у Лероя Томпсона (LEROY THOMPSON) написано
Even before Colt had reached pistol production levels sufficient to fulfill the military orders, plans were being made for a
civilian version of the 1911, to be designated the 'Colt Automatic Pistol Calibre .45 Military Model 1911.' Since 'GOVERNMENT MODEL'
was stamped on the frame, this became the name by which the commercial pistol was best known. Civilian versions had a 'C'
before the serial number.
Some sources state that by the end of 1912 serial number C1899 had been reached, but other sources give a figure as high as 3,000 for commercial production during that year.
A substantial number of early Colt 1911 pistols went to the United Kingdom.
In 1912 the .455 Webley & Scott self-loading pistol had been adopted by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. However, when World
War I began, Webley & Scott concentrated on producing the Mark VI revolver for the British Army. Colt, spotting a potential market among British officers who purchased their own handguns and appreciated stopping power and firepower based on experiences in colonial conflicts, experimented with chambering the 1911 pistol for the .455 automatic cartridge, so the British armed forces' existing stocks of .455 Webley Auto ammunition could be used for the Colt 1911.
To begin with, Colt 1911 pistols in .45 ACP chambering were sold within the UK in substantial numbers to private buyers - both civilians and individual military officers. By 1915, more than 2,200 commercial 1911s had been shipped to Colt's British distributor, the London Armoury Company. Some of these commercial 1911s will be encountered with the names of retailers such as Westley Richards and W. R. Pape engraved on them. As individual officers furnished their own weapons at this time, others that were purchased by individual officers, often through the Army & Navy Store, will be seen with the former owner's name and regiment engraved on them.
The first Admiralty order for 1,500 Colt 1911s in .455 caliber was fulfilled in 1915; these pistols were numbered in the Colt commercial series, with numbers running in the C29001 to C30500 range. The right side of the slide of pistols in this batch was marked 'Calibre .455.'
Colt M1911 British Contract: S/N W29117 to W97000 and S/N C29 to C74,200 = May 1912 to April 1919 (Approx. 17,500 pistols were shipped to England. Serial numbers that begin with a 'C' were .45 ACP and serial numbers that begin with a 'W' were .455 Webley calibers
It is difficult to be precise about the date that it was shipped to the London Armoury Company because Colt did not ship is strict serial number order and each delivery had guns from a wide range of serial numbers.
19 November 1914 100 pistols Nos. C9000 - C13800
30 November 1914 300 pistols Nos. C12400 - C13800
5 February 1915 200 pistols Nos. C13400 -C17600
16 March 1915 200 pistols Nos. C11100 - C17600
22 March 1915 300 pistols Nos. C13500 - C17300
Even as late as June 1915 pistiols with serial numbers in the C12600 series were being shipped.
The total number of .45ACP Government models shipped to the London Armoury Company between August 1914 and November 1916 was 4,110 pistols.
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