1911 made by "Singer"

[shoot-smoke-and-eat-bbq]

My brother has a really nice old 1911 that he swears was made by the same company that made the sowing machines. It does have "S. Mfg. Co." on the slide and it was made in New Jersey. I''m curious to know if any of you have heard of guns made by Singer.

 

[jag312]

Yes, Singer did make a small number of 1911A1 pistols for WWII. They are extremely rare and extremely valuable. I hope nobody tries to get him to sell it for a couple thousand dollars. If anyone ever tries to tell your brother that a Singer 1911A1 is not valuable, tell your brother he has the right to shoot the lying dog.

 

[Lee Barner]

yes, they had an "educational order" in 1941 and delivered 500 pistols which went to the army air corps in late 41. some have been found in records at hickam field, hawaii as being issued on dec 5, 41. the serial range is S800,000 to S800,500. their education order was cut short and the tooling returned to springfield armory where it was later transfered to remington rand. they are highly sought after and worth $$$$$$. there are probably as many fakes out there as real ones, mostly thanks to a guy in southern california. if you hold the pistol pointed up, the P proofmark should be upside down on a real singer. if it's right side up, it been faked. hope it's real and the frame has the S in front of the proper ser range. lee

 

[shoot-smoke-and-eat-bbq]

Interesting. I would never have guessed. He acquired the pistol in trade back in the '70s. He's never wanted to sell it but the guy he traded told him it was made by the sowing machine company. I've shot it and it's a pretty decent 1911 as far as a shooter goes. Thanks for the info. I'll research this a bit now that I know Singer really did make pistols.

 

[shoot-smoke-and-eat-bbq]

I'll post some picts next time I visit my brother. Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[jag312]

The P that Lee Barner refers to is on top of the slide, just in front of the rear sight. Point the gun muzzle up, and the P is upside down. Also, on the left side of the frame, just behind the trigger guard there should be JKC stamped. That was Col. John K. Clement, the inspector. There should be no markings on the right side of the slide.

This pistol is the Holy Grail for all 1911 collectors. I would strongly suggest keeping it in a safe deposit box.

 

[shoot-smoke-and-eat-bbq]

The P that Lee Barner refers to is on top of the slide, just in front of the rear sight. Point the gun muzzle up, and the P is upside down. Also, on the left side of the frame, just behind the trigger guard there should be JKC stamped. That was Col. John K. Clement, the inspector. There should be no markings on the right side of the slide.

This pistol is the Holy Grail for all 1911 collectors. I would strongly suggest keeping it in a safe deposit box.

I'm a bit stunned. I'm going to call tonight to see if all the markings check out. As best I can tell the thing is in great condition. Does anyone know if the fakes were circulating back in the 70's? That's when he acquired this thing in trade.

 

[Lee Barner]

jag, thanks for the extra info on the inspector's marks. i couldn't remember who the inspector at singer was. lee

 

[fat tom]

Give your brother this message:

JACKPOT!!!!!!


f.t.

 

[handejector]

Yes, Singer did make a small number of 1911A1 pistols for WWII. They are extremely rare and extremely valuable. I hope nobody tries to get him to sell it for a couple thousand dollars. If anyone ever tries to tell your brother that a Singer 1911A1 is not valuable, tell your brother he has the right to shoot the lying dog.

Read that again.
A genuine Singer in low condition can still be a 5 figure gun.
I say FIVE.
Put some oil on it and quit shootin'!

 

[mkk41]

The serial number of the frame should tell all. Singer frames had ser.nos. S800001-S800500. Forgeries have been known to exist.

There is talk that Singer made an unknown number of extra slides and other parts that may have found their way into the supply chain and used by other manufacturers and by Govt arsenals for rebuilds.

Most of the Singer tooling was acquired and used by Remington Rand.

 

[shoot-smoke-and-eat-bbq]

I can't thank you guys enough for your help with this. It is hard for me to believe that we have had this pistol almost 40 years and never knew it was really rare. We just thought it was an old WWII pistol and was worth keeping around just because of that. I am very interested in asking my brother if he remembers what he swapped for it. Knowing him it was probably an old Walker hound dog!

 

[Lee Barner]

CALL YOUR BROTHER. the suspense is killing us. please. lee

 

[230grfmj]

Here's a link to the 1911 Forum where the authenticity of a Singer being offered at one of the auction houses is being questioned.

Is this a real Singer? - 1911Forum

 

[A10]

Another person sitting on the edge of their seat here. If this is the real deal, and it sounds like it may be, we NEED PICS!!!!

 

[Fat Old Guy]

Actually, Singer makes sewing machines. The sowing machines were made by Allis-Chalmers.

 

[walnutred]

Actually, Singer makes sewing machines. The sowing machines were made by Allis-Chalmers.

However you can find M1 Garands that were made by a sowing machine company.

 

[venomballistics]

Read that again.
A genuine Singer in low condition can still be a 5 figure gun.
I say FIVE.
Put some oil on it and quit shootin'!

the war effort 1911's had a stunningly long list of manufacturers to include Singer of sewing machine fame and Smith Corona of typewriters.
some of these oddballs are one piece retirement funds as may be the case here. get your brother to find a replacement for shooting and safe mount that baby

 

[shoot-smoke-and-eat-bbq]

the war effort 1911's had a stunningly long list of manufacturers to include Singer of sewing machine fame and Smith Corona of typewriters.
some of these oddballs are one piece retirement funds as may be the case here. get your brother to find a replacement for shooting and safe mount that baby

Well, I talked to him today and everything seems to check out with what I've been told about these guns. I am sorry I don't yet have picts (my brother is old school - no cell phone, etc.) so I'll have to take them when I next visit. He also is not sure as to what he traded or who he traded with. To be honest, I really don't think he cares a lot about how much the gun might be worth, he just likes it. One thing for sure is I know he won't sell or trade the thing. I offered him $100 for it and he told me to stick it in my ear!!!!

 

[mkk41]

However you can find M1 Garands that were made by a sowing machine company.

Yep , International Harvester.