#COLT 1911 A1 GOVERNMENT MODEL SERIAL NUMBER#
Lastly, with a bit of clever marketing, a simple "COLT M1991A1" slide rollmark and the serial number range picked up where the original USGI contract pistols left off in 1945. A matte parkerized finish was applied, black plastic grip instead of woods, a nylon mainspring housing and trigger pad instead of alloy, a set of plain black sights, and they shipped from the factory with two seven round magazines. Instead of the polishing and blueing a "no frills tough guy attitude" set of features was included. Luckily for Colt, that meant less time finishing the guns. Both the Norinco and Springfield Armory made guns looked like WWII era USGI contract guns. One of the things Colt learned form their competitors was that at the time, the no-nonsense military look was actually selling well. Colt took the basic MK IV Series 80 Government Model 1911 and looked at what could be changed to lower manufacturing and production costs.įactory Colt MK IV Series 80 Government Model. The second step was getting back to making guns that were affordable and reliable.
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"I wanted to work here where they made the guns." I was so damn happy to be hired here at Colt 22 years ago," Mr. "I always took pride in the Colt product," he said. 24, 1986, after 10 months without a contract.
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"It's like being home again," said 62-year-old William Smith, who maintained the gun-making machines for 22 years before he and 1,050 other members of United Auto Workers Local 376 walked off the job on Jan. shift on Wednesday was delayed an hour while the jubilant workers, armed with banners proclaiming "We Beat 'Em and We Bought 'Em," celebrated their victory after four years on strike with a spirited rally outside Colt's gritty, brick factory building. As reported by the New York Times in 1990 The first step was ending the strike and getting the skilled talent back. Norinco and Springfield Armory made 1911s.Ĭolt, seeing that they were being undercut in the market by cheaper imports and losing customers due to the lack of quality and still higher prices on their products versus their competitors' went to the drawing and marketing board.