on them: Hammer, Slide Stop, Thumb Safety, Mainspring Housing, Trigger, Magazine Catch, Disconnector, sear, grip safety, extractor, and firing pin plate. The bushing is not marked.
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded blade integral to the slide. The rear sight is a flat-top “U”-notch dovetailed to the rear of the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered walnut “Double Diamond” grips. The grips show even handling wear. There are some scattered nicks and scratches. The checkering is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is light gray. The rifling is sharp. There is scattered minor erosion in the bore with minor pitting in front fo the chamber. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 6+ out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 75% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. Most of the balance is in scattered finish wear on the slide. There is some surface erosion on the right of the slide at the ejection port. There is some other scattered very minor surface oxidation. There are scattered nicks and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger pull is crisp and the slide has minor play to 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 one 7-round Springfield magazine. The magazine’s finish is blued at the bottom with the top portion in the white, there is copper plating at the top of the spine and the body of the magazine is folded over on each side across the bottom of the lanyard-loop 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. Its design came from John Moses Browning with initial production by Colt. When the pistol was first adopted by the U.S. Army, an agreement was reached that US Arsenals could produce the pistol, but only after orders of at least 50,000 pistols had been received by Colt. The United States immediately ordered 50,000 pistols and set to work on a plan to produce the new model at Springfield Armory. Oddly, Colt actually didn’t have manufacturing drawings, so Springfield had to take 20 Colt production pistols, measure all of their parts, and average the dimensions of the 20 examples to arrive at their nominal dimensions, with the extremes of the measurements used for tolerances. Production would actually begin in 1914, but with the US entry into WWI becoming imminent, production ceased in 1917 in order to focus on rifle production. A total of 25,767 Model 1911 pistols were made by Springfield and they had some interesting features to differentiate them from Colt’s production. The front sights were integral to the slide, rather than a separate part staked in place, the rear sights had a slightly different radius at their corners, and the markings were of course different.
This is a Springfield Armory Model 1911 pistol made in 1916, after the start of WWI, but before the US had joined in. Several small parts and the barrel have Springfield markings, though the extractor is not marked. The pistol is in about Very Good overall condition, showing wear consistent with issue and service use, but retaining strong mechanics. The pistol even comes with an original Springfield magazine. The Springfield made 1911s are always collectible, and this would be a great addition to any collection. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
