2 sequentially serial numbered Springfield 1911s marked NRA

[gbethu]

Found these with the help of a well known dealer. Too nice to pass by.

[John C]

I need to find a job that pays more money so I can get nicer 1911's!!! Those look great!

[Shooter5]

Neato! Let's calculate the odds of acquiring 2 in a row from that long ago; leaving the factory, getting issued to disparate units, go around the globe in various areas, and finally end up in civilian hands a hundred years later!

[Johnny P]

Those were never issued to the military. They were sold when new to NRA Life members.

[gbethu]

JP. With all respect, I know they were built by the u s government Armory and under an Army requisition. They were never considered " civilian or commercial" That a military unit never used them doesn't mean they were not USGI equipment. Not every tent was erected or slept under in the war but they were Army tents. You don't need to open a K ration food can in a battle field to be an"official " government meal. What basis are you using to state no military ( including military inspectors in the Springfield Armory) ever took possession of these two 1911s ??? These are just what I said they were....2 Springfield 1911s with consecutive serial numbers and sold through the NRA. I wasn't there or alive at the time to be positive some corporal didn't use it for a week before the Government sold it as it did to so many other 1911s.

[Tommy2guns]

And all this time I was thinking that I had the high score at spreading love and cheer here. I don't care if the cub scouts used these guns as hammers to drive tent stakes into the ground for their camping trip. They are still great looking Springfields.

Can you get the shipping and ownership info from either Springfield or the NRA ? That would be nice to have.
I hope you got these authenticated before you bought them! Green with envy....

Nice stuff Gordon.

[gbethu]

JP may well be correct as he knows far more than I ever will about 1911s. I know better than to ever argue with him. :-)

These are both on a well recognized list of "known" NRA serial number 1911s. They show similar amounts of wear but so do my other NRA Springfield 1911s. I only have one in near mint condition and it is not NRA. I just bought them because they were sequentially numbered as some of my Navy 1911s are.

[gbethu]

Got some info from a fellow collector about the NRA program. As JP said, they just took new ones and issued them to NRA Life members . Since there were no "used" 1911s in 1912, they just shipped a new one it seems. See the attached article. Thanks JP.

[Johnny P]

At the same time a NRA Life member could order the Model 1903 Springfield Rifle. These were brand new rifles, and before being sold the barrels were "star gaged" to insure bore uniformity. The front of the triggerguard was stamped with N.R.A. and the ordnance bomb to provide proof that they had been purchased from from Ordnance rather than being stolen. The N.R.A. marking of these sales weapons ended when the sales were stopped in early 1917 with war on the horizon. When civilian sales resumed following WWI, the marking was no longer applied.

[ignats]

I couldn't read the serial numbers, can you tell us what they are?

[gbethu]

125639 and 125640

[Scott Gahimer]

Probably procured at SA ca. mid-July-early August 1916, but no way to say for sure. The weekly procurement records ended in January 1916. 125567-127130 is simply recorded as sometime between July 1 and December 31 that year.

[Shooter5]

Those were never issued to the military. They were sold when new to NRA Life members.

Ah, that is interesting. So they were made in the government arsenal but not officially inspected/stamped by the ordnance officer?

[Scott Gahimer]

SA M1911 pistols were not inspected and stamped by an Ordnance inspector. They were manufactured by a government facility, which did not require an Ordnance inspector. The government was manufacturing pistols for itself. If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? :)

[Wreck Checker]

I guess the gov't did not trust the rifle production lines at SA or RIA. Guess those guys must have looked shifty.



SA M1911 pistols were not inspected and stamped by an Ordnance inspector. They were manufactured by a government facility, which did not require an Ordnance inspector. The government was manufacturing pistols for itself. If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? :)