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What Years Did Augusta Arsenal Rebuild M1911s?


1srelluc
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I picked-up this Augusta Arsenal rebuild M1911 in a FTF deal today.....I suspect it was rebuilt in the 50s what with some M1911-A1 parts on it like the narrow spur hammer and serrated thumb safety.

 

1914 Colt frame No 67393, 1918 - 1926 Colt slide, High Standard Barrel, Keyes grips.

 

AA rebuild marking.

 

Pre-rebuild Colt H inspector's markings on slide.

 

It came with three pinned bottom (unmarked) mags.

 

I've found out a good bit about the AA M1911 rebuild program in the post-war period but that is about it. Did they run a M1911 rebuild program during WW-2 too?

 

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Yours is configured nearly the same as mine. Mine has a Colt 1918-era frame with a slightly earlier slide, with a mix of WW2-era small parts. It also has a WW1 Colt barrel that has been parkerized instead retaining the blue finish. It also came with a lanyard loop magazine from a Springfield (!) that was also stripped of its bluing and parkerized. It still has its shipping box and paperwork from the NRA via the Anniston Army Depot, sold as surplus to it’s first civilian owner in 1961.

 

As far as ‘when’ it was built, it’s hard to say. I’ve seen some earlier rebuilds with wooden grips, which is something that would have happened prior to WW2....NM Target pistols had wood grips most of the time, but these were 1950s-60s era pistols.

 

The coolest AA pistol I’ve seen was a Remington UMC from WW1 that had merely been parkerized and still had all of its Remington parts, in the box with all the great documents....can’t remember the date but it was a real beauty...missed out on that one.

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I think most of them were simply evaluated on a case-by-case basis as to what they needed......there was certainly a flow chart that was adopted by the Ordnance Corps as to the fundamentals, but IMHO much of the judgment was left to the armorer at the bench...do I use it, or replace it..?

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The pistols as were rifles were inspected in compliance with ORD-SIP's (standard inspection procedure). They contain the flow charts you are talking about as well as TB-ORD-366 which is a generic ordnance rebuild document that covers a multitude of weapons. I have those documents for the Garand and one more for the .45 but cannot locate it at this time. But i did find the BSD. Anniston was really working hard on rifles early during the war as you will find many garands with the AA mark. I suspect they may have been doing pistols at this time as well. Great pistols, thank you for sharing.

 

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Anniston Arsenal's code was AN.

 

Augusta Arsenal's code was AA.

 

Yes, if a pistol was refurbished at Augusta Arsenal it would be stamped accordingly with an "AA". My pistol was redone at Augusta but was stored and distributed through the Anniston Depot as it's box indicates.

 

I've seen other AA marked pistols with original paperwork show that they shipped from other locations too, like the Letterkenny Army Depot in Pennsylvania.

 

I have never seen a pistol (or don't recall) with an "AN" but I suppose it is possible, if a program was in place there for pistols.

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I have seen postwar (WW2) 1911 pistols refurbed at Anniston marked "AN AD".

 

Chris

Thats cool Chris....Ive seen plenty of SA marked pistols as well as AA, but I will keep an eye peeled for an AN variety too. :)

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Yes, if a pistol was refurbished at Augusta Arsenal it would be stamped accordingly with an "AA". My pistol was redone at Augusta but was stored and distributed through the Anniston Depot as it's box indicates.

 

I've seen other AA marked pistols with original paperwork show that they shipped from other locations too, like the Letterkenny Army Depot in Pennsylvania.

 

I have never seen a pistol (or don't recall) with an "AN" but I suppose it is possible, if a program was in place there for pistols.

 

From the few pics I've seen of the 1911-A1s soon to be sold by the CMP those are mostly Anniston Army Depot marked.

 

 

 

One of them has both AA and the ANAD markings that means it was rebuilt at least twice. AA closed in 1955. ANAD was rebuilding as late as the 80s. They are easy to tell apart as the park is much lighter on the ANAD rebuilds.

 

 

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