Ithaca 19II AI U.S. Army stamp

[TI-Tick]

I recently acquired a 1943 Ithaca 1911A1.

The slide is definitely Ithaca as it's well marked. Finish polishing is not the finest but per my research so far that's par for the course for Ithaca. P marked slide on the top.

The slide stop, safety, and hammer are all checkered and may be Colt? The barrel is stamped Colt.

The frame is stamped FJA over the mag release with a P below. On the right side of the frame, aft of the grip is a faint cartouche that to me looks like a part of the Springfield logo. However, I think it may be a final inspection proof.

I took the grips off and there was no heart cut out as the heart is still there. WTF I'll have to dig into all of that later.

Trigger is great and the action feels good post lube/grease.

Supposed to have a Risdon(?) mag. IDK WTF that is; more research. The mag that came with the Ithaca is sealed, braised or whatever.

I do question the stamping of the M 1911AI U.S. Army stamp on my Ithaca as it looks like a gorilla set that in to such a degree that the metal around the stamp is drawn into the stamp, like a trench from one angle. Hopefully my photos show what I'm talking about but if not I'll try again.

Perhaps FJA PO'd a worker, perhaps it was a Monday/Friday/whatever to go godzilla on the stamp. Heck, I need to research how to stamp also.

Anyhow Cal Guns C&R; send me your thoughts re my Ithaca.

Thanks

[John Browning]

That's a WWI surplus unfinished frame that was given to Ithaca to get them going. They made them into finished guns. It's a cool variation.

[Grendl]

Jealous.

[highpower]

Ithaca used Du-Lite bluing as the final finish up until approximately serial number 900,000 then switched to parkerized. It is kind of hard to tell, but the finish on that gun looks to still be original.

The machining under the grips indeed shows that this gun has one of the 6200 surplus WWI receivers that Colt shipped to Ithaca to jump start their production. These guns were numbered in the serial range from 856405 to 870000.


The "faint cartouche" is the ordnance acceptance stamped and was always stamped after the finish was applied. Just about every one of these cartouches I have seen has been haphazardly stamped.

This is the one on my Ithaca that was shipped on 9 November, 1943 to Rock Island Arsenal. The picture doesn't show it very clearly, but in the right light you can that it was stamped after the finish was applied.

[TI-Tick]

Another find, to me anyhow.

There is a hump on the inside of the trigger guard about at the middle.

No hump on the exterior of the trigger guard.

That's a new one to me; I'm used to straight trigger guards inside and out!

[TI-Tick]

Ithaca used Du-Lite bluing as the final finish up until approximately serial number 900,000 then switched to parkerized. It is kind of hard to tell, but the finish on that gun looks to still be original.

The machining under the grips indeed shows that this gun has one of the 6200 surplus WWI receivers that Colt shipped to Ithaca to jump start their production. These guns were numbered in the serial range from 856405 to 870000.


The "faint cartouche" is the ordnance acceptance stamped and was always stamped after the finish was applied. Just about every one of these cartouches I have seen has been haphazardly stamped.

This is the one on my Ithaca that was shipped on 9 November, 1943 to Rock Island Arsenal. The picture doesn't show it very clearly, but in the right light you can that it was stamped after the finish was applied.

There's no machining under the grip that I could see, I'll take another look. The point of the heart is still there. To my understanding that was machined off from the WWI frames.

I'll try to send some photos grip off tomorrow

[highpower]

On 29 April 1918, the Ordnance Department approved the the method of shaping the the openings in the receiver under the stocks to facilitate production. The openings were left unfinished resulting in the heart shaped openings at the top and bottom. This procedure began at approximately serial number 375000, but was processed on only about 60-70% the frames produced. These heart shaped openings are also found on some British contract .455 pistols and commercial Government Models made from leftover WWI receivers.

[GM4spd]

Wasn’t the FJA inspection stamp also used on Remington Rand as well as Ithaca?

[highpower]

Yep, Remington-Rand and Ithaca were in the same Ordnance District, hence the same final approval by Frank J. Atwood.

[condor]

Wow!! Some really neat Ithaca history... I never knew any of this. I have lots of stories, and remember an Ithaca 1911 disassembled and mounted on a framed board on a wall in the factory. Never pursued the story behind it other than they made them... Ithaca Gun 1968-1975...

[TI-Tick]

Ithaca heart.jpg

On 29 April 1918, the Ordnance Department approved the the method of shaping the the openings in the receiver under the stocks to facilitate production. The openings were left unfinished resulting in the heart shaped openings at the top and bottom. This procedure began at approximately serial number 375000, but was processed on only about 60-70% the frames produced. These heart shaped openings are also found on some British contract .455 pistols and commercial Government Models made from leftover WWI receivers.

IDK about the photos but hopefully there is one of a Ithaca frame and trigger guard.

[TI-Tick]

hump

Here's the hump.