Your premise makes sense. It seems reasonable that if a manufacturing date for a particular Colt is available it should be added to the archives letter. If manufacture dates and ship dates are kept in separate ledgers, that would make for extra time and effort and that translates into increased costs for the service. How many would be willing for that? Even if the date isn't available, the extra time would go into checking regardless.

Hmmm...why wasn't Colt using bar codes and scanners and digital records back then? It would make things so much easier for us now.

 

Your premise makes sense. It seems reasonable that if a manufacturing date for a particular Colt is available it should be added to the archives letter. If manufacture dates and ship dates are kept in separate ledgers, that would make for extra time and effort and that translates into increased costs for the service. How many would be willing for that? Even if the date isn't available, the extra time would go into checking regardless.
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Dates of manufacture have always been available for the asking. But you do have to ask. The reason I was given by Archives a while back why they are not automatically included is that usually they are really close to the ship date, so there isn't much gained.

 

My understanding is that 'Pre-war' only applies to the time period before WW2. Although I did wonder on this forum awhile back what guns made during WW2 were called.

And I agree about the letters. I just queried Paul on the archives thread about including that information.

 

That sounds right to me Michael. I would consider any gun made prior to 4/6/1917 as pre-war.

But you are exactly correct in that if it were shipped later than that date it may be presumed not to be pre-war in some minds.

Colt's will produce an Archive letter with both dates, if requested (both dates, as you no doubt know, were not on the request form) specifically by the requestor.

I have been asking for them for a couple years now. Here's an example with both dates:

 

That sounds right to me Michael. I would consider any gun made prior to 4/6/1917 as pre-war.

But you are exactly correct in that if it were shipped later than that date it may be presumed not to be pre-war in some minds.

Colt's will produce an Archive letter with both dates, if requested (both dates, as you no doubt know, were not on the request form) specifically by the requestor.

I have been asking for them for a couple years now. Here's an example with both dates:

View attachment 270746

That letter is really cool. I spent a lot of time in that K-Marts hunting and fishing department as a boy in the early 70's. The building is still there. It has sat empty for awhile. They are just now renovating it but have not put up signs for what is going in the building.

 

'Pre-War' would obviously be the dates preceding initial date of conflict - however, the collector lust for anything 'pre-war' seems to begin and end with those weapons made prior to WWII, and no other time frame.

Otherwise, we'd have things out there like 'Pre-Banana Wars', 'Pre-Korea', Pre-Vietnam', 'Pre-Gulf I,II,II IV,V,VI', and so on and so forth.

Probably a good thing collectors stuck on the one...

What I'd always pondered was the 'Pre-War USFA' clone - I thought what war - the 'Gulf War'?!? - really?

 

I think that is taking the extreme view..LOL...Some folks stay focused on a Certain time period, thus the reason for the original post..AFTER all we have had many wars as you pointed out, but only two recognized World Wars.

 

In most cases it indicates a difference in manufacture and features rather than any historical significance without tying it down to a specific date. After WWI the blued finish was an entirely different process, as well as after WWII. I don't know that there is any other significance as to whether a pistol or revolver was manufactured at a specific date which would make it more desirable if it was made before or after war started.

Prior to WWI Colt made a significant change in the final polish it applied to it's handguns, yet they would both be Pre WWI.

 

I'm not sure I see why "Pre-war" vs. "Made during the war" is of much importance since any "pre-war" gun could have been appropriated for use in the war that followed. I have a Luger that was very likely used in both Balkan Wars, WWI and WWII, but was shipped to Bulgaria in about 1911, just before the start of the first Balkan War.

What would/could be significant is to know if the manufacture or ship date was AFTER the cessation of hostilities so you know the gun was not carried in wartime (for that war, anyway).

 

Pre-war is certainly production before WW2. I have an early (1934) S&W Outdoorsman:

 

That is a nice Smith!