There it is, many of you know what this is, its public record what I paid. I'm 34 this year and the chance to own a weirdly historical gun of Keith's like this is worth all the financial distress it put me through. Mock me if you will, but I've always been a bit too responsible with money, I figure I'm allowed one seriously dumb financial decision in my life right?


Lets step through it starting with what the gun itself started life as.

Why does the NRA bit here matter? Really good question considering my gun does not appear to have the NRA stamp:



Could be that the reblue removed it, I'm not sure.

If we consult Elmer's 1974 guns.xls on the subject:



The subject of the NRA is not mentioned, however, in his other writing he does mention it, for example in this 1969 article about how the automatic is here to stay:

Seven clips huh? My first inclination is to chalk that up to a bit of a tall tale, but then again this was The Great War and a reliable 1911 in the hands of a good shooter is not liable to miss at those ranges as he mentions.

So who was this Captain Bill Strong anyway?



That's him and Elmer on the trip Bill died as the captain mentions. It's from this October 15th 1926 piece that Elmer wrote (and looks to have won $200 in doing so) on hunting accidents.






The interesting thing when reading this account later from "Hell, I was there" and his explanation to Bill's brother George which can be found in Letters from Elmer Keith (p. 32), the whole event takes on a very sinister tone. The letter in particular is filled with foreshadowing about uneasy feelings and bad luck.

I think this bit is important for this box thread:

If you get a chance it's worth doing a bit of reading on the subject, basically Keith thought that there was a conspiracy to murder Strong and that it wasn't an accident. This stuff reads like he played the whole thing in his mind over and over and everything took on a more and more sinister tone as the years passed. For this thread what I think is important is that Bill Strong was very influential on him. Earlier in that same letter he writes:

From "Hell I Was There":


My future plans include trying to gather up more about Captain William Strong, see what records there are on him during the War, maybe shooting competition records given Elmer says he bought the gun through the NRA.


This was all stuff I didn't really quite understand when I bought the gun. I bought it because it was one of the few guns in that auction that I thought really reflected Elmer Keith's personality that I might be able to afford, also because of the King work done on the gun as detailed in that 1974 list of his guns. It has the mirror front sight, which I'm guessing may have been a gold bead at one time which has been lost:










On the subject of the grips, I don't really know anything yet.



As you probably noticed they have the Initials EAP, which that 1974 ledger indicates was E.A. Price of Garland City Arkansas, and a wedding gift. My cursory digging hasn't come up with anything, and honestly work is keeping me busy enough brain wise that I haven't yet started digging on the subject. As I understand it there is someone I should be talking to who can detail out all the history of the gun for me, but I haven't been given that guy's number yet. I can keep you guys posted if you are interested.


All in all the gun is everything I had hoped it would be, the trigger is a dream, and I am really looking forward to getting it out to the range to shoot it.

I haven't yet cleaned it (as you likely noticed in the pictures). I'm probably going to have to consult with a 1911 collector I know on the subject. I've never owned something like this.

As to the price, well, that's public record and I will leave you with this: Don't bid on an auction after you have flown across the country and been awake for 27 hours. You may just find yourself in a hole that you have to sell stuff to get out of.

I don't really care though, it's totally worth every penny and scrambling to figure out how to pay my credit card bill. I'll replace the money, I'd never have a chance to buy such a thing again. To me history isn't really real when I read it in books, but when I hold it in my hand that's an entirely different matter. I expect this thing will give me a lot of pleasure just accumulating the books and documents that pertain to it.

Congrats on your purchase. I stopped by Poulin's and Julia's with some friends on 3/14 and saw your gun, along with many others from the Keith collection. It was a truly amazing amount of history in one place.

In fact, your pistol is one of the few that I photographed while I was there. I had assumed that pictures weren't allowed and when I saw someone posing with some guns I asked and was told that taking pictures was fine. Of course, that was just about the time we were leaving so I only got to snap a few shots. The guns was in a glass case, I had no idea the skull and cross bones was on the other side. Here is the pic I took of your gun-

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

Hell, it was there, too.
I don't know what you paid, but that is something you will be able to show with pride for the rest of your life.

Very cool and I'm jealous!

Fascinating history and stories about a fabulous old pistol! Just simply fascinating. I love stuff like this.

Me too. I'm kind of bummed I didn't get any of his great S&Ws, but the ones I really wanted to went to good homes from what I can figure.

In other news I was just looking the gun over again and I noticed something:

Long term,I think it's a good investment and the best part is that you get to shoot one of Elmer's guns

Hey, golly gosh. Look. Elmer Keith ALSO did not know anything about guns.

Look right there in Elmer's gun collection list, in his own hand. Captain Strong fired 7 CLIPS at Germans.

7 clips. Wow. You'd think that someone as well-known as Elmer Keith would KNOW that 1911s didn't use CLIPS. They used MAGAZINES.

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I always take precautions

Here is some info on E. A. Price from Timothy J. Mullins' book "Handbook Of Handguns".

He says Price was a gentleman farmer from Arkansas with an experimental turn of mind. During the 1920s Price wrote a series of articles for "American Rifleman" in which he discussed at length the value of the Colt .45.
Unfortunately, his findings only appeared in magazines, not in books, and they didn't reach as wide an audience as they could have.

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LEX ET ORDO

As one of my best friends says "I LOVE SHE!"

That gun is worth whatever you paid for it. Congratulations on a great heirloom.

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Rule of law, not a man.

What ever HAS been posted in this thread...

What ever WILL be posted in this thread.......

Is why we all gather here at this wonderful place we call

OUR Forum..

Ya gotta love this place!!

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

I don't know what you paid for it and don't care. That is just cool!!!
Please keep us informed of any more info.

"Is why we all gather here at this wonderful place we call"
Especially since we are discussing a man's Colt auto who is best known for his Smith & Wesson revolvers.

Very special piece.
Excellent write-up.
I bet that day on the range will bring a smile to your face, you are next caretaker of this fine pistol.

Let me know next time you head to DJs. I'd like to shake your hand! That is historically significant, and just plain COOL!

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Even older, even crankier....

I googled a bit, and found E A Price advertising to buy "new" Colt .45 and .25 pistols in an outdoor magazine. Not much else yet, but there will be something out there!

More Springfields are marked NRA than Colts. The orders went to Springfield Arsenal, and as they were still making the 1911, more often a Springfield was available for shipping when the order came in than a Colt.

Doesn't look like Elmer Keith's 45 has a Springfield magazine in it. The Springfields had the side plates brought down and folded under the floorplate. Like the Colts of the period, they had lanyard loops.

That made me laugh, like the arguments about clip v. magazine always do. My father. who died 1-9-15, was a WWII vet. He, and the other WWII vets I've met some on my own and some thru him and his regimental reunions, never, not once, ever called the bullet holder thingy-ma-bob that goes in the bottom of a "45 automatic" (another source of fake controversy) anything other than a "clip".

So by golly, in their honor, that's what I call it.

Congratulations. What an acquisition!

FN in MT

Congrats, I don't care what you paid for it. If your happy that's all that matters.

I was interested in Arkansas connection too. Frankly, I had never heard of "Garland City" Arkansas. I suspected the article meant "Garland County". But Garland City is little town where locals work in timber/farming/oil and gas close to Texarkana. Years ago I represented some Prices down in that same area that were big landowners. I bet they are EA's family.

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No school like the old school.

That "something" you noticed is most often referred to as "The Icing on the Cake".

Garland City is between Texarkana and Lewisville on Hwy 82. About all it's known for now is a good Catfish restaurant called Doc's. Mostly farmland, some old run down vacant buildings, and poor folk.
Man, that is one fantastic pistol, with fantastic provenance.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

That is an historical item, museum worthy. What you paid will not matter shortly - enjoy!

Once you get that pistol paid off ... don't ever sell it. I wouldn't deep clean it either, leave that Keith DNA where it is!

I have to say this question has been bothering me. I think I am going to have to clean it to make sure there's no active rust.

Also I'm going to have to clean it after shooting it. I imagine Keith's ghost would haunt me forever if I never shot the gun.

What do you guys think about replacing the gold bead in the front sight? Looks like it fell out at some point, I was thinking of getting a jeweler to put a new one in there.

Shoot it at over 200 yards lying on your left side with your right knee drawn up and your hand rested on the outside of your knee. Use your left arm to support your upper body. Elmer will be watching.

I say go for the gold bead. It would just add history and not really be an alteration.

Great gun! Just curious - is there any markings on the back of the grips?

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

major major congrats....

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

I think it was more likely to be an ivory bead. The little groove in the rear sight probably started out with white paint in it.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

I thought the gentleman with the post & pictures of the double rifles had the best post of the week.
However, I think, you sir, edged him out for best post of the week..
I Really enjoy the post & pictures. Thank you for sharing .

Why yes, yes there is. Elmer scratched his initials in there it would appear, and a date:




I'm thinking it's 1924?




Ooh, good point.

I may need to get some scrap ivory and see about replacing it.

Congratulations on your purchase and thanks for the very interesting post you have made with the pictures and articles. I enjoyed reading every line of it. I have always been a fan of Elmer Keith and have read lots of his writings.

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James
On the Llano Estacado

I had to do it once on a King sight on a Registered Magnum. It needs to be shaped like a golf ball on a tee. IOW, it needs to have a little tail that pushes down into the sight. It is a clever design and if you look into the sight with a good light and a loupe you should see a tapered hole that accepts the "tail." I also used a tiny drop of epoxy.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Most of the King reflector ramp blades I have seen have either a white or red plastic insert. In King catalog #19 (1930's?) it cost $4.00 to have the reflector ramp installed on 1911 with red,white, or gold insert. Nice pistol, I chased it a little while!

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PTLAPTA!

By the way, what auction were those guns in ??
How did i miss that event ??

This gun was in the James D. Julia auction on March 15th, there were also Elmer Keith guns in the Poulin auction that same week.


I decided to take a group shot of my 1911s. I like them to have some character:

Hey Sixgun, I have an antique sperm whale tooth I would be happy tp donate a part of for your ivory front sight bead.

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Even older, even crankier....

The above is why I like this forum so much.

Excellent story and fabulous gun! I've been googling all I can find about the accident. I can't imagine what a hell that must have been to experience.
On a side note, the only vintage 1911 I've ever owned was a authentic Springfield Armory. I didn't have any significant knowledge on these guns (still don't) and therefore never realized how few SA 1911's are out there. Good Ole Lee Barner printed out several pages from the Clawson book for me and I savored the gun for a while....then promptly traded it for a few S&W wheel guns.

Your gun is very high on the cool factor. I'm glad you got it.

Roger

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Eph 2:8-9

So, it is beyond cool that you have acquired a totally awesome piece of firearm (and Americana) history. What's even MORE cool is that you have offered up your story and the story behind the gun to all of us who actually understand and appreciate its importance. I looked at Elmer's guns (online) before they went to auction and saw what they went for afterwards. (Oh, how I wish I could have afforded his Ruger Number 1 in .458, just because, but that's another story) Understandably, they went to wealthy folks who could afford them. Unfortunately, most of them will be in collections that will never see the light of day or ever be heard from or about again. So, THANK YOU for sharing, and don't worry about the money you spend--they make more of that every day, but they don't make Elmer Keith owned Springfield 1911's any more.

Or he didn't care. That's what works for me.

E.A. Price wrote a number of articles in the American Rifleman around the time Elmer started writing for them. One of Elmer's first published writings was a letter to Price.

Amazing gun, fantastic purchase, and great write-up, including the research about Captain Strong. Thanks a lot indeed for sharing. Now that estimate seemed pretty low.

I understand you were in the auction room, bidding and fighting live for that particular gun, must have been quite an experience. And I agree, regardless of the amount invested, you are now the custodian of an unique piece of American gun history. And I guess whatever you have to sell does not come close to this 1911.

Very nice trio too.

I would be honored to send you a piece of scrap ivory for that front sight...
PM me...
JIM.......

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SWCA # L-1911

In my relatively brief tenure as a member of this forum, as well as a long-time E. Keith book owner, reader and fan, this particular post has to be one of - if not the most - enthralling ones, overall, I've followed here. And that includes many of the replies/comments postings, also.

Excellent posting, and "congrats" on such an impressive acquisition.

Fascinating! Absolutely fascinating. Thanks for sharing with us.

In Keith's day, the term clips and magazines were used interchangeably.

I've got an idea that could help you recoup some of the cost of the gun. Former TV & Movie Celebrities do it all the time.

Next time there's a big ta-do at your gun club you can charge $25 to anyone who wants their picture made holding the gun.

And for the meager sum of $100 they'd get to fire it...once.

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NULLI SECUNDUS

SS,

I'm sure Elmer would have replaced the bead in the front sight, but don't think you should... I'd leave it as is. "Any antique" retains its value if you don't mess with it. Imagine, fixing the Mona Lisa's crooked smile or washing the Shroud of Turin! Look at the wonderful "patina" on the back of those ivory grips ... that smudge is from Elmer shooting it!

Looking for rust ... I'll bet that it's pretty clean. As long as you don't put the pistol in a foam case or store it on the garage workbench, it will be fine. That's a beautiful relic of one of greatest hand-gunners there ever was. You are a custodian ... shoot it if you must, but don't alter it either!!!