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Old 12-17-2010, 02:31 PM
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PALADIN85020 PALADIN85020 is offline
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Very nice 1909! Most of these went to the Philippines, and most stayed there for use against the Moros. Not too many came back to these shores, so it's a rarity in almost any condition. Leather holsters, high humidity and a blued finish caused unfortunate damage to most. Very few VG to Exc. condition specimens exist. I'm lucky enough to have one. Here's a pic:



This one was made in 1910 and carries the serial number 36862. It also shows the inspector mark R.A.C. (Rinaldo A. Carr) and the acceptance mark FB (Frank Baker) on the right side of the frame.

The Model 1909s were made from 1909 to 1911, and there were a total of 21,933 made. They chamber the .45 Colt (modified) which is the same as the .45 (long) Colt cartridge, but it has a wider rim to make ejection more reliable. Present-day .45 Colt cartridges work just fine, as they have slightly wider rims than those used back in the day. If the grips are original, they will have the serial number penciled inside the grips. The Model 1909 was made for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Special military serial numbers are on the butt. USN 1 to USN 1000, and USMC 1 to USMC 1300.
Colt's SNs were on the butt, crane and frame on the Army models. The last 4 digits of Colt's SN should be on the cylinder latch and inside the side plate of these.

Incidentally, very early U.S. Model 1917 Colts had the same configuration barrel (straight, no flare near the frame) as the Model 1909. The barrel was quickly changed to the flared type on the '17s as production got under way.

Hope this information helps.

John
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Last edited by PALADIN85020; 12-17-2010 at 02:43 PM.
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