A 1944 M1911A1 in the 1992 Los Angeles Riots

June 11, 2025

I recently acquired this 1944 Remington Rand pistol from the government’s de-accession of 1911s via the CMP program. A FOIA request on the pistol revealed an interesting history.

This 1911 left the factory in February 1944, but its WWII service is unknown. Several other pistols nearby in serial are confirmed to have been with the 5th Army in 1947. It was first reworked by Springfield Armory before its final refit at Anniston in 1975. In 1976 it reached its final duty station: the California National Guard.

In 1983 the pistol was given to HQ Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division, based out of Inglewood in Los Angeles. The division underwent some structural changes, but the pistol remained with the regiment until at least 1994.

On April 29, 1992, this pistol was almost certainly deployed alongside the 160th during the Los Angeles Riots which began after the release of the verdict in the Rodney King beating case. The city quickly fell into disarray as shootings, looting, arson, vandalism, and general chaos erupted across LA. Unable to quell the rioters, President Bush incited the Insurrection Act and, upon the request of the Mayor of LA, the National Guard was deployed.

The 160th was one of the primary units involved in stopping the riots, sending its companies across LA on specialized missions to pacify and secure key sectors. Veterans recalled that the breadth of the violence did not call for riot control tactics, but urban combat strategies. Rioters regularly shot at guardsmen, assaulted them, and even attempted to run some down in vehicles. Even so, they showed great restraint, firing only twenty 5.56 rounds and none of the 36,000 rounds of .45 ACP they deployed with.

After several days of intense operations, the 160th breathed easy as the unrest began to dissipate. The riots ended with a staggering 63 deaths, 2,300 injuries, hundreds of businesses looted, blocks of the city burnt to the ground, and over $1 billion in property damage.

This pistol left California Guard service in 2002, shipping to Anniston, Alabama, where it was stored until sold a few weeks ago.

The gun has a Type III RR slide, an original WWII High Standard Barrel, stampings for its manufacture and rebuilds, and a replaced Ithica hammer. One grip is a wartime Keyes and the other a Korean-era replacement.