18 replies to this topic

[2Dogs]

I picked this up from a yard sale, it belonged to Edmund L. Reel, He joined the Army in 1947, spent 1,026 days as a P.O.W. during the Korean War, He was released 30 days after the signing of the Armistice. Retired in 1975 as a Command Sergeant Major. Mr. Reel is 80 some years old and could not remember what it was used for.

It's solid aluminum.

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[J_Andrews]

Such cast aluminum pistols were sold in the 1950's, for use as toys, stage props, training aids or whatever. There were also P.08 Lugers and P.38 Walthers.

[Brian Keith]

They do date to WW II as training aids, there is a whole series of threat weapons, Japanese, German and Italian.
Post war, they were sold as was mentioned, the company probably solde war surplus first then produced them for the market, and the company sold Colt SAA's also.
Yours is the first one I've seen with a lanard loop.
Nice item.
BKW

[Linedoggie]

Holster filler for Parades. VFW/American legion, etc. gave the proper weight so the holster didnt bounce around.

[69Stinger]

Interesting that there are 3 different replies with 3 completely different explantions! I alway thought that these were WW2 training aids. Over the years, I've seen a Luger, P-38, .45, Nambu Pistol and Mauser Broomhandle pistol. I will say that this is the first .45 I've seen with the lanyard loop. I have two without it and they display nicely in holsters. Does anyone have any documentation on these?

[Misanthropic_Gods]

Holster filler for Parades. VFW/American legion, etc. gave the proper weight so the holster didnt bounce around.

Nor an expret by any means, but I have seen ROTC color guards with these. Back when I was in NJROTC, we had the option of having these (With the lanyard) in a holster, while we did Color Guard and Armed Drill Team

[capa]

Seeing that just took me back-when I was a kid I had one of those and loved playing Army with it. It was given to me by a family friend who got his is the Navy. I ended up losing it off a cliff when we were playing in a place we had no business playing-the side of a mountain (I am from East Tennessee).
Sure wish I still had it,
thanks for the post

[hhbooker2]

:w00t: Quaker Gun?

[WW2 History Buff]

How much do these run for? I want to have something to fill my holster up and i dont have money for a real one but i wish i did!
Haydn

[Justin]

How much do these run for? I want to have something to fill my holster up and i dont have money for a real one but i wish i did!
Haydn

I have the some problem, I was thinking about asking about dummy .45's

[Steve B.]

I have seen staff officers, including at least one battalion commander, who took a dummy .45 on field training exercises so they didn't have to worry about losing or maintaining a real one.

[shrapneldude]

I've seen the Luger and the 1911 in this same type of construction.

When I originally bought them, I was told they were WWII training aides, and "dummy guns" but without any markings of any kind on them, it was hard to tell. Ultimately, the consensus most of us came to was that these were cast toy guns. No doubt they had a place among the stage / screen actor props, and things like that, but for handguns it isn't very practical to have dummy guns. You're not doing bayonet training with a 1911.
I'd be very curious to see photos or documents of these being used as "dummy guns" in US Military training, officially though, if anyone has any! Currently, the only use of dummy guns I can think of are all rifles / long guns except for ISMT weapons (real guns to start with).

The luger I had sold to a toy collector for $35 and the 1911 went to a reenactor for $40.

[willysmb44]

Nor an expret by any means, but I have seen ROTC color guards with these. Back when I was in NJROTC, we had the option of having these (With the lanyard) in a holster, while we did Color Guard and Armed Drill Team

I was in AFJROTC in high school (graduated in 1987) and did color guard the entire time I was involved. We carried these but ours didn’t have lanyard rings.

[Doran]

Comic books in the '60s had ads for cast aluminum 1911 copies for I believe $5.95 ppd but I don't remember a lanyard loop on those. I always wanted one but never had that much money all at once.

[copdoc]

Comic books in the '60s had ads for cast aluminum 1911 copies for I believe $5.95 ppd but I don't remember a lanyard loop on those. I always wanted one but never had that much money all at once.

These are Lyrtle toy guns from the 1950 ads. I am not sure if your 45 is part of the series, but if it is I need it to finish out my collection. :lol:LOL

These came from the estate of a retired Army Col on the west coast. My friend thought they were real when he first saw them in the back of a cabinet, called me and said I could have them. Well it was still nice a surprise but I am still waiting on a "bag of Lugers".

[Acadien359]

Guys,

 

I've always heard these were WW2 training aids as well [much like the later "rubber duck" trainers used from Vietnam upwards], and all those I've had or seen were always fairly well detailed. In addition to the ones mentioned above, I have also seen an aluminum S&W Victory Model type revolver and just picked up an Italian Beretta M.34 pistol.

 

My question is, concerning the WW2 training aid/recognition angle is...with so many attempts to save aluminum during the war and using substitute materials where possible [think canteens, canteen cups and mess gear, for instance], why would they use so much aluminum for making alleged "training aids"? Whatever the case, they do make for an interesting display, and come in handy for public displays where carrying a real gun would be frowned upon.

 

Alan

[pararaftanr2]

Although made from a different material, this wartime article from Naval Aviation News states the purpose served by dummy pistols.

 

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[1SG_1st_Cav]

I remember my uncle working at a foundry in Cleveland.  They cast .45s out of aluminum for a third party.  My uncle gave me one in the mid-1950's.  I went in the Army in February 1960, and left all my stuff at home.  My two younger brothers got into my stuff and that .45 is just one item that was missing.  They also lost my baseball with the signatures from the entire 1946 Cleveland Indians team.

 

They also lost the bolt out of my .22 caliber rifle, my 8th grade graduation certificate, my confirmation certificate, and a bunch of other keepsakes.  I forgave those two knumb skulls a long time ago.

That just what big brothers are supposed to do.

[BOLO]

they look like something a holster maker might have in his shop to mould the shape of a M1911 to make a holster, also could be used to break in a new holster.