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Important Historic Note
In March of 1918, the U.S. Government contracted Remington-UMC to produce 500,000 Model 1911 Semi- Automatic pistols. The contract was cancelled in June of 1919, with 21,676 pistols manufactured, making these fine pistols comparatively very scarce, especially in high condition.
Exceptional World War I Production U.S. Contract Remington-UMC 1911
304
LOT 424
Outstanding Early Production World War I U.S. Contract Remington-UMC Model 1911 Semi-Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 1687, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round
bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. In late 1917 or early 1918, Colt was ordered by the U.S. government to provide Remington-UMC with production drawings, sample pistols, and master gauges to produce the 150,000 Model 1911 pistols the government
had ordered from them to support the war effort. In March of 1918 the initial order was increased to 500,000. The drawings that arrived late from Colt, and a lack of master gauges led to Remington producing their own drawings based on average measurements from five example pistols. From August 1918 to June of 1919, and the cancellation of the contract, Remington had produced 21,676 Model 1911 pistols that fall in the serial number range “NO1” - “NO21676”. Because they had been made using a different set of technical drawings than Colt and Springfield, the Remington 1911 was purged from the inventory after the war to ensure parts compatibility, making
these pistols very scarce. The slide is fitted with fixed sights, with the two-block, three- line patent and address markings around the “REMINGTON/UMC” logo on the left side, “MODEL OF 1911/U.S. ARMY CALIBER .45” on the right, and the “E.E.C.” and “eagle head/E28” proofs on the left side of the fame. Fitted with an original “P” proofed full blue barrel, unmarked two-tone magazine with lanyard loop, and correct diamond pattern checkered grips.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 97% plus of the original blue finish with a small patch of grey patina visible on the bottom of the dust cover and some scattered very slight edge wear. The grips are also excellent with minimal light handling marks and a minor chip in the upper diamond of the right panel. Mechanically excellent. An outstanding example of a highly desirable variation of an American icon!
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500