This is a 1916 manufactured Springfield that has retained some of the characteristics of the original design and some of the minor changes instituted by Colt over the years. This gun fires the 230 grain .45 cal Bullet that  at 840 f/s from a very good conditioned barrel   This gun began service in 1911, was adopted by the Army, Marines and Navy and is still used by Special Operations today for it's knock down power from WWI-Iraq war despite the Beretta 9mm being the standard issue.    (1621)

This is a Springfield Model 1911 .45 automatic built in 1916 based on the plans and specifications of the Colt Company.   On April 21, 1911, Colt granted the Ordnance Department the right to manufacture the Model 1911 at government arsenals .  This right became effective after orders for the Model 1911 totaling more than 50,000 were placed.  This led to the establishment of a pistol plant at Springfield Armory. (1621)

The history of the Colt Gov't / M1911 Pistol began in early 1900s, when famous designer John M. Browning began to develop semi-automatic pistols for Colt company. In the 1906-1907 U.S. Army announced trials to replace its service revolvers with new, semi-automatic pistol. Army required the new pistol to have the caliber of .45 inch, so Browning designed its own cartridge that fired 230 grains (15.64 gram) bullet, and then, designed a new pistol. In 1911, after extensive testing's, the new pistol and its cartridge, designed by Browning and manufactured by Colt, were adopted for U.S. military service as M1911. Prior to and during World War One, more than one million of these guns were manufactured, mostly by Colt and Springfield Armory, as well as by Remington-UMC, Burroughs, Savage and some other companies. The rights to manufacture Colt/Browning design were also sold to some foreign countries, such as Norway or Argentine.

NOTE: Photographs taken today with the high mega-pixel camera show more than we sometimes can see with the human eye. Magnified close-ups show us tool marks and natural surface conditions that one normally doesn't see in the ordinary handling of the weapon.  Photographs are copyrighted, all rights reserved, any extraction, reproduction or display of gun pictures without the express consent of the Phoenix Investment Arms is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.  See Legal for the terms of sale for all weapons.

This is a 1912 manufactured Colt that has retained all of the characteristics of the original design  by Colt over the years and the first gun of the 2nd batch made Colt.. This is a VERY early Colt production .45 calibre that was presented to Army Major William G. Penfield who played a major role in the development of the standards for the Colt contract.  Below: Original presentation case. (1585)

The M1911 is a recoil operated, locked breech semi-auto pistol. It has single action trigger with frame mounted safety that locks the hammer and the slide. Hammer could be locked either in cocked or in lowered position, allowing the gun to be carried in "cocked and locked" state, with safety on, hammer cocked and round chambered. Additional automated safety incorporated into rear of the grip and locks the action when gun not held in the hand properly.  On the earliest examples, the serial number was located on the forward right side of the frame.

This Model of 1911 U.S. Army serial number 101 (circa. 1912)  Pistol features early high polish finish and fire blued small parts.   This pistol was one of 300 shipped February 3, 1912 in the third shipment to Springfield Armory. It is the earliest known survivor in original condition of the first Colts.

This Model 1911 has the wide thumb trigger, the front grip is smooth and the rear tang is the original along with  smooth cap main spring.  This model is before the 1924 modifications and somehow made it through the war time system in some arms room.  Springfield Armory only made 25,767 1911's before shutting down the line to devote itself to full time production of the 1903 .30-06 rifles.

The M1911 is a recoil operated, locked breech semi-auto pistol. It has single action trigger with frame mounted safety that locks the hammer and the slide. Hammer could be locked either in cocked or in lowered position, allowing the gun to be carried in "cocked and locked" state, with safety on, hammer cocked and round chambered. Additional automated safety incorporated into rear of the grip and locks the action when gun not held in the hand properly.      

Barrel and slide are interlocked via massive lugs on the upper part of the barrel, just ahead of the chamber. After the shot is fired, the barrel and the slide go back for the short distance, then rear part of the barrel is lowered by tilting link, and barrel unlocks the slide. The slide goes all the way back, extracting and ejecting spent case and chambering the new round on the way back. When magazine is empty, the magazine follower activates slide stop that locks the slide in the open (rear) position. The gun is fed from the single stack, seven round magazine. The magazine release button is located on the left side of the frame, just behind the trigger guard.

The Eagle on the slide was a symbol of the Springfield Armory (when a Government Armory) and the Model of 1911 U.S. Army is the same as the Colt imprint.

Springfield Model 1911 serial number 125701 - Ordnance procurement records for Springfield Armory Production indicate that this was one of 1,564 pistols manufactured from July 1, 1916 - December 31, 1916.  Colt granted the Ordnance Department the right to manufacture the Model 1911 at government arsenals on April 21, 1911.  This right became effective after orders for the Model 1911 totaling more than 50,000 were placed.  This led to the establishment of a pistol plant at Springfield Armory. This is a really cool .45 from out of the past that still can punch that 230 grain bullet at 840 f/s from a very good conditioned barrel.

The bottom picture more clearly depicts the M1911 with the smooth cap on the housing mainspring, the wide thumb trigger, the small safety grip.

Model of 1911 US Army  Serial No 125701 which places it in the series made by Springfield in  1916; what a story it could tell. Springfield are rather hard to find in the market place because they were not produced in the same quantities as Colt and the other manufacturers.  The principle lines of Springfield were dedicated to the 1903 Springfield Rifle and they were the principle supplier.

The ordnance "flaming bomb" was also located on the frame where the inspectors mark typically appears on Colt manufactured 1911 pistols.  Unlike commercially contracted weapons, government manufactured arms did not require an ordnance acceptance mark. The eagle, which was formerly the symbol of Springfield Armory, was placed on the right side of the slide.

It is entirely subjective to give any firearm a rating of excellent or fine, just as it is to declare it xx% blued or strawed. Few Curios and Relics are out of the box new and these are premium priced. Bluing percentages is like Beauty, in the eye of the beholder.  We strive to provide pictures so you can judge for yourself if the gun meets your criteria.