POTD: .22 Long Rifle Training Variant – The Colt Ace .22 LR 1911 Pistol
Sam.S 09.03.24
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The Colt Ace, introduced in 1931, was a .22 Long Rifle version of the Colt 1911 pistol designed for low-cost, low-recoil training. It mimicked the ergonomics and sighting of the standard .45 ACP 1911, allowing users to practice with a similar but less expensive firearm. Later models incorporated a floating chamber design to better simulate .45 ACP recoil. The U.S. military was the primary user, purchasing over 13,000 pistols and 2,000 conversion kits for marksmanship training, with the U.S. Navy specifically designating it as a training pistol.
“This is an original, WWII US Army contract Model 1911A1 “Service Model” Ace pistol chambered in 22LR. These were originally produced as a low-cost method to train troops that duplicated the weight, feel and function of the original Model 1911A1 pistol. This model used the new “Floating Chamber” designed by “Carbine Williams” that readily made the pistol fire exactly like the Model 1911A1. The serial number of this pistol places the shipment in mid-1945. It has the two line Colt address and patent dates on the left side of the slide with the Rampant Colt logo at the end of the markings, with the right side marked, “COLT/SERVICE MODEL/<ACE>/ .22LR”. “
Lot 1768: 1911 Colt Ace Pistols 22 Service Model – Exceptional WWII Colt Service Model Ace 22LR Pistol. (n.d.-ba). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/55/1768/1911-colt-ace-pistols-22-service-model.
