Smith & Wesson Forum

Go Back   Smith & Wesson Forum > General Topics > Firearms & Knives: Other Brands & General Gun Topics
o

Notices

Firearms & Knives: Other Brands & General Gun Topics Post Your General Gun Topics and Non-S&W Gun and Blade Topics Here


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-11-2009, 11:36 AM
Larrymcc1 Larrymcc1 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

A number of years ago I had a rather unusal day. I traded a Poppa Nambu at a local gun shop for a 1930 Mauser even trade of $1,000. I brought the Mauser to a gun show where I happened upon a Stainless Steel Norwegian Colt believed to be Model of 1986 or 1988. I traded the Mauser for the Norwegian Colt even up. The Colt came with a target and a letter in a box stating tWhen he Norwegian goverment was looking for a new military pistol. They had made up a special of 1911 Colt's on there old equipment from pre-WWII. I believe they had made a run of 26 gun's in total. The gun I bought was one of those gun's unfired. I returned to the local gun shop and sold it to the owner who was a 1911 buff. He told me later the dealer at the show who sold me the gun came by his store the next day and bought at a good price. The gun store owner and me still to this day can not figured out what the whole deal was. I have never seen one for sale since. If anyone can update this story. I would much appreciate it.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-11-2009, 11:36 AM
Larrymcc1 Larrymcc1 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

A number of years ago I had a rather unusal day. I traded a Poppa Nambu at a local gun shop for a 1930 Mauser even trade of $1,000. I brought the Mauser to a gun show where I happened upon a Stainless Steel Norwegian Colt believed to be Model of 1986 or 1988. I traded the Mauser for the Norwegian Colt even up. The Colt came with a target and a letter in a box stating tWhen he Norwegian goverment was looking for a new military pistol. They had made up a special of 1911 Colt's on there old equipment from pre-WWII. I believe they had made a run of 26 gun's in total. The gun I bought was one of those gun's unfired. I returned to the local gun shop and sold it to the owner who was a 1911 buff. He told me later the dealer at the show who sold me the gun came by his store the next day and bought at a good price. The gun store owner and me still to this day can not figured out what the whole deal was. I have never seen one for sale since. If anyone can update this story. I would much appreciate it.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-11-2009, 03:57 PM
2152hq 2152hq is offline
Member
Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts  
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 7,724
Likes: 1,633
Liked 9,091 Times in 3,362 Posts
Default

The Norwegian State Arsenal (Kongsberg) had a few 1911(A1 ?) pistols made up for them by an outfit called Bennett Arms Co.
IIRC this was in the 60's or 70's but I could be wrong there and the company spelling may be with only one 't'.

The guns were commercial style pistols.
The frames and slides were roll marked with the Norwegian markings in Kongsberg Arsenal.

Some had the old style 'Norwegian Colt' slide stop release installed on them, and most all had some modifications to them from the straight commercial pistol. I don't recall the number made up.
These pistols were made up and used to study the possibility of using the older 1911 system in a new issue pistol.

These pistols and even a few remaining original M-1914 Norwegian Colt 1911's were sold as surplus in the 1980's when the Arsenal was reorganized AFAIK.
One of these is perhaps what you had.

I'm not aware of any pistols made by Colt in Hartford,CT in the 80's for Norway as an experimental, but I'm certainly no expert on this stuff.

Bennet(t) Arms Co does sound faintly familiar ,,perhaps a custom pistol mfg around about that time. A look through some Gun Digest books from that era in the index of gun mfgs. may give a clue.

This is all I can recall of it myself from an article I read too long ago to remember where.

Perhaps someone on one of the 1911 collector forums can be of more help.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-11-2009, 05:38 PM
Larrymcc1 Larrymcc1 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Yes! I am familar with the WWII Nowegian Colt's. However, the letter I got with the gun stated the Govt. needed new weapons and made them to see if it viable for them as military sidearms. they eventually went with Sig's.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-11-2009, 06:57 PM
2152hq 2152hq is offline
Member
Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts  
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 7,724
Likes: 1,633
Liked 9,091 Times in 3,362 Posts
Default


These I'm refering to were made up in the 1960's or 1970's. They were not mfg by the Norwegian State Arsenal (Kongsberg) as some believe,,,,but were new commercial pistols made for them by Bennet(t) Arms Co.

They were NOT recycled WW1 or WW2 M-1914 pistols. These were the small lot used as a test basis to see if the 1911 could be further used as a service pistol there

They were however ROLL-MARKED by the Norwegian Arsenal with their complete slide and frame markings. By the markings, they would appear to be Norwegian M1911 pistols, but they were not actually mfg. by the Arsenal.

They were sold as surplus in the late 1980s ,,along with,,some remaining original M1914 Norwegian Colt pistols in storage.

The last true M1914 pistols were put together just after WW2 there from remaining parts left over from the German occupation and operation of the Arsenal during the war.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-11-2009, 09:08 PM
rayb rayb is offline
US Veteran
Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts  
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Texas Panhandle
Posts: 541
Likes: 240
Liked 380 Times in 103 Posts
Default

Those Norwegian Colts turn up in the strangest places.
I am custodian of one than came to me via SE Asia. How it got there would probably be an interestng story in itself.

rayb
__________________
"cumplo pero no obedezco"
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-11-2009, 09:36 PM
n4zov's Avatar
n4zov n4zov is offline
US Veteran
Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts Norwegian Model 1988  1911.45 acp Colts  
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: S.E. USA
Posts: 1,942
Likes: 0
Liked 63 Times in 37 Posts
Default

Would somebody please post a photo of these "new" Norwegian Colts!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
1911, colt, commercial, military, sig arms, wwii

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Norwegian Colt 1911 SW CQB 45 Firearms & Knives: Other Brands & General Gun Topics 3 03-04-2014 11:08 PM
Norwegian checking in. Arnt-W New Members Introduction 21 03-02-2013 09:32 PM
WTS: Norwegian 1911 & 2 S&W 41's garysgun GUNS - For Sale or Trade 0 02-23-2011 04:18 PM
Norwegian Police Model 28's? stantheman86 S&W Revolvers: 1961 to 1980 7 10-28-2010 02:51 AM
~SOLD~ 1988 COLT KING COBRA Stainless 6"bbl, trade for a quality 1911 Steel609 GUNS - For Sale or Trade 6 10-23-2009 11:20 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
smith-wessonforum.com tested by Norton Internet Security smith-wessonforum.com tested by McAfee Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:10 AM.


Smith-WessonForum.com is not affiliated with Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC)