Page 318 - Auction84-Book1

LOT 543
Very Scarce Documented U.S.
1907 Contract Test Trials Colt Model 1905 Military Semi- Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 117, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue
finish, walnut grips. Manufactured in late
1907 or early 1908, this is one of 207 Colt Model 1905 Military (Model 1907) pistols
manufactured to fulfill the 1907 contract for the U.S. government for test trials pistols. These pistols were manufactured after the Ordnance Board tests on 15 January 1907, and incorporated many of
the recommendations submitted by the board after those tests. These recommendations included
top ejection, automatic loaded chamber indicator, an automatic safety, wooden grip plates securely fastened on, strengthened trigger stirrup, longer trigger stirrup pin, and a hammer of the modified type exhibited to the board (spur rather than rounded). In September of 1907, Colt
had a sample pistol prepared, which incorporated the spur hammer, grip safety, a modified ejector port, an ejector to help facilitate nearly vertical ejection, and a lanyard loop affixed to the frame. This sample pistol also included a slotted frame for a buttstock, which was the only feature not approved by the Ordnance Department. Production of the pistols began almost immediately and on 17 March 1908, the 200 requested pistols were shipped to Springfield Armory.
A further five pistols were shipped 2 April 1908 to Brigadier General William
Crozier, another on 16 September to the Colt London Agency, and a final pistol
on 21 September to the commanding officer at Springfield Armory. The initial
200 pistols were subsequently divided between three different troops of cavalry
and The School of Musketry for further testing with this example being issued
to Troop H, 2nd Cavalry. The pistols’ performance through many phases of
trials was less than exceptional and, with the development of the Model 1911
in full swing, 185 of these “Model 1907” pistols were turned in at Springfield Armory. The 15 pistols that were absent are
believed to have been used for parts or rendered inoperable during trials. Five pistols were retained by the government, two each for the Springfield Armory Museum and Rock Island Arsenal Museum, and one for the National Museum (Smithsonian). Pistol number 46 is currently in the Smithsonian, 128 and 130 are in the Springfield Armory Museum, and 147 is in the Rock Island Arsenal Museum. The remaining 180 pistols were purchased by Francis Bannerman of New York in February of 1912. The left side of the slide on this example is marked with the two-line patents dates and Colt address, arranged in two blocks, while the right side has the standard two-line caliber marking. The left side of the frame is marked with the serial number “117” and “K.M.” on the trigger guard, the military inspection mark of Major Kenneth Morton. The right side of the trigger guard is spuriously marked “U.S./1”. It is fitted with blade and round top notch sights, loaded chamber indicator, checkered grip safety and spur hammer, lanyard loop on the left grip frame, an unmarked full blue magazine, and diamond pattern checkered grips.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 40% of the original high polish blue finish, 30% of the original case colors, and 50% of the original niter blue with the balance a smooth grey patina and some scattered very light surface pitting. The grips are very good with some scattered minor dings, a few flat spots, and crisp checkering overall. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Collection.
Estimate: 8,000 - 12,000
LOT 544
Early Production Single Digit Serial Number 9 World War I U.S.
Remington-UMC Model 1911 Semi-
Automatic Pistol - Serial no. 9, 45 ACP cal., 5 inch round bbl., blue finish.
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 unmarked parkerized barrel, “A” marked two-
tone magazine, and correct diamond pattern checkered grips.
CONDITION: Very good, retains 30% of the original blue finish with the balance having thinned to mostly a mottled brown-grey patina. The grips are good showing
extensive wear and dings and scratches. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Gus Cargile Collection.
Estimate: 4,500 - 6,500
LISTED BY SERIAL NUMBER IN THE BOOK U.S. MILITARY AUTOMATIC PISTOLS 1894 - 1920 BY MEADOWS
SERIAL NUMBER 117
Collector’s Fact
1 of only 207 Colt Model 1907 U.S. Test Trial pistols produced. This pistol was issued to Troop H, 2nd Cavalry.
316
SERIAL NUMBER 9