Description

One of just 55,000 made by US&S!

Offered for sale is this rare Union Switch & Signal made 1911A1 from 1943 which is in magnificent, original condition & is all matching numbers.

The Union Switch & Signal company of Swissvale Pennsylvania primarily made railroad signaling equipment but soon after the US entered WW2, they were tapped on the shoulder by the US Government to get on board with the war effort so received a contract in May 1942 for the manufacture of M1911A1 pistols.

The first pistols were accepted by Ordnance inspectors in January 1943, but on March 8, 1943 the company was officially notified that their contract had been cut back from 200,000 pistols to 30,000 pistols. However on June 26th, when the contract was nearly complete & many of the workers had been transferred to Carbine operations, the company received a letter of intent to purchase an additional 25,000 pistols. The last of the pistols was shipped on November 27, 1943.

55,000 Union Switch and Signal pistols were delivered serial numbered from 1041405 to 1096404. US&S pistols are the second rarest of the M1911A1s with only the Singer being rarer (ust 500 produced).

Because of the significant rarity of the US&S 1911’s & the corresponding value attached, there are many fakes out there. These mainly comprise of a US&S slide mounted onto another frame then being called a rare US&S. These are usually easy to spot, as the US&S has a very specific S/N range & this correctly falls within this range so you can be sure you are buying an original & authentic US&S 1911A1.

Additionally, none of the Union Switch & Signal 1911A1s have the crossed cannons ordnance stamp including this example & it’s known that all US&S 1911’s had Ordinance Inspectors mark RCD in a circle.  This is the mark of Lt. Col. Robert C. Downey who was the official inspector at US&S & correctly, this example has this stamp (see photos).

It is believed that these were mainly issued to the Army Air Corps during the war.

This is nicer in the hand than the photos show & a lot of the dark staining isn’t as obvious to the eye & we believe it is mostly old grease, so it would come up nicer with a good clean.

Be the one who adds this highly collectable & desirable gun to your collection!

We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do.

We think we have described it accurately but please make your decision based on the photos as these form the main description & override all other.

Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an ‘as is’ basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.

We have a pretty unique refund policy on our collectable guns whereby we will refund your money if it is not as described when you receive it. Just let us know before you decide to send it back.

Standard shipping is $77 for all for metro shipping bar WA, otherwise call for a cost to your dealer.