This is an excellent example of a U.S. Army Contract Colt Model 1911A1 Pistol that was manufactured in 1940 and was inspected by Colonel Robert Sears. These contract pistols were produced from August 1938 to December 1940 and are extremely rare and difficult to obtain today. Very few were actually produced, with all of them seeing heavy use during WWII and most were subsequently rebuilt in the post war years. This pistol has the original pre-WWII brush blue finish that was fitted with the early pattern brown checkered plastic grips with narrow reinforcing rings around the grip screws and no mold marks or reinforcing web on the inside of each grip. The left side of the slide has the Colt two line, two block, patent dates and factory address markings of: "PATENTED APR. 20, 1897. SEPT. 9, 1902 COLT'S PT. F.A. MFG. CO./DEC.19,1905. FEB.14, 1911. AUG .19, 1913 HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A." with the Rampant Colt logo in the middle. The left side of the trigger guard bow is stamped with a small "W" over the Colt "VP/Triangle" proofmark. The initials "RS" for Robert Sears, the U.S. ordnance inspector, are stamped below the slide stop release and there is a single "P" proofmark below the magazine release button. The right side of the frame is roll-stamped: "UNITED STATES PROPERTY/No 727382" behind the slide stop hole, with "M1911A1 U.S.ARMY" ahead of it. A single "P" proofmark is stamped on the top of the slide ahead of the rear sight. The matching pistol serial number (727382) is stamped on the rear face of the slide above and below the firing pin hole. This excellent pistol is fitted with an original blue barrel that is marked with a single "P" proof on the left side of the lug, a capital letter "F" in front of the lug and with "COLT 45 AUTO" stamped on the lower left side of the chamber. The pistol has the correct early WWII pattern long grip safety, wide spur checkered hammer, milled trigger, checkered mainspring housing, safety lock and slide stop. Complete with one, half-tone blued magazine with the single letter "R" on the front lip of the base plate.

Excellent with 95% of the original blue finish overall, with edge and high spot wear with some minor freckling of the blue on the left side of the slide, with a small, pencil-eraser sized spot of blue loss present with very fine pin-prick pitting on the underside of the frame extension and mainspring housing under lanyard ring. The grips are both excellent with only minor handling marks overall. An excellent example of a very scarce and desirable early pre-war, Colt Model 1911A1 pistol.