I would like to have one.

I am glad you differentiated between the Original Springfield Armory. The U.S. Armory was in Springfield, Massachusetts, and operated from about 1800 until closed about 1963 or 1968. It was operated by the U.S. Ordnance Department.

The current Springfield Armory is located in Illinois, and is a commercial venture not associated with the original.

I hear many folks today buying guns because they want the "authentic Springfield." There was much confusion over the M1 Rifle and the new Springfield product on another thread.

Bob Wright

During my brief military service, it was highly desireable to get an original Colt M1911A1. And it was also desireable to get a "two-toned" pistol when possible. The two-toned had a newly Parkerized frame with a worn slide, or vice-versa. No particular reason, except it looked neat. Sort of like nobody wore brand new matching fatigues, wear faded pants with a new shirt. New fatigues always looked llike a new recruit.

Bob Wright

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

I hear many folks today buying guns because they want the "authentic Springfield." There was much confusion over the M1 Rifle and the new Springfield product on another thread.

You can't see it in the pic, but the SA has the Flaming Bomb ordnance marking on the rear of the slide.

The current Springfield Armory was nothing but a very distant sparkle in Momma's eyes when that 1914 was born.

Originally Posted by Bob Wright

During my brief military service, it was highly desireable to get an original Colt M1911A1. And it was also desireable to get a "two-toned" pistol when possible. The two-toned had a newly Parkerized frame with a worn slide, or vice-versa. No particular reason, except it looked neat. Sort of like nobody wore brand new matching fatigues, wear faded pants with a new shirt. New fatigues always looked llike a new recruit.

Bob Wright

I also have my dad's service 1911A1 from the Viet Nam era; an SA marked arsenal re-work with a COLT slide and a Remington Rand frame. Not two-tone, but an official USGI mixmaster.

An older gentleman, now deceased, used to come out to the local range and shoot an older M1911 .45. He told me his father had carried it in the Navy during WW I, and he had carried it in the Navy in WW II.

He was a fine old gentleman of the old school, and thes GI .45 fondly recall his memory to me.

Bob Wright