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Chromed 1943 Ithaca....

2K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  lvanbrunt2 
#1 ·
All right, here is a chromed Ithaca 1911A1. I know what 99.9% of the experts will say, and I agree with them, but my father wants to take a stab at getting opinions about his gun. First let’s say the gun is a complete 1943 Ithaca. A “P” is stamped on the left frame and top of the slide. FJA is stamped on left frame along with a faint stamp on the trigger guard bow. The Ordnance Escutcheon is stamped on the right frame behind the grip. It’s marked with US PROPERTY. The barrel is an HS with a ‘P” stamped. The serial number indicates that it could be one of 1,621 shipped on 4/17/1944 to the Ordnance Property Officer, Hamilton Field, California.

Ok here’s the story. My father sent it to Mark Smith, Precision Bluing, Greene NY, to be refinished. Mark did contract work for Ithaca when they were located in Ithaca NY. He told my father he was 95% sure that the gun was a presentation model because the finish is copper, nickel, with flash chrome . He advised my father not to change the finish and sent it back. So Mark, who has 30+ years of experience and knowledge, turned down the work because of what he believed the gun was. Any thoughts or opinions are welcomed. Thanks.
 

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#4 ·
I dont believe that any were issued with chrome. That was likely done at a later date by whoever had possesion of the gun.
This page is from the Collectors Guide to Models of 1911 and 1911A1 third edition by Charles W. Clawson. Good book.
 

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#9 ·
Ithaca never made one of these chromed.
This was done after market. It is a good job but definitely after market.
And just to let you know it is hard to believe that mark did any work for Ithaca when they were in Ithaca because they did there own bluing and was closed before mark opened his shop. He might have done work for Ithaca guns when they were in kings ferry because they contracted out allot of there work and that is why the guns made in king ferry suck.
Mike
 
#10 ·
If it were plated at or under the auspices of the original factory for presentation to a VIP, wouldn't the steel screw heads have been plated as well? Also, I would have expected that the gun might be engraved with the recipient's name.

Look at the grip's notch-out for the magazine latch retainer. The notch looks like it was fashioned with a course, rattail file.
 
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