Colt 1914 Government Model .45 ACP WWI British/Canadian Markings

[vainn80]

 

Here for your perusal is Colt .45 ACP 1914 Government Model Pistol serial number C9591 which was 1 of 20 shipped to Remington Arms-UMC Company Bridgeport CT on October 5 1914. The Canadian C broad arrow property mark is stamped on the magazine floor plate and British Birmingham commercial proofing on the slide and barrel. Looks like it saw British and Canadian service in WWI and WWII. The BNP proofs seem to be added when pistol is sold off as redundant. From what I can determine from Birmingham Proof Mark Chart below the mark going clockwise looks like B (3 o'clock)-4(6 o'clock)-J(9 o'clock) which would indicate it was proofed in 1958. Also it seems the 1914 Canadian Government Model pistols were shipped with just one unmarked two-toned blue lanyard loop magazine normally supplied with Colt Government Model pistols due to necessity to get the pistols supplied quickly to the Canadian Expeditionary Force and later in 1915 spare magazines were ordered and marked with the C-Broad Arrow mark. According to a reply received from the Imperial War Museum in London: "During the autumn of 1914, the Canadian Government purchased 5,000 Colt M1911 pistols to equip its military forces. These were issued to officers, NCOs and cavalry troopers, but could also be purchased by officers wishing to acquire their sidearm permanently. Unfortunately, apart from a few pistols that received unit marks on the grip-strap, or were inscribed with the name of the officer who purchased them, there is no way of ascertaining which unit or formation they were issued to.I can’t see very clearly from your photos, but it appears that the proof mark on it post-dates the First World War. This would imply that the pistol was put through proof at Birmingham at some point after its First World War military career – and prior to it re-crossing the Atlantic."

Edited July 31, 2022 by vainn80
removing non-working (and possibly unsafe) links

[vainn80]

I sent information and photos of the pistol to the American Rifleman Magazine's Dope Bag and got this interesting reply from Field Editor Bruce Canfield.

[vainn80]

 received this very interesting detailed reply from the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum concerning this pistol:

1. Shipment to Remington-UMC (October 1914)
Your pistol (C9591) being 1 of 20 shipped to Remington-UMC on Oct 5, 1914 is the key starting point.
That is not a normal commercial or military delivery pattern. Small lots like “20 pistols” sent to an ammunition manufacturer strongly suggest:
Most likely purpose:

Ammunition development / function testing
Establishing reliable .45 ACP loads for wartime production
Possibly endurance and pressure testing
This fits the context:
WWI had just begun (August 1914)
Britain and its allies were scrambling to source arms and ammunition in North America
UMC (soon part of Remington) was gearing up for large-scale contracts
So yes—Colt absolutely did send pistols to ammunition makers. That was standard practice when scaling up production of a cartridge.
2. How did it get into Canadian service?
This is the tricky part—and where speculation needs to be disciplined.
Known historical anchor:

Canada purchased ~5,000 Colt Government Models in late 1914 for the Canadian Expeditionary Force
These were shipped directly from Colt—not via intermediaries like Remington
Your pistol’s path (most plausible reconstruction):

Scenario A (most likely)

Colt ships pistol to Remington-UMC for testing
After testing, pistol becomes surplus / retained inventory
It is later:
Sold commercially or
Transferred as part of broader wartime supply dealings
It enters Canadian service through:
Direct purchase
Officer private purchase
Or informal acquisition early in the war
Early-war procurement (late 1914–early 1915) was messy. Canada and Britain were buying anything available.

Scenario B (possible, but less provable)

Remington-UMC acted as a procurement intermediary
The pistol was bundled into shipments tied to:
ammunition contracts
here is precedent:
Remington Arms supplied rifles and handled foreign contracts
They also arranged handgun supply (e.g., S&W .455s for Britain)
But: there is no direct evidence that these 20 Colts were officially forwarded to Canada as a batch.


Scenario C (least likely but often suggested)
“Smuggled” or informally diverted into Canada
This is usually overstated. While early war procurement was chaotic, outright smuggling is not needed to explain this pistol’s path.
3. Canadian marking (C Broad Arrow)

The Canadian “C broad arrow” on the magazine is important:
Likely applied to replacement or spare magazines (1915 onward)
Matches your note that early pistols shipped with unmarked mags
This suggests:
The pistol was in Canadian service long enough to receive replacement equipment
The magazine is not necessarily original to the pistol
4. British proof marks (Birmingham)

The Birmingham Proof House marks tell a very clear story:
BNP (Birmingham Nitro Proof) = civilian/commercial proof
Required when:
A firearm enters civilian market in the UK
Or is exported commercially
Your dating (1958) is very plausible:
Post-WWII surplus disposal
British/Commonwealth pistols sold off commercially
Proofed before sale/export
This means:

This means
The pistol remained in British/Commonwealth control through WWII
Then entered civilian circulation in the late 1950s
5. WWII barrel on a WWI pistol
Completely normal.
Many WWI Colts were:
Re-arsenaled
Refitted with later barrels (1937–WWII production)
Your “G” marked barrel fits U.S. government contract replacement barrels (pre-1943)
This strongly supports:
Continued service life into WWII
Likely refurbishment in a British or Canadian system
6. Putting it all together (clean timeline)

Most defensible reconstruction:
1914 – Manufactured by Colt
Oct 5, 1914 – Shipped to Remington-UMC for ammo testing
1914–1915 – Leaves Remington inventory (sale/transfer)
WWI – Enters Canadian service (CEF), magazine later replaced
Interwar / WWII – Remains in Commonwealth service, refurbished (new barrel)
Post-1945 – Declared surplus
~1958 – Proofed at Birmingham for civilian sale/export
Later – Returns to North America
Bottom line answers to your core questions
Did Colt send pistols to ammo makers for testing?
Yes—very likely in this case. That’s the most solid conclusion.
Did Remington-UMC forward it to Canada?
Possible, but unproven.
More likely: it left Remington as surplus and was later acquired through wartime purchasing channels.
Is the Canadian/British service story believable?
Yes—strongly supported by:
Canadian-marked magazine
British proof marks
WWII replacement barrel
Final assessment
Your pistol is a legitimate multi-service gun with a complex but believable chain:
Non-standard origin (test gun)
Early wartime acquisition
Canadian service
Extended Commonwealth use
Postwar British