Remington Rand 1911a1 Markings Official
The left side of the slide contains the manufacturer name and location. These evolved through three distinct variations: Type 1 (Early 1943):
The frame of a USGI 1911A1 is covered in small but critical markings, each with a specific meaning. These marks are the government's quality control system etched into the metal.
Note: The right side of the slide is generally sterile (no markings). 3. Frame Markings and Inspectors remington rand 1911a1 markings
: The city and state are stamped using lowercase letters, saving space and altering the visual layout of the slide. Type 3 Roll-Mark (Late/Standard Production)
Remington Rand M1911A1 pistol (Colt type) - Imperial War Museums The left side of the slide contains the
While Colt is the most famous name, Remington Rand's production numbers dwarfed everyone else's, making them the most common but historically significant variant. A World War I-era Remington-UMC 1911 has a completely different set of markings from a WWII Remington Rand 1911A1, a distinction often missed by new collectors. Understanding this difference is crucial.
Among all wartime contractors—including Colt, Ithaca, Union Switch & Signal, and even Singer Sewing Machine Company—Remington Rand delivered more M1911A1 pistols than any other. While over 1.8 million of these iconic handguns were produced during the conflict, Remington Rand accounted for approximately 1,086,624 pistols manufactured between 1943 and 1945. Note: The right side of the slide is
Beginning in late 1943, shortly after serial number 1,300,000, Remington Rand used letters A through Z and numbers 0 through 9 on both the right and left sides of the trigger guard to signify various assembly and QC inspections. The purpose of this system was to track inspectors and assemblers, thereby reducing the number of rejections or oversights in the production process. Ultimately, this system helped reduce rejections of finished pistols (which were minor repairable defects) to less than 5%.
Original Remington Rand M1911A1 pistols were typically issued with magazines manufactured by General Shaver or one of the several subcontractors to Colt during WWII. Remington-Rand 1911A1s can be found with magazines marked:
Generally, no markings are found on the right side of the slide. 2. Frame Markings: Property and Proofs