Rifleman Q&A: “Black” Colt M1911s

Q. In my collection, I have a unique Colt Model of 1911 marked “U.S. ARMY.” Its condition is about 70 to 75 percent, though, its finish is incredibly dark—nearly black compared to the traditional blued finish I’ve seen elsewhere. Do I have a unique specimen?

A. In 1918, Colt was shipping the Model 1911 in batches of 6,000 and then increased that to 8,000. Toward the end of the year, the company shipped a huge batch of 347,000 units. Your gun was in this last batch with serial numbers running 233601 through 580600. So, your pistol, Serial No. 435XXX, may have departed for World War I in late 1918.

The reason for the remarkable increase in the speed of production was a considerable reduction in construction and finishing time. The most notable difference, at first glance, is the lack of fine polishing of the metal and the dull finish. These shortcuts become visible starting around Serial No. 312000. Some call this finish “Black Colt.”

Another indication of a “Black” pistol will be the repositioning of the “Rampant Colt” logo. Around Serial No. 275000, it was moved from the rear of the slide to the center just behind the patent dates. This change occurred before the Black finish, so some high-finish Colts will have the Rampant Colt in the new position, while all Black Colts have it there in the center for the slide. The Black finish started in May 1918, and the war ended in November 1918, so a great many of the Black Colts did not make it overseas.