[T.May]

OK…this should be entertaining….
I have a 1945 M1911A1 that is in almost new condition…perhaps even unfired. Here is a close up of the feed ramp, parkerized as was normal for that year. I can not see any signs of a bullet having been across this surface but there might be some wishful thinking here on my part. The full pistol was dissected at length in another forum for refinish due to its condition…if you are interested..(1945 Colt M1911A1 - 1911Forum) I'll never subject myself to that again. Final consensus was original finish.

Looking for thoughts from others on this feed ramp…..is it possibly still a virgin? Every other piece of this gun would suggest it is possible.
The white specs are cotton lint from a rag…sorry.

you can also see the gun here: http://www.coltforum.com/forums/colt-semiauto-pistols/71074-let-s-see-your-us-property-colts-2.html

 

[dogface6]

A good cleaning will remove any traces of the jacketed Ball round - look more towards any finish loss on the rails and the back of the hammer where it strikes the grip safety.

A mark at that point doesn't get there from working the slide.

All Service Pistols were proof-fired.

I've got one in the 236,000 range - late 1945, probably last Contract - and it's in equally clean condition, so it saw very little range time or holster time.

Nice piece!

 

[JohnnyP]

By that time Colt had changed to Parko-Lubrite which was a smooth finish unless it was applied over sandblasting. The tops of the receivers were not sandblasted, leaving a very smooth finish on the feed ramp. It was smooth enough that Ordnance allowed Colt to discontinue the final polishing of the feed ramp to remove the finish.

 

[T.May]

Thanks Dogface….Here are the only marks I can find on the hammer and grip safety. As you can see, almost all of the finish is still on the rails of the receiver.
I know you can never tell for certain but for what it's worth…I never touched the feed ramp when I cleaned it…for what appeared to be the first time in a very long time.

Would love to see yours.

 

[JohnnyP]

What does the top of the barrel that shows through the ejection port look like? This is normally the first part to show wear on the 1911 style pistol. In addition to other spots of wear, the left side of the receiver at the slide stop cut shows finish wear, indicating the slide stop has been working.

The value of the pistol will come down to it's overall condition rather than whether it was fired or not.

 

[1KPerDay]

In any case, that's a beautiful pistol. Thanks for sharing.

 

[T.May]

Johnny…I can only imagine how many times the pistol has been racked and checked in the past 68 years…that is why I don't physically show it to people anymore.
The top of the hood has about the same amount of wear as the reset of the barrel.

 

[CJS57]

That is very nice barrel! Here is a brand new in the wrap Colt "F" barrel for comparison.