Deactivated Colt 1911 pistol,During World War I,
the Imperial Russian government purchased approximately 51,000 Colt 1911 pistols as a wartime measure to supplement their standard-issue Nagant M1895 revolvers,has walnut grips cocks,strips and dry fires comes with GB deactivation certificate dated 1999.Below is some relevant information found on the Internet for you to read .
These pistols are highly sought after by collectors today due to their unique history and rarity.
Key Details of the Russian Contract Colt 1911
Quantity and Timing: Around 51,000 pistols were ordered and delivered between 1916 and 1917.
- Purchasing Agent: The orders were placed through intermediaries, specifically the Colt representative office in the United Kingdom, using a line of credit backed by Russian gold reserves in Britain. J.P. Morgan and the National City Bank of Petrograd also acted as purchasing agents.
- Pistol Specifications: The pistols were standard commercial “Government Model” M1911s, chambered for the common .45 ACP cartridge. They featured the standard Colt markings, including patent dates and the “Rampant Colt” logo.
- Distinctive Markings: The primary feature identifying these pistols is a unique Cyrillic text stamped on the left side of the frame, which translates roughly to “English Order”(“Англ. Заказъ” or “АНГЛ ЗАКАЗБ”). This marking appears on pistols with serial numbers generally above C50,000.
- Serial Number Range: The pistols typically fall within the commercial serial number range of approximately C23000 to C89000.
- Condition and Rarity: Russian Contract Colts are considered rare on the American market. They saw extensive and hard use through the various conflicts of the era (WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the subsequent Civil War), and virtually none were exported by the Soviet Union, making well-preserved examples especially valuable to collectors.
