The checkered grip panels are made of plastic and were manufactured by the Keyes Fiber Co.John M. This weapon does employ a slide hold open mechanism to inform the operator that the last round has been fired.

This sidearm weighs in at just about 2 1/2 pounds and has an overall length of 8.25 inches and a barrel length of 5.03 inches. The pistol also features a thumb safety located at the rear of the frame behind the left grip panel. An empty magazine will easily eject from the pistol under its own weight. The pistol utilizes a push button magazine release that is located on the frame at the bottom rear corner of the trigger guard. This pistol is fed by a single column 7 round detachable box magazine. The sight system includes a square blade front sight that is milled as part of the slide, and a square notch rear sight that is housed in a dovetail slot and drift adjustable for windage only. The steel frame has a grey parkerized finish.

The pistol has been designed to operate as a single action firearm that utilizes an external hammer. The M1911A1 is a recoil operated, self-loading, semi-automatic pistol that has been chambered for the.45 ACP cartridge.

This M1911A1 was manufactured by the Ithaca Gun Company in late 1943 according to historical records.

Model of 1911 us army serial numbers