We continue our journey through the history of the M1911A1 pistol by looking at another WWII military example from 1943. This pistol was not produced by Colt, but by another of the appointed contractors, namely the Ithaca Gun Company of New York. Read on for another LSB journey in firearms history…

The M1911A1 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The successor to the Colt Model of 1911 was adopted in 1924 and was manufactured by Colt as well as by new contractors, including Remington Rand, Ithaca Gun Company, Union Switch & Signal and Singer.

The Ithaca Gun Company was established in Ithaca (NY) in 1883 by William Henry Baker and Leroy Smith together with several partners. The company was responsible for much of the early industry of Tompkins County, especially during World War I and World War II, and counted among its patrons John Philip Sousa, Annie Oakley, and Alfred Lee Loomis.  At the time Sousa was president of the American Trap Shooters Association and The Ithaca gun company named a shotgun in his honour, the Sousa Grade. Annie Oakley used an Ithaca Flues model in her competition and exhibition shooting. In 1917, Alfred Loomis and his brother-in-law, purchased 17,000 acres (69 km2) of Hilton Head Island, which they established as a private hunting preserve and purchased Ithaca shotguns for use by guests. Dwight D. Eisenhower and George C. Marshall also owned Ithaca double barrel shotguns.

The Ithaca Gun Company produced 400,000 M1911A1 pistols between 1943 and 1945, the same as Colt. The quality of the Ithaca guns was just as high as the rest. The inspector mark found on all Ithaca M1911A1 pistols is ‘FJA’ for Frank J. Atwood.

The istol that we are offering today is a .45 ACP M1911A1 produced by the Ithaca Gun Company in 1943. It is in excellent original condition. The slide and frame have matching serial numbers and the Parkerised finish is practically intact.  The pistol is stamped with the inspector’s initials ‘FJA’.

If you wish to own this iconic firearm, please send us a private message or phone us on 99471091 to reserve it until you visit the shop to see it physically. You will require as a minimum a Target Shooter Licence A or a Collector Licence A to be able to purchase it. LSB’s knowledge and experience in historical firearms assures you of a good investment. We offer a lifetime guarantee on the genuineness of the pieces in our vast inventory so that you may buy in full confidence.

Today’s post is also featured on our Facebook Page.  We take great pleasure in bringing you these daily snippets of firearms history and we hope that you enjoy reading them.