1911 Colt Commercial .45 w/ Box

1911 Colt Commercial .45 w/ Box SOLD

This is a 1951 Colt .45 Commercial 1911. Just about new in box this beauty has been in storage for more than 50 years and brings the past to you in all its glory. (1932)

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. Please visit Legal (tabbed) for Conditions of Sale.

The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986. It was first used in later stages of the Philippine-American War, and was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The pistol's formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The pistol was widely copied, and this operating system rose to become the preeminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern center fire pistols.


This is a 1911A1 WWII military model .45 Caliber pistol made by the Colt American Arms Company in Hartford Connecticut. Designed by John Browning, the M1911 is the best-known of his designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. This is a single action semi-automatic with a seven round magazine capacity and has a barrel length of 5.5 inches. The pistol weighs 2 lbs 6 oz, has the original fine detailed diamond plastic grips and has a fixed front sight blade and notched rear sight.

Adopted in 1911 the Colt design (or Browning by others) was being purchased in record numbers by the US military. By the beginning of 1917, a total of 68,533 M1911 pistols had been delivered to U.S. armed forces by Colt Firearms Company and the U.S. government's Springfield Armory.

However, the need to greatly expand U.S. military forces and the resultant surge in demand for the firearm in World War I saw the expansion of manufacture to other contractors besides Colt and Springfield Armory, including Remington-UMC, North American Arms Co. of Quebec.


Colt was never known for making frivolous changes so in 1950 the commercial numbering of the gun changed from "C"moving from a prefix to the suffix position. The commercially produced gun had the Colt name and .45 Auto stamped in the bottom of the magazine; these magazines are rare onto themselves.

The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986. It was first used in later stages of the Philippine-American War, and was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The pistol's formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era.


Every collector asks to see all the parts so we have field stripped the gun to all the basic components so you can see this gun is only suffering from storage.

During WWI Several other manufacturers were awarded contracts to produce the M1911, including the National Cash Register Company, the Savage Arms Company, the Caron Bros. of Montreal, the Burroughs Adding Machine Co., Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and the Lanston Mono type Company, but the signing of the Armistice resulted in the cancellation of the contracts before any pistols had been produced.

Here we can see the wide hammer symbolic of these early 1911's and rear iron sights. The front sight has slight white markings, early developments from what we today have heavily customized.

The Office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) was created by the U.S. Congress as part of the 1903 War Department Appropriations Act. The original purpose was to provide civilians an opportunity to learn and practice marksmanship skills so they would be skilled marksmen if later called on to serve in the U.S. military. Formation was precipitated by adoption of the M1903 Springfield rifle as the national service arm. Civilians experienced with popular contemporary lever-action rifles were unable to sustain an equivalent rate of fire from the unfamiliar bolt action M1903 rifle.

Early in the 1960's the DCM offered through the NRA surplus refurbished .45's for a mere $17.50. This was published in the American Rifleman and you sent in your money plus UPS shipping (about $4.50) and you got a reservation number which in turn when reached by DCM they sent you a .45 Cal pistol in a nice box with the arsenal shipping documents inside. One of mine was a Remington and (of course when one learned how easy this was you ordered another) and the other was an early 1911 Colt.


This Commercial Colt was made in 1951. The pistol's serial number is 252238C. The "C" designation it the readily identifiable commercial 'designation. The bore is bright and minty. This pistol shows very little handling or being shot. The magazine is a original commercial magazine. These early commercial .45 Cal pistols in this minty condition are getting very hard to find now.


Above Left: There are three positions for the hammer on these model Colts. The wide hammer can be full thumb cocked, or half-docked [hammer should not fire the gun] and then 'at rest'. Remember this is a single action semi-automatic so you must thumb cock the gun prior to firing. Some believe this was an additional safety.


Absolutely clean this is a treasure to the collector.

There is something about the .45 Cal that has earned its reputation over the years of ending more fights than it starts. From the sleek rear grooved main spring housing up to the grip safety. The front (business) end shows you why gun fights stop upon presentation.

Over the years the emphasis of the program shifted to focus on youth development through marksmanship. From 1916 until 1996 the CMP was administered by the U.S. Army. Title XVI of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (Public Law 104-106, 10 February 1996) created the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice & Firearms Safety (CPRPFS) to take over administration and promotion of the CMP.[2] The CPRPFS is a tax-exempt non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation chartered by the U.S. Congress, but is not an agency of the U.S. government (Title 36, United States Code, Section 40701 et seq.). Apart from a donation of surplus .22 and .30 caliber rifles in the Army's inventory to the CMP, the CMP receives no federal funding.


Almost unbelievable this beautiful Colt Commercial .45 was stored in the original rampant Colt box, circa 1950.


So many 1911A1 pistols were produced during the war that the government cancelled all postwar contracts for new production, instead choosing to rebuild existing pistols with new parts, which were then refinished and tested for functioning. From the mid 1920s to the mid 1950s thousands of 1911s and 1911A1s were refurbished at U.S. Arsenals and Service depots. These arsenal rebuilds consisted of anything from minor inspections to major overhauls of pistols returned from service use. Pistols that were refurbished at Government arsenals will usually be marked on the frame/receiver with the arsenal's initials, such as RIA (Rock Island Armory) or SA (Springfield Armory).

Step back into the '50's to enjoy the early post war craftsmanship of the Colt factory Commercial .45 Cal pistol. The proven 230 grain bullet in jacketed, hollow point screaming down range at 845 Ft/sec. (some say slow) with a muzzle energy of 365 foot/lbs. This is both fun to shoot and gives you confidence in defense.

The National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP), an advisory board to the Secretary of the Army (SA), which was created in 1903, was disestablished by this law and replaced by the CPRPFS. The initial board was appointed by the SA and is responsible to develop all policies and procedures for the implementation of all aspects of the CMP.

Shown in full-recoil, one of the design enhancements was the length of the tang on the grip safety to push the web of one's hand down and not be between the slide and where it wants to go.

Colt Stamping on the Barrel

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 collectible weapons 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. Any questions or request for additional purchases email to josef@phoenixinvestmentarms.com This firearm is eligible for transfer to C&R permit holder, even in California. We are registered with CA DOJ for firearms shipment.

When the Clinton and democrat party had a chance to kill the surplus gun sales program they cut off funding and established the requirement you could only obtain an M-1 (.45's and carbines were long gone) through a CMP that was ""recognized". Good bye civilian sales to citizens, hello bureaucratic administration of gun sales. When Korea wanted to return the 1000's of M-1's they had in storage the Obama administration forbid their re-import back to the US

Here's a chance to own the classic WWII predominant handgun in a post-war configuration made to the high standard and quality of Colt Firearms. We reserve the right to sell any internet offering to a direct sale and do not warrant the availability of any firearm that does not have a physical deposit. This gun may be withdrawn without notice for in-store sale. Call for availability. This Colt is in minty condition and offered for $2,895.00 over the counter.

We reserve the right to sell any internet offering to a direct sale and no not warrant the availability of any firearm that does not have a physical deposit. This gun may be withdrawn without notice for in-store sale. Call for availability.

LAYAWAYS: Sometimes our "significant other" doesn't understand the beauty, craftsmanship and investment potential of one of these investor grade weapons. In these circumstances where discretion becomes the better part of valor we will accept layaways of up to one year with at least 20% down and some activity occurring monthly to insure that after one year the sale is completed. Cancellations of layaways forfeit 33% if done within two months, otherwise 100%. You can transfer a layaway to a consignment sale at any time. See "Legal" for exact terms.

See Credits, Bibliography, Notices and Disclaimers.

3 Day Return Policy

We honor a three day return policy. We will answer any questions, send you any pictures, as detailed as you want, to insure that what we are showing you is what you want to see, before you buy it. See Legal.

FIRING ANY WEAPON NEGATES ANY CHANCE OF RETURN!

WARNING: We do not represent these guns as safe to fire. They are not test fired before sale; they are sold as collectibles only. Prior to firing you should have it inspected by a qualified individual and abide by all safety requirements.

Genuine Lugers Sales - Luger History - Luger Accessories - Luger Holsters - Parabellum