In 1949, the U.S. Government issued specifications for a lightweight handgun to be issued to officers in lieu of the then-standard Colt 1903/1908 Pocket Hammerless for General officers and 1911A1s for the rest of the ranks. The specifications called for a 9mm Parabellum chambering, 7 inch maximum length and 25 ounce maximum weight. Colt's response was a trimmed down Government Model with a shortened barrel and slide and aluminum in place of steel for the frame as well as a rounded "ring" hammer to reduce the chances of the hammer catching of clothing while being drawn and a properly adjusted grip safety. The Army decided to retain their mix of Colt designs, but Colt realized that they had a good thing on their hands and introduced it to the public as the Commander series of handguns, which remain in production to this day. Included are two letters. The first is dated January 1958 from R.H. Wagner of Colt, stating that the exact number of "GX" prefix Commander prototypes is unknown, but estimated to be between six and eight. The second letter is dated July of 1966, from noted Colt authority and then-Curator of the Colt Collection of Firearms R.L. Wilson, on Wadsworth Atheneum letterhead, verifies this pistol as made in the Colt Model Room in 1949 and shipped to Springfield Armory on March 30th of the same year, and elaborates on the "GX" numbers, which are the Colt Engineering Department's own in-house number range to indicate "Gun Experimental", early hand-made prototypes of which very few were produced. The pistol is identified by serial number in Edward Meadows' "U.S. Military Automatic Pistols, 1945-1012" on page 237 as being sent to Springfield Armory for examination on March 30, 1949. The pistol, however, is listed as being chambered in 9mm caliber. The error in the caliber listing could be a mistake in the text or perhaps the pistol was converted to .45 ACP during the trials. If pistols could talk! Note that Meadows does list two GX serialized .45 ACP pistols (GX948 and GX949) that were shipped for trials in early April 1949, confirming that .45 ACP pistols were used in the trials. The pistol has the one-line Hartford address on the right side of the slide and the Government Model nomenclature and Rampant Colt on the right. Additional lightening cuts have been made into the interior of the slide on either side of the firing pin and between the bushing and locking lugs, and a matching "GX942" serial number is present on the underside on the right. The left side of the slide has been taken down a bit (most visible on the serrations), and the recoil spring cap reduced in length. The alloy frame is numbered both in the conventional location on the right side and "GX-942" visible on top near the disconnector, with a pair of earlier style non-ribbed grips hand-numbered "EX 60" inside the right panel. No markings are present on the barrel or the magazine.

Exceptionally fine, with 90% original blue and anodized black finish, showing some wear round the muzzle and slide stop as well as some bright edge wear and scattered handling marks. The replacement grips are fine, showing a few dings and spots of verdigris on the otherwise sharp checkering. Mechanically excellent. While a bit worn by typical collector standards, as a military test weapon it is in prime condition, as most items consigned to the government for evaluation are subjected to treatment and conditions that are harsh bordering on sadistic. This is both a scarce example of a Colt Engineering "GX" serial code experimental pistol and an important forerunner to both the Colt Commander pistol, essentially the "missing link" between the full sized Government Model and its smaller descendants.