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Historic U.S. Colt Model 1911 Pistol, Issued to Ensign Lucian Hunt, of the U.S.S. Oklahoma, During t

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Historic U.S. Colt Model 1911 Pistol, Issued to Ensign Lucian Hunt, of the U.S.S. Oklahoma, During t
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According to the included factory letter, this pistol was one of 500 delivered to the U.S. Ordnance Depot at Camp Devens, Ayer, Massachusetts on 14 December 1918, and according to a provenance letter supplied by Lucian Hunt, U.S. Navy (Retired), this pistol was on his person during the events of 7 December 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor. On that morning, then-Ensign Hunt was a junior gunnery officer for the Battleship Oklahoma, and was returning from shore leave when the Japanese initiated there attack. By the time he arrived, the Oklahoma had taken several torpedo hits, so Hunt joined with other members of his crew on the Battleship Maryland, manning anti-aircraft guns against the Japanese attackers. Following the dispersal of the enemy aircraft, Ensign Hunt assembled with other survivors on Ford Island, where he was tasked with running a detail to load the undamaged ships with ammunition in preparation for immediate departure. After 5 days, Hunt was reassigned to Fort Ruger, at Diamond Head, Oahu, to give the recently activated National Guardsmen manning the shore batteries instruction in ship recognition and fire control an assignment which took the following 2 months. Returning to shipboard gunnery duty for the Aleutian and Southwest Pacific campaigns, Hunt was retrained in 1943 as a Naval Aviator, operating Catalina Flying Boats, B-24 Liberator heavy bombers and carrier-launched aircraft for the remaining 15 years of his Navy career. Retaining the pistol after his separation, Hunt carried it during his career as an airline executive, which involved overseas travel. Though never fired in anger, this pistol provided Hunt with a "keen sense of self security" during his service and travels. The pistol has late World War One finish, markings and production features, with the two-line, two-block address and patent markings on the left side of the slide divided by the Rampant Colt, "MODEL OF 1911.U.S.ARMY" on the reverse, a conjoined "HP" atop the chamber, and the "eagle/ S17" inspection marks and "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" markings on the frame. Equipped with a wide checkered borderless hammer, thick thumb safety, long smooth trigger, smooth flat mainspring housing with lanyard loop, and heart-shaped grip openings. Grips are checkered, with smooth diamond patterns around the screws. The holster rig consists of a 1918 dated Grafton & Knight Model 1916 brown leather holster, a tan canvas Mills web belt, and a matching colored Mills magazine pouch, dated November 1918, with a pair of two-tone magazines.
BBL: 5 inch round
Stock:
Gauge: 45 ACP
Finish: blue
Grips: walnut
Serial Number: 549863
Condition: Excellent, with 97% plus original late World War I Colt Military brush blue finish, showing a small amount of wear on the high edges and on the grip straps, and minor flaking around the front sight, as is typical of late-war Colts. Grips are very fine, lightly varnished at some point, and showing a few small pressure dents and battering of the screws, but featuring sharp checkering overall. The accoutrements are very good, with some staining of the pouch and mild scuffs and verdigris on the holster. Mechanically excellent. A superb representative example of a post-World War One production 1911 pistol, and an artifact of one of the pivotal moments in the history of the 20th Century.