The Final Colt 1911 from WWI

While cruising the World War I sections of the National Archives, I stumbled upon this photo of a Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol:

The gun itself is unremarkable in appearance. It’s just one of 487,714 pistols made by Colt during World War I. It’s the notation on the photograph that makes it special: “Colt .45 pistol; being prepared for production when armistice was signed.” That little piece of provenance makes this one special little pistol.

The video here lays out the history behind the handgun:

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