By Beetle
In my article about the Savage Trials Pistol, I discussed how Savage and Colt had a final “shoot off” to see who would win the contract to be the standard issue military sidearm. We all know the result, the Colt fired 6000 rounds without issue while the Savage had 31 malfunctions and 5 parts breakages. Therefore, the Army awarded Colt the contract on March 29, 1911 to manufacture the M1911 (or Model of 1911). Even though the contract was awarded at the end of March, it took the government and Colt some time to get production up and running. There were lots of details to sort out including how the pistols should be marked, tested, and accepted by the government. In fact, only 50 pistols were made in 1911. Today collectors call these “first day of production” pistols – they are the only 1911s actually made in 1911. Therefore, the first year of production generally refers to 1912 . . .
As soon as Colt got their military production squared away, they worked on releasing a commercial version of the Model 1911. It was introduced as the “Colt Government Model Automatic Pistol” in March of 1912. The name is confusing today, but at that time Colt wanted to reinforce the connection that it is the same gun as “what the government uses.” The pistol sold to the public at $22 versus the $14.25 that Colt charged the government.
The finish on these early Colts is very unique. At the time Colt finished the guns (even the military models) the only way they knew how – to perfection. Each part was hand polished using a series of specially designed polishing wheels. In addition, each part was polished at least four times using increasingly fine abrasives. The final polish was achieved using walrus hide and whale oil. By the time the workmen (we would call them craftsmen today!) were done, the entire gun had a brilliant mirror-like finish.
An example of Colt’s polishing wheels – note this is a later picture when Colt had already reduced the amount of polishing being applied!
After the gun was polished, it was degreased with a boiling gasoline bath! It would then go into a coal fired oven which had a layer of charcoal and whale oil at the bottom. The guns would rotate in the oven rotisserie style for several hours. Periodically a workman would come along and scrub the guns with oakum (a type of fiber) and whiting (a type of ash). This scrub would clean away any charred material as well as polish the gun even more! If that wasn’t enough, the entire process was repeated up to six times until the workman was satisfied with the color and depth of the bluing.
To say the finish looks amazing is an understatement. It is very hard to describe what the finish looks like, as it is very dynamic in nature. In direct light it has a light-blue color to it. In indirect light it has a metallic black look. If I were to summarize it looks like “black chrome”. The same gun in direct and indirect light:
In addition to the mirror-like reflective finish, Colt also applied a “fire blue” to the small parts. All of the small parts were placed into a cast iron vessel containing a charcoal and bone mix. It was heated until the small parts took on an iridescent blue color. The small parts with their turquoise color really pop against the reflective mirror-like finish.
While the finish is indeed quite handsome, the military was less than impressed. I guess the last thing you want in a battle situation is a highly reflective gun with brilliant blue accents! At the military’s request the finish was toned down until eventually the gun was mostly a dull, dark black (the so-called “Black Army” finish). Unfortunately with the switch to the dull black finish, the exact technique for the original brilliant finish has been lost in time. Not only did Colt switch from coal to gas ovens, but some of the materials are now simply unavailable — sperm whale oil anyone?
The pistol shown is my first year of production Colt Government Model. It was sold by Schoverling, Daly, & Gales, a large New York retailer of firearms. An interesting fact, it was the partners behind this retailer that started the brand “Charles Daly.” Here are a few interesting pages from their 1912 Catalog, introducing the Colt Government model for the first time (click for larger size).
Happy Birthday! This gun was shipped today (November 27), way back in 1912. Even at 101 years old, this old Colt is as functional and beautiful as ever!
About the author: Beetle is an amateur collector, writer, and photographer. His favorite FFL had this to say to him: “you like all the weird stuff.” He can be reached at [email protected].
Now that… that there is simply gorgeous. [SIGH]
I lost all my ammo and guns in a boating accident – but before I did, that amount wouldn’t constitute a “ammo stash” – more like “1/10th of what we’re bringing to the range this afternoon.”
This has to be unconstitutional. The word “arms” means the same today as it did in 1787, the date of the Constitutional Convention that produced the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights – and “arms” means weapons of war. With this demand the City of New York would deny its residents their right of self defense with weapons of war protected under the Second Amendment. I certainly hope that there’s a court challenge made to this attempt at confiscation in the context of the the meaning of the original as well as contemporary language of the Bill of Rights.
It’s interesting how a common theme can bring people together. I am blessed to have parents who stayed together and a dad and grandpa who taught me to shoot when I was old enough to pick up a rifle. The day I went home after Iraq my dad and I were at the range shooting with a new pistol. Great memories.
Silly law and it will be struck down at the first challenge.
City councils do stupid stuff like this all the time in the name of “health and safety”. That’s code for BS. Anytime you see that you know they just cost the city thousands to fight BS lawsuits.
Really? Why? As the old adage goes, your right to swing your fist ends at my nose.
CRAP! As a resident of CO, I was very much looking forward to seeing the people once again have their say.
And now people start to understand my rants about the low quality of of firearms being sold to the American gun buyer. All you guys who have until now thought I was just some raving nutter, some cranky old SOB, piddling on your dreams of owning some dura-coated tacti-cool gun as wanna-be gun owner status… now look at those pictures.
Read what Beetle writes about the subtlety and depth of that finish. If you had a nice, clean set of cotton gloves and Beetle very graciously allowed you to handle that 1911, and you could turn it over and over in the light, especially in natural light… you’d have an inconvenient development that would prevent you from standing up in public.
Look at the quality of that finish. Go ahead. Tell me where you can buy that today. Go ahead and try to convince me that paint-on/bake on finishes make you tumescent the way that pre-war carbonia blue job does. Go ahead, tacti-cool kids: Try.
Beetle: The blueing on the small parts is referred to as “charcoal blue,” and like the carbonia oil blue job, has to be performed in an atmosphere furnace. Many, many thanks for this write up. It makes me seriously happy that there are other TTAG readers who appreciate really nice, high-quality firearms and Nice Guns[tm].
I just carried almost 3 times that over states lines. I guess that makes me an arms smuggler.
Unreal.
First the New York gun seizure notice, and now this.
Up next, you can’t exercise in your shared wall home, because I can smell your sweat. Why, that’s the same as licking your bodily fluids. Why, there may be the definite possibility of a firm maybe that I might someday get sick, or catch your disease.
You can’t have sex in your shared wall home either, cause I can smell that too. And I don’t want to catch AIDS.
Yes, you have to go to your doctor, get proof that you don’t have any diseases, and provide proof to any shared wall neighbors, the police, and the city council.
(If memory serves correctly, California police can enforce health and safety laws).
My wife is a smoker, and she is disabled to the point where she can’t go outside to smoke whenever she wants a cigarette. In the winter, it becomes even more problematic. Where are her rights under the people with disabilities act? These collectivists ALWAYS paint themselves into a corner. It can be somewhat amusing to watch them twist and contort in a vain attempt to rationalize their irrational beliefs.
“And there are those who are 2A absolutists who firmly believe that the Second Amendment clearly outlaws any and all restrictions and who seek confrontation with LEOs and other citizens as often as possible.”
And where are these straw men? I do not see them.
I believe that virtually all second amendment supporters believe that there are some limits. Everyone is not allowed to carry weapons into prisons anytime that they want to.
The fact is we went way past “reasonable regulations” many decades ago, and the discussion should be about how much we roll back, not how much more insane regulation that we add. I bet that at the time of the signing of the constitution, prisoners were not allowed weapons, just as slaves (who also were prisoners) generally were not.
The regulations that we had before 1900 worked fine and they can work again. Current enforcement of the 14th amendment would stop the discrimanatory practices of states against people of coor.
Remember, before 1968, we could order anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns and ammunition through the mail, and there was no crime with it.
I propose a simple test to see if a law makes any sense at all. If peace officers can have it, then so should the general population. If peace officers can carry in that place, then so should any citizen who can legally own a weapon. Peace officers commit homicide about as often as the rest of the population, so why give them special priviledges with weapons.
Police and guards do not carry guns in prisons, either.
Thank you for publishing this. While I enjoy much of the content on this site, I’m sometimes put off by the absolutism of some contributors and especially by the rudeness of some of the comments (the thread above furnishes plenty of examples). In particular, rhetoric that assumes a crude mash-up of parts of Locke, Mill, and Jefferson is the final word in political theory (and then insults anyone who disagrees) is annoying to me. So again, thank you for publishing an well-spoken alternative.
Fantastic video on the I carry… My fav was the lady in the library.
I had to look up a map. I was shocked to see that the 9th circus court had jurisdiction in Montana. The good thing is, they are the most reversed circus court in the land.
http://blogs.findlaw.com/ninth_circuit/2013/06/ninth-battling-to-regain-spot-as-most-reversed-circuit.html
Let’s hope they continue to be number 1.
I want a Sten!
The legal case should be interesting, given the way the court found against the feds in the Guns Free School Act… of course, the latter was amended just enough to get around the ruling, so who knows.
She strikes me more as Visible Changes University material.
My old departments policy had a change a couple years before I retired. If you were in a shoot, after the scene is secured, your gun used would be seized along with your clothes. I had the department issue me a sidearm at that point, and kept a complete set of clothes in my locker.
Boy Scout motto and all that.
Bull,
Thank you for your methodical and exacting study. You have added some valuable data to the store of firearm knowledge. I applaud you for your efforts.
Although my EDC is a 9mm, on many occasions and for various reasons my go to is a P3AT with Hydra-Shoks. It’s always my backup gun of choice.
Again, thank you for your time and effort.
I just picked up a 2nd Gen N-PAP from a local dealer. (Got it for $575) Whatever CA did wrong with the early versions of the PAP & N-PAP seem to have been made right on this build, all the way down to the proper double stack bolt and a nice magwell. This is a clean, solid, quality rifle. Next to my WASR the difference is night and day.
I have not yet tried aftermarket mags but will update if/when I do. The N-PAP is rather heavy so anything to save weight will be nice. The old metal mags I have on hand seat fine with little to no wobble. There is also very little noise when shaking or rolling the rifle. (Try that with a WASR!)
The only drawbacks for me at this time are: 1) weight- it’s heavy 2) stock- longer than typical AK but it’s of good quality 3) hand guard- not contoured to fit palm 4) Only one sling mount- I’ll have to modify to add a 2nd point 5) upgrades- limited availability, though the straight cut receiver seems to have more options than its slanted predecessor.
Perhaps I just got lucky, but overall I am happy with my purchase.
Great cartoon.
The NSSF is the gun manufacturers lobbyist. In this over-regulated era we live in, it would be a breach of fiduciary duty for any corporate enterprise not to have lobbyists, and for an industry as contentious as firearms, this is true times a million. Often times they will be our ally, but not always. We should work together when we can and politely disagree when we must.
I don’t know. The rules seem reasonable and applied fairly. Now if they had rejected this new one (with the website) prior to this going to court, I think you’d have a case.
On the other hand, since it was approved and then torn down, he should be reimbursed for having to reprint the ads. and that might be what this is about.