What does a “black army” Colt M1911 look like?
What does a late Colt M1911 manufactured during WWI look like? And why do some people call it a “black army”? Here is a late 1918 Colt M1911 pistol that is all original finish and correct as manufactured. “Black army” is NOT a Colt finish. It is a term used by some to refer to a rough, crude appearance to the blue finish of Colt M1911 pistols made during and immediately after World War I; those made and shipped between May 1918 and March 1919. The finish itself was the same oven blued process as used on the “brushed blue” Colt M1911 pistols made from about serial No. 170,000 to about serial No. 310,000-350,000; those manufactured between mid-1917 and mid-1918. So what is the difference? Why does the finish appear to be darker on the later pistols? The darker appearance on the late pistols is due to the surface preparation prior to finish being applied. Colt’s eliminated the final polishing step on the M1911 pistols made after May 1918 to increase the rate of production during WWI. They
