Hey guys, just picked this up a few days ago, I think it's all ok, just wondered about the serrated vs. checkered smaller parts and the grips. Pics to follow, please let me know what you think, thanks !
Bob, gotcha. Any info on the "S" stamp that's on the inside of my old Colt 1911 but not the RR ? I have read that the "S" is a stamp indicating "Field Service". Is this just on 1911's ? Colt's ? Also, on coolgunsite, they have a RR sn 1.377 and change with a checkered MSH, could these have gone either way in that range ? Mine is 1.310 with the straight lines.
If that is the way it was likely used in a significant historic time period I don't think I would bother to make it "correct". It was only correct once when it left the factory. But that's the way I view things. My Rem Rand as far as I can tell is all original with the exception of a Colt grip on one side. It's staying that way. Making it dreambook collector correct would just take away from the actual times it went through. But that's me. Nice gun!
Aviator, thanks for the input ! I'm going to change the grips and slide a G mag into it, that's probably it. As much as I would like to shoot it tomorrow though, just about everyone is advising against it It is a nice gun though, thanks again for the compliment !
Billy - Opinions vary on whether to shoot or not - I think we actually have a 'Sticky' topic on this very conundrum.
Excessive holster wear / extreme field use ages them quickly; but, if you were to put a box or two through it occasionally, it isn't going to make a difference IMHO.
To shoot it a ton, some may advise a shock buffer, heavier recoil spring, and softened target loads.
As it is, do whatever would bring you the most enjoyment - life is fleeting, revel in it.
If it was a Singer, I'd feel otherwise.
Heck, maybe shooting a box through it every V-E / V-J / Memorial Day is the best homage to those that paved the way for liberty with the 1911...
Hey guys, sorry, I couldn't resist. I shot them, I shot them both ! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaa ! I was careful though, promise. Well oiled before, cleaned immediately after. I only put 10 rnds thru each. The RR had a softball size group at 20m and the old Colt just a little bigger. They both were solid. I'm only doing this once a year, promise ! Enjoy the day guys !
Yep, the Colt is from 1917, reblued years ago and the USP was ground off, but she's all correct in her pieces, right down to the grips ! Fired like a trooper !
I know what you mean, those loop mags don't really look that great on A1's. I would personally hang on to it along with getting a correct mag, but that's me Each persons approach to collecting and handling these guns is a little different. As long as nobody takes a buffer to an original gun and nickel plates it, I'm OK.
Cool, now that's something I would have never known. So that's borderless checkering as opposed to ? That's something we missed right off the bat, thanks !
Ahhhhhhhh.......you mean at the top and bottom ? I see, said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw ! How many US&S spare triggers do you think were made, as opposed to RR ? Not that armorers at unit level would have bothered to check if it needed to be replaced. That's something I probably wouldn't change (should make Aviator happy). Chances are something like that would have been done by a GI, not by bubba or Joe schmoe (like me) as I would imagine a correct RR trigger would be cheaper and probably more readily available ? Wouldn't you think ? Good eye !
Given the fact that your grips are replacements I'm just guessing that a previous owner put commercial parts in yours, then another subsequent owner removed those parts and replaced them with GI parts found at a gun show to make it look whole again. Or, the pistol was taken apart and rebuilt at some depot somewhere, and the trigger and grips were damaged so they were replaced with spare components. As you can see, it could've happened anywhere, and at any time. People weren't always walking around with Clawson's books trying to keep pistols 100% factory-correct, and in fact before his first book was published in 1991 nobody really had a clue what belonged on a particular pistol anyway. My Remington Rand shown above had a Colt slide stop on it when I first brought it home, and who knows why. Maybe the original one broke and had to be replaced, maybe Bubba liked checkered slide stops better, maybe two GI's were cleaning their pistols in a squad tent and Joe picked up the slide stop from Willie's pistol by mistake..... the possibilities are endless.
Yep, if only they could talk ! Thanks for the input. You're right, the possibilities are endless. Compared to my M1 carbines, though, these are a walk in the park (from a mixmaster id view) lol !
P.s. I'm only looking at pics on my phone right now, but it looks like most/all of the triggers on the '43 RR's on coolgunsite have borderless checkering ? Is that just my lack of screen size and zoom capabilities ?
Hey, I looked at it too and I agree, all the triggers on those 43' Rands look like those said to belong on US&S. Really makes me wonder... I just noticed this on my RR too... my Rand does not seem refinished and it has a parked trigger without the smooth spots on top and bottom. Of course the trigger could have been messed with... or could have been swapped from another arsenal re-do. US&S triggers should be Du-lite I have heard.
Look at the 1944-1945 R.Rands. I don't think they had bordered triggers until '44. Some of the pics aren't the best, but from what I saw, they all had bordered triggers.
Though I don't have my references with me at the moment, but yes, that's what I recollect.
When I get home from work, I'll post a couple of pics of my late '44 Rand. I'm almost positive it has a bordered trigger.
Very possibly. If you want to get technical, I think they changed over in later '43. On Coolgunsite they seem to change from borderless to bordered in late 1943.
Very nice, yes, very different triggers.Nice grips, too !
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