This is a very rare example of an authentic WWII Model 1911A1 Pistol that was manufactured by the Singer Manufacturing Company during WWII. Under the Ordnance Educational Order No. W-ORD-396, the Singer Manufacturing Company only produced 500 pistols total, with almost all of them issued to the U.S. Army Air Corps. While the pistols were very nicely made, Singer never received a full contract, as other manufacturers were coming online to meet the need and Singer itself was needed elsewhere, being committed to an impressive array of critical hardware, including advanced bomb sights. With such an extremely low total number produced and the high attrition rate during WWII, the survival rate of original Singer 1911A1s is extremely low and they are highly sought after by collectors. Blade front and flat top notch rear sights, with left side of the slide roll-stamped "S. MFG. CO./ELIZABETH, N.J., U.S.A.", with no markings on the right side. The top of the slide is stamped with a "P" proofmark that is oriented toward the left side of the slide, and the slide is correctly not stamped with the pistol serial number. The frame is stamped "UNITED STATES PROPERTY/No S800461" with "M 1911 A1 U.S.ARMY" on the right side. The left side is stamped with the initials of Col. John K. Clement (JKC), the executive officer of the New York Ordnance District, and a single "P" proofmark is stamped above the magazine release button. The pistol is fitted with the correct wide spur hammer with borderless checkering, checkered thumb safety, slide stop, and mainspring housing. It is fitted with a milled trigger with a checkered face. It is fitted with reproduction checkered plastic grips with the full checkering on both sides, no reinforcing rings, the hollow backsides, and no reinforcing ribs or mold markings. It is fitted with a replacement blued barrel that is stamped "S" and "P" on the left side of the lug and a full blued replacement magazine stamped "L" on the toe.
Very fine, with 85% plus original blue finish, showing bright wear on the edges and the underside of the slide and frame, light scratches on the slide, mild spotting and light handling marks. A contrasting parkerized finish is present on the front and rear sight, which is a replacement part with cold blue visible around the front sight on the top forward slide. The replacement grips are very fine, with some light dings and dents. Mechanically excellent. Even with the slight defects, this extremely rare Singer M1911A1 would fill the vacant slot in any serious U.S. military or .45 Auto pistol collection!
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