Colt Service Model ACE U.S. Property Marked .22 LR 5″ Floating Chamber Semi-Automatic Pistol 1942 C&R

SOLD FOR $7,625.00
LSB#: 180522TP13

Make: Colt

Model: Service Model Ace

Serial Number: SM 3099

Year of Manufacture: 1942

Caliber: .22 Long Rifle

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine

Markings: The left side of the slide is marked COLT’S PT. F.A. MFG. CO. HARTFORD, CT. U.S.A. / PATENT NUMBERS [] 2.090.656 [] 2.090.657″ and with a rampant colt. The right side of the slide is marked “COLT”, “SERVICE / MODEL”, “ACE” in diamond, “22” and “LONG / RIFLE”. The bottom of the slide at the rear under the extractor is marked “N” or “Z” and “0”. The rear face of the slide under the firing pin retainer is marked “30 / 99”. The left of the frame is marked “W.B.” in square (Waldemar Broberg, inspector mark). The front-left of the trigger guard has the “VP” in triangle proof and the rear-left is marked “T”. The right side of the frame is marked “UNITED STATES PROPERTY / SM 3099”. The top of the frame is marked “S” behind the disconnector and “T” forward of the disconnector, with a square to the right of the feed-ramp cut and “7” in the barrel lug notch just behind the dust cover. The floorplate of the two-tone magazine is marked “COLT / 22 ACE (in diamond) L.R. / SERVICE MODEL”.

Barrel Length: 5”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated ramped blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a flat-topped square-notched Stevens adjustable rear sight dovetailed to the rear of the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are fully checkered walnut panels. The grips are dark with oil staining. There is no notable wear or damage, only light handling marks. There are no chips or cracks. The grips rate in about Excellent condition.

Type of Finish: Blued

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 97% of its metal finish. There is some scuffing on the left of the slide along the top of the flat, a spot os light scuffing on the right of the slide at the bottom edge under “COLT” and a few light marks on the frontstrap. The screw heads are sharp. The pin heads are unmarred. The knurling on the trigger, hammer and mainspring housing is sharp. The markings are clear and crisp. Overall, this pistol rates in about Fine-Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The trigger pull is crisp and there is a barely perceptible amount of side-side play between the slide and frame. The action functions correctly. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one magazine left unfinished on the top half with the bottom half blued. The thumbpiece slot, follower and floorplate markings are correct for a Service Model Ace. The magazine has only very light operational wear, in about Excellent condition.

Our Assessment: The 1911 and 1911-A1 pistols served the military of the United States from 1911 to 1985, through two World Wars and the Korean and Vietnam wars. They gained a reputation as a reliable handgun with plenty of stopping power, and are held in high regard by those who have used them. Yet it could be expensive to train thousands of soldiers to use the 1911 while feeding it .45 ACP, moreso at the outset of WWII when the US Military would see the greatest expansion in its history. The Colt Ace had been introduced in 1931 as a .22 Long Rifle version of their Government Model, but it was dimensionally different and had significantly less recoil than the real thing. David “Carbine” Williams adapted his floating-chamber design to intentionally increase the recoil of the .22 LR cartridge to the point that it was similar to that of .45 ACP, even allowing the use of the same recoil spring. This became the Service Model Ace and allowed for drastically reduced practice costs when training GIs to use their 1911s. This example was produced in 1942 and is in Fine-Excellent condition with only a few light scuffs and marks in its beautiful Colt blue finish. Only a few hundred pistols later, the finish would be changed to a less appealing phosphate. Given its condition, its unlikely that this pistol saw too much actual use training soldiers, but it is a fantastic specimen of a Service Model Ace, sure to take a prized place in a Colt or US Military handgun collection. Please see our photos and good luck!

CA Legal or CA Private Party Transferable: This C&R eligible handgun CAN be transferred as a dealer sale in California and CAN be sold as a Private Party Transfer (PPT) at our Simi Valley shop. All cartridge firing handguns (even C&R’s and antiques) sold to a California resident must be DROS’d. This does not apply to out of state residents.

It has been brought to our attention that this gun has likely been redone and not original. It is difficult to see in the pictures, but the “WB” is not stamped with the same depth and thickness we see on other examples.