1918 British Contract Colt Government Model - The Firearms Forum

varifleman · 10-29-2012, 10:53 AM

Here for your viewing pleasure are photos of my WWI RAF British military proofed Colt 1911. It was one of 400 pistols shipped to Captain Sir Connop Guthrie, Pier 60, North River NY NY on March 12, 1918. Guthrie was the Special Representative for the British Ministry of Shipping in the U.S. and a member of the U.S. Shipping Commission in 1918. It has the view mark for G.W.R. Steadman, British Inspector at the Colt New Haven Factory and the British Broad Arrow and Crossed Pennant military acceptance marks. Serial number is W 100744.

varifleman · 10-29-2012, 11:01 AM

A few more photos.

Double D · 10-29-2012, 11:08 AM

Who refinished it?

varifleman · 10-29-2012, 11:22 AM

DoubleD: My understanding is that the British refinished these RAF pistols during their service life probably before WWII.

Double D · 10-29-2012, 11:35 AM

Looks nice, have you shot it? The finish appears to be newer.

RJay · 10-29-2012, 04:55 PM

A very nice piece of history, thank you for sharing.

varifleman · 10-30-2012, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double D

Looks nice, have you shot it? The finish appears to be newer.

Double D: I haven't shot it yet but will do so soon as all this Sandy bad weather passes. The pistol looks like other British contract .455 Webley Gov't Model pistols I've seen which have been refinished for the RAF for WWII service. Doesn't look like it's been used much; barrel is pristine with mirror bore. Took it down and the interior parts show just the hardly any signs of wear so can't wait to see it perform!

Double D · 10-30-2012, 04:01 PM

It may be a good shooter. Its a good looker. Enjoy it!

Jim K · 10-30-2012, 08:16 PM

What ammo will you use? If it is still in .455 Webley Auto caliber, .45 ACP will fire in it, but will not chamber properly as the .455 barrel does not have a chamber shoulder and the .45 ACP round has to be held back by the extractor to fire.

The magazine is not marked for .455 so it is most likely a .455 won't fit even if you could find some. If the barrel and magazine have been replaced with .45 ACP ones, the value will be considerably reduced.

Jim

varifleman · 10-31-2012, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim K

What ammo will you use? If it is still in .455 Webley Auto caliber, .45 ACP will fire in it, but will not chamber properly as the .455 barrel does not have a chamber shoulder and the .45 ACP round has to be held back by the extractor to fire.

The magazine is not marked for .455 so it is most likely a .455 won't fit even if you could find some. If the barrel and magazine have been replaced with .45 ACP ones, the value will be considerably reduced.

Jim

JIm K: Thanks for comments; I have two .455 Eley magazines in addition to the .45 ACP magazine pictured with the pistol. I'm looking for a .455 Eley barrel for this pistol so any leads would be appreciated.

Jim K · 10-31-2012, 02:16 PM

Good luck! AFAIK, they made no spare or replacement barrels, so they are unobtainable today. They could be made easily enough from .45 ACP barrels, but there is no .455 Webley Auto ammo available either except at collectors' prices. So if you want to shoot the gun, the only reasonable way is to use a .45 ACP barrel and magazine. The .45 ACP will work OK with the .455 magazine, but not the reverse as the semi-rimmed .455 is too wide to fit the .45 magazine. (The .455 frame has a larger magazine well for that reason.)

Jim

Double D · 10-31-2012, 02:22 PM

I guess I assumed it was set up to shoot 45s.

Jim K · 10-31-2012, 02:36 PM

Not originally, though many brought back to the U.S. were changed over, either by the importer or by owners later when .45 Webley Auto was found to be unavailable.

Jim

PanhandlePop · 11-01-2012, 03:46 PM

A nice little piece of history. Congrats.

10-29-2012, 10:53 AM	#1
varifleman Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SW Virginia Posts: 13	1918 British Contract Colt Government Model Here for your viewing pleasure are photos of my WWI RAF British military proofed Colt 1911. It was one of 400 pistols shipped to Captain Sir Connop Guthrie, Pier 60, North River NY NY on March 12, 1918. Guthrie was the Special Representative for the British Ministry of Shipping in the U.S. and a member of the U.S. Shipping Commission in 1918. It has the view mark for G.W.R. Steadman, British Inspector at the Colt New Haven Factory and the British Broad Arrow and Crossed Pennant military acceptance marks. Serial number is W 100744. Attached Images --> Last edited by varifleman; 10-29-2012 at 10:59 AM..

10-29-2012, 11:01 AM	#2
varifleman Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SW Virginia Posts: 13	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model A few more photos. Attached Images

10-29-2012, 11:08 AM	#3
Double D TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: North Florida Contributor Posts: 8,252	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model Who refinished it? __________________ I own a bunch of scary guns. You want em? Come and take em..... Liberalism is a serious, non curable, mental disorder... NRA LIFE MEMBER Oath Keepers Member NRA Certified Instructor 30 Yr CC permit holder.

10-29-2012, 11:22 AM	#4
varifleman Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: SW Virginia Posts: 13	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model DoubleD: My understanding is that the British refinished these RAF pistols during their service life probably before WWII.

10-29-2012, 11:35 AM	#5
Double D TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: North Florida Contributor Posts: 8,252	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model Looks nice, have you shot it? The finish appears to be newer. __________________ I own a bunch of scary guns. You want em? Come and take em..... Liberalism is a serious, non curable, mental disorder... NRA LIFE MEMBER Oath Keepers Member NRA Certified Instructor 30 Yr CC permit holder. Last edited by Double D; 10-29-2012 at 11:39 AM..

10-29-2012, 04:55 PM	#6
RJay Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,504	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model A very nice piece of history, thank you for sharing. __________________ RonJames

10-30-2012, 04:01 PM	#8
Double D TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: North Florida Contributor Posts: 8,252	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model It may be a good shooter. Its a good looker. Enjoy it! __________________ I own a bunch of scary guns. You want em? Come and take em..... Liberalism is a serious, non curable, mental disorder... NRA LIFE MEMBER Oath Keepers Member NRA Certified Instructor 30 Yr CC permit holder.

10-30-2012, 08:16 PM	#9
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model What ammo will you use? If it is still in .455 Webley Auto caliber, .45 ACP will fire in it, but will not chamber properly as the .455 barrel does not have a chamber shoulder and the .45 ACP round has to be held back by the extractor to fire. The magazine is not marked for .455 so it is most likely a .455 won't fit even if you could find some. If the barrel and magazine have been replaced with .45 ACP ones, the value will be considerably reduced. Jim Last edited by Jim K; 10-30-2012 at 08:18 PM..

10-31-2012, 02:16 PM	#11
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model Good luck! AFAIK, they made no spare or replacement barrels, so they are unobtainable today. They could be made easily enough from .45 ACP barrels, but there is no .455 Webley Auto ammo available either except at collectors' prices. So if you want to shoot the gun, the only reasonable way is to use a .45 ACP barrel and magazine. The .45 ACP will work OK with the .455 magazine, but not the reverse as the semi-rimmed .455 is too wide to fit the .45 magazine. (The .455 frame has a larger magazine well for that reason.) Jim

10-31-2012, 02:22 PM	#12
Double D TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: North Florida Contributor Posts: 8,252	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model I guess I assumed it was set up to shoot 45s. __________________ I own a bunch of scary guns. You want em? Come and take em..... Liberalism is a serious, non curable, mental disorder... NRA LIFE MEMBER Oath Keepers Member NRA Certified Instructor 30 Yr CC permit holder.

10-31-2012, 02:36 PM	#13
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model Not originally, though many brought back to the U.S. were changed over, either by the importer or by owners later when .45 Webley Auto was found to be unavailable. Jim

11-01-2012, 03:46 PM	#14
PanhandlePop V.I.P. Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 254	Re: 1918 British Contract Colt Government Model A nice little piece of history. Congrats.