Singer M1911A1
1941 Production
Here is a Singer M1911A1 that was recently acquired from the family of a WWII vet
straight out of the woodwork. This genuine Singer has been fairly well-preserved
throughout its years. Receiver has the JKC (John K. Clement) inspector stamp and
P stamp above magazine release. Slide has the characteristic inverted P stamp
just ahead of the rear sight. Keyes grips are plastic, hollow backed without
reinforcement ribs or numbering, a variation unique to the Singer. Magazine is
entirely blued without markings. Bullet feed ramp was machined after the Dulite
blue finish was applied and is in-the-white. The polished Dulite blue finish
characteristically lacks the prominent milling lines of the so-called "brush
blue" Colts of the era. Also noteworthy is the absence of raised edges abutting
the serial number and No. prefix. The only markings on authentic Singers that
show raised edges are the JKC cartouche and the P proofs on the slide and frame,
reflecting the fact that they were stamped after application of the finish.
In 1939, the Singer Mfg. Co. of Elizabethport, NJ was granted a production study
of the M1911A1 by the U.S. government. In 1940, Singer was awarded Educational
Order No. W-ORD-396 for the production of 500 pistols (ref. Clawson). At the time,
the Singer Mfg. Co. was the world's largest mass producer of sewing machines.
Evidence suggests that manufacturing was completed by November 1941. Singers were
issued for service in WWII, and most if not all went to the United States Army Air
Corps (U.S. Army Air Forces).
Of the original 500 pistols produced by Singer in 1941, only about 100 to 110 have
been observed to exist today in varying condition from original mint to refinished,
swapped, or faked. To this day, original Singer M1911A1's are among the most highly
sought and valued of all .45 pistols. High condition Singers have typically sold
well into the five figure range amid today's market. Their value continues to rise.
In December 2007, a purportedly original Singer pistol sold for $80,500 at a
prominent firearms auction. (Rock Island Auction Company, Lot 3692, Dec '07)
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