Argentine Navy Colt - The Firearms Forum

jwmtx · 05-08-2010, 07:48 PM

Hello to all. Today I received my first real Colt 1911 firearm. It is a commercial model made for the Argentina Navy in 1941. Serial #C1996xx. It is not import marked. On the left side of the slide is the usual pat. nos. and Hartford, Conn. On the right side it is stamped
REPUBLICA ARGENTINA
ARMADA NACIONAL-1941
And then Colt Automatic Calibre .45 with the little pony. On the right front of the trigger guard is stamped the number 99. On the left it is stamped T with a little triangle with a VP inside. The barrel is stamped Colt auto .45 with no other stamps. It is Parkerised and about the first 1 1/2 ins. of the slide is darker than the rest.
Does anyone know why the front of the slide is darker than the rest? I've seen others like this but don't know the reason. Any comments on the other marks? It appears to have been fired very little if at all and the Park shows very light holster wear, or just rub marks.
Thanks for any replies or comments,
James
Sorry but I don't have a camera.

Jim K · 05-12-2010, 09:39 PM

The dark part is due to front of the slide having been heat treated to harden it. Through WWII, Colt slides were not hardened except in specific areas (the front, and around the slide stop cutout). Those guns were commercial models and had the standard commercial blue finish of the time; yours was Parkerized by the importer. For some reason I don't know, not being a metallurgist, that heat treatment shows through Parkerizing even though it did not show through the original bluing.

That gun should have the Swartz safety, a firing pin block released by the grip safety, like that used on some M1911A1 clones today (but not by Colt, whose Series 80 firing pin block works differently).

Jim

05-08-2010, 07:48 PM	#1
jwmtx Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 18	Argentine Navy Colt Hello to all. Today I received my first real Colt 1911 firearm. It is a commercial model made for the Argentina Navy in 1941. Serial #C1996xx. It is not import marked. On the left side of the slide is the usual pat. nos. and Hartford, Conn. On the right side it is stamped REPUBLICA ARGENTINA ARMADA NACIONAL-1941 And then Colt Automatic Calibre .45 with the little pony. On the right front of the trigger guard is stamped the number 99. On the left it is stamped T with a little triangle with a VP inside. The barrel is stamped Colt auto .45 with no other stamps. It is Parkerised and about the first 1 1/2 ins. of the slide is darker than the rest. Does anyone know why the front of the slide is darker than the rest? I've seen others like this but don't know the reason. Any comments on the other marks? It appears to have been fired very little if at all and the Park shows very light holster wear, or just rub marks. Thanks for any replies or comments, James Sorry but I don't have a camera. --> Last edited by jwmtx; 05-08-2010 at 08:02 PM..

05-12-2010, 09:39 PM	#2
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: Argentine Navy Colt The dark part is due to front of the slide having been heat treated to harden it. Through WWII, Colt slides were not hardened except in specific areas (the front, and around the slide stop cutout). Those guns were commercial models and had the standard commercial blue finish of the time; yours was Parkerized by the importer. For some reason I don't know, not being a metallurgist, that heat treatment shows through Parkerizing even though it did not show through the original bluing. That gun should have the Swartz safety, a firing pin block released by the grip safety, like that used on some M1911A1 clones today (but not by Colt, whose Series 80 firing pin block works differently). Jim