I purchased a Remington Rand today, which I believe is 100% correct. I do have a few questions though.
Some parts...the slide stop, barrel bushing, extractor and grip safety appear to have a slightly darker finish than the rest of the gun. There seems to be little to no wear on the internal parts. I suspect this M1911A1 was never fired. There seems to be dried cosmoline in the works of the pistol.
In addition to having no wear on the lugs, the barrel has "Colt 45 Auto" on the barrel hood. Is this correct?
The grips appear to be Keyes.
Because it's blued and has a seam up the back, I'm kind of doubting the magazine. There is a G on top of the bottom lip.
the holster is nice too.
What is the recommended way to treat older leather?
According to this site, Remington Rand did use some Colt barrels, marked in the same way, but lower on the barrel.
Normally found with High Standard "HS" marked barrels on the right lug. Some "Colt" marked barrels on the left lug and Springfield Armory "S P" marked barrels on the right lug found during early production. Also, some Flannery " F " marked barrels on the right lug found during late production.
For the leather, go to a saddle shop and get some saddle oil. Give it what it wants then give it a soft wash with saddle soap. You want it supple but not greasy.
nice psitol, $1200 for that was a real good deal. I know you been wanting one. In a year or two it will be worth twice that.
Pecards Antique Leather Dressing is the best you can use on old leather. Anything like Neatsfoot Oil will attack the fibers of the old leather and you will end up with a ruined holster.
Use the Pecards in very thin coats on the smooth side of the leather. Don't use artificial heat or place in the sun, as this breaks the Pecards down while it is working. After applying the Pecards, let it set for several days, and don't apply any more until you can no longer feel the Pecards. When the leather has taken up several coats of the Pecards, buff the holster with a soft cloth. Apply a maintenance coat every 6 to 12 months.
A correct High Standard or Flannery barrel (full blued, not parkerized) would not be too hard to find. They are seen on eBay quite often. Just be sure it's from a legitimate seller, because believe it or not I've already seen faked HS barrels before.
Exitwounds,
I believe that the Colt barrels were used in about the first 10,000 Remington Rand pistols. That puts them into the 926000/927000 range. This is based on observation. Best Karl
There are several types of silicone, so be sure that what you use is not harmful to leather. Water based silicone is OK for leather, but the silicones that contain petroleum distillates can be harmful to leather. Typically the silicones containing petroleum distillates leave an oily film on the leather.
Exitwounds,
I have only examined a limited number (Perhaps 12 total) of New York (Type I pistols) and all that I have examined have had "COLT .45 AUTO" marked barrels. The ones I have owned are: 917171, 918335, 918910, 923928, and 926422. I have not seen a pistol before 917171 and have always assumed that the Springfield barrels (If they were ever really used,) were installed in pistols before 917171. Other observers may have conflicting data. However since making 1911/1911A1 pistols correct per the book has become a national pastime, I would be very careful about examining wear patterns and relative amounts of wear before considering a Springfield barrel to be likely original in a New York slide pistol. Best Karl
Karl, thanks for the clarity, I had some info jotted down, that was in the 916405 - 921700+/-. I will note that, thank you sir. Is the range basically the same on the Springfield barrels?
I had the exact same info Exit has for Colt barrels, about the first 5000 along with the sometimes seen 1911 slide stops within this group. I had the approx. number of T1 slides at about 10,000 so somewhere along the line more have been observed and we just don't have the updated info I guess.
Joel,
I have seen at least 2 other pistols in the 926000 range although I did not record the serials but they both had Colt barrels. Based on this data and the previous data, I am confident that the Colt barrels went to 926000. I do not have any conclusions on Type one pistols beyond 926XXX because I have not seen any NEW YORK slide pistols above 927000.
I did not mean to imply that Remington Rand did not use any Springfield barrels in their first pistols, only that in the last 25 years, I have not seen any. Let's hope that none are reborn in Southern California just to prove me wrong.
Someone told me that you can tell a Southern California reborn pistol by putting the barrel to your ear and you will be able to hear the SURF!
Somehow, I don't think I want to try that.
Best Karl
This is a nice Type I Remington Rand with a High Standard barrel. It has always been a favorite due to the double acceptance stamp. Someone was just playing that day, as the stamps are perfectly spaced to get two of them on the pistol.
Here is 926665 with a HS barrel, milled trigger and extremely deep roll markings. The pistol is as loose as I have ever seen. If you are wondering about the color it has a layer of cosmolene a precaution taken after three Hurricane "eyes" a couple years ago.
I have a Rem Rand in the first 10,000 made that has a Springfield barrel. I am near sure it is original, but am out of town currently so will have to wait to double check it. One of my first 10,000 serialed guns is a is a type 2, so it could be in that pistol. I discussed this pistol with Mr. Clawson, who stated type 1 and 2 slides were intermittent in this range. It has a milled trigger and all checkered parts. I have another type 1 on the way. These dulite RRs are of particular interest to me.
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