Review by Larry S. Sterett Contributing Editor THE COLT 1911 AUTOMATIC PISTOL, Its Predecessor and Variations, compiled and edited by Larry Hacker.
The Colt 1911 Automatic Pistol
Published by Pioneer Press, Dept. TGM, Union City, TN 38261. Price: $7.50, plus shipping. Available through most bookstores, or direct (1-800-238-6785) www.dixiegunworks.com Labeled a pocket chronology, this leatherette bound, 36-page postcard size volume is a handy reference tome. (Other than some sketches of inspector’s marks near the end of the volume the only illustration is a leftside view of the M1911 opposite the title page.)
The bulk of the material consists of a chronological presentation of the pistol from 1905 through 1982. It includes major design variations from the A1, service, and commercial models .38 Super, .22 Ace, the Springfield Armory National Match, and the .38 A.M.U. The serial numbers for each model are listed at the first of the year, for those years of production. (The final pages are devoted to the Ordnance Department serial numbers assigned to Model 1911 and A1 contractors from 1912 to 1946. The manufacturer, plus receiving service up until World War II, is also listed here. (In 1939, the U. S.
Navy, for example, received Colt manufactured M1911A1 pistols numbered 713,646-717,281.) This small tome is a handy one for any M1911 or M1911A1 owner, collector, or arms dealers to have available for reference. It doesn’t take up much space, and it is packed with useful information.
