Colt 1911 ownership question

[HootmonSccy]

I have a friend (no, really, I do!).
He has a Colt 1911 .45 that is Olive Drab and is stamped US Government on it.
This pistol became his after his dad passed away.
His dad purchased the pistol in the early 1960's...
Now the question..
Did the government sell these pistols?? Or did someone misappropriate this gun from the government prior to his dad buying it??
My friend is afraid to carry the pistol as he is unsure of the status of this gun. He legally obtained the firearm, but is not sure it was originally legally obtained by someone else.

Anybody know the answer to this??

[Cocked _and_Locked]

Get a LEO friend (gotta be a real friend, not a casual friend) to find out if it was ever registered outside the govt. I think alot of them were auctioned off back in the day when they went to the Beretta as the standard sidearm. It's probably legit, but you never know....

[HootmonSccy]

Originally Posted by Cocked _and_Locked

Get a LEO friend (gotta be a real friend, not a casual friend) to find out if it was ever registered outside the govt. I think alot of them were auctioned off back in the day when they went to the Beretta as the standard sidearm. It's probably legit, but you never know....

This is the reason I mentioned it was purchased in the early 60's, I don't believe there were registrations at the time.. His father never registered it... Now my friend lives in Florida where there is no registations.
The switch to Beretta's didn't happen until quite a bit later..

[Ektarr]

Originally Posted by Cocked _and_Locked

Get a LEO friend (gotta be a real friend, not a casual friend) to find out if it was ever registered outside the govt. I think alot of them were auctioned off back in the day when they went to the Beretta as the standard sidearm. It's probably legit, but you never know....

The problem with this is that if the item happens to trigger an alarm, somebody's going to be asking a lot of questions and there's no way, by that time, that you can just make believe you never checked.

[HootmonSccy]

Originally Posted by Ektarr

The problem with this is that if the item happens to trigger an alarm, somebody's going to be asking a lot of questions and there's no way, by that time, that you can just make believe you never checked.

So you do you perform this check without triggering the alarm??

[Hounddog]

For what it's worth, I remember the DCM selling 1911's to NRA members right around the time we're talking about. It was sellling M1 carbines and 1903A3 Springfields back then too.

[HootmonSccy]

Originally Posted by Hounddog

For what it's worth, I remember the DCM selling 1911's to NRA members right around the time we're talking about. It was sellling M1 carbines and 1903A3 Springfields back then too.

What does DCM stand for??? Department of Colt Management??

[Hounddog]

Originally Posted by HootmonSccy

What does DCM stand for??? Department of Colt Management??

DCM stands for Director of Civilian Marksmanship, which was established back in 1903 by Congress. It became the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).

[Ryan H]

FWIW, there is a real WWII 1911 at the local gun shop going for $3,100 on the shelf. Has "Property of U.S. Government" on the frame..

[HootmonSccy]

Thanks folks.. I think this will help my Ex-New York buddy to relax a little...
Appreciate the input!!!