Thomas Magnum's Gun - Some Documentation

[Sean Thornton]

The 1911 has been around for over 100 years now. Magnum, although he used other handguns, the 1911 was a great choice for his character. They always stated his 1911 was a .45 but even in the beginning of the show it has him shoving a magazine into a 9mm 1911. The magazine is a dead give away. TM's 1911 always sounded like a cannon going off which I always thought was a good touch.

[Sean Thornton]

As most all of you already know Magnum used a 1911 in 9mm but it was always stated it was a .45. 9mm blanks worked better than the .45 blanks according to the movie people. Miami Vice used the Bren Ten as carried by Sonny Crockett, well kind of. Since there were no 10mm blanks his Bren Ten was actually a Bren .45. Evidently the .45 blanks did function well enough in the Bren at least until he changed guns in the 3rd season.

[MaximRecoil]

I don't think the Stars ever showed up again (though I'll be keeping an eye out).

I noticed another appearance of the Star Model BM:



That's from season 1, episode 14 ("Adelaide"). It's a brief insert during the scene where there's a shootout after they set fire to the barn. Magnum has his usual Colt Government Model during that scene, except for during that insert. Not only is that not the right pistol, but it isn't the right person holding it either (that guy is obviously not Tom Selleck).

The same Star Model BM shows up in two more inserts near the end of the same episode in the barn:



(In addition to the wrong pistol, whoever is standing in for Selleck in that insert is wearing the wrong sneakers [Nike instead of Puma])



I never noticed it before because those scenes are at night and it's hard to see the pistol clearly without brightening the picture (it is on my monitor at least).

[Rands]

As to wood vs plastic grips, I can add a few things based on my military service. All of the 1911s or 1911A1s in military service had been through arsenal rebuild at least once. The original 1911s with flat mainspring housing, long trigger, no finger scallops, walnut grips, and nicely applied blued finish, went through arsenal rebuild, eventually resembling the 1911A1s.

The 1911A1s were very much the same pistol, with numerous improvements. The first was the nicely applied blued finish was replaced by the much easier to maintain parkerizing. Parkerizing being a much more porous surface held lubricating oil to the firearm metal surface much better reducing the amount of surface rusting and easing mechanical operation. This was especially true in wet climates, with the pistol residing in a wet leather holster. Those pistols wearing a blued finish, eventually went into a parkerizing tank, and emerged as the gray-green firearms known in U.S. Military Service.

Also, the walnut grips were replaced by the much more practical brown plastic grips, as the plastic grips would not absorb moisture like their walnut counterparts. It was easier to break the plastic grips, than the walnut, but again the plastic would not get moisture soaked. The flat mainspring housing was replaced with an arched mainspring housing, which in my opinion made the firearm point more naturally. And, as the arched mainspring housing increased the overall grip diameter, a short trigger, with a textured or "checkered" trigger shoe, replaced the long 1911 trigger. The finger scallops were also added making the trigger easier to access.

In my many units, I only saw pistols in 1911A1 configuration. They were from many manufacturers, and all were World War Two production. We had several Remington Rands, Union Switch and Signals, but I never saw a Colt, or Singer Sewing Machine, in a military arms room. The listed replacement cost for a 1911A1 was listed at about $ 100 in the late 70s and early 80s. More than a few thought about losing their 1911A1, and paying the $ 100 for replacement. Of course, that didn't include the Article 32 Investigation that was bound to follow, that could lead to a host of problems, ranging from non judicial punishment to court martial. When weighed in the balance, most were smart enough to make sure their issued firearm was properly returned to the unit's arms room.

In the series, there are numerous inferences that Magnum's 1911A1 was "liberated" during his Vietnam service. Weapons accountability is paramount in the military. I knew a few truly lost weapons, but they were few and far between. One of the units to which I was assigned spent a 3 day period searching a several acre area to find a stolen M-16A1. That M-16A1 was eventually recovered after a lengthy Army CID investigation, and the soldier who stole it had a Fort Leavenworth mailing address for 20 or so years.

However, in a long term conflict area, or high intensity conflict area, weapons are available. A gentleman who I have known for several years, was a child in the German Reich. When the war ended, he said that firearms and weapons of every kind had been abandoned the Wehrmacht. I was told, that numerous of his neighbors grabbed what they deemed necessary, fearing Soviet occupation, or Soviet invasion of the western German sectors.

[MaximRecoil]

The 1911A1s were very much the same pistol, with numerous improvements. The first was the nicely applied blued finish was replaced by the much easier to maintain parkerizing. Parkerizing being a much more porous surface held lubricating oil to the firearm metal surface much better reducing the amount of surface rusting and easing mechanical operation. This was especially true in wet climates, with the pistol residing in a wet leather holster. Those pistols wearing a blued finish, eventually went into a parkerizing tank, and emerged as the gray-green firearms known in U.S. Military Service.

Also, the walnut grips were replaced by the much more practical brown plastic grips, as the plastic grips would not absorb moisture like their walnut counterparts. It was easier to break the plastic grips, than the walnut, but again the plastic would not get moisture soaked.

Parkerizing and plastic grips weren't part of the A1 changes. The original M1911A1s, starting with the early Colt M1911-to-M1911A1 transitional models in 1924, were blued (Du-Lite) and had fully-checkered walnut grips (the full checkering was an A1 change; the M1911 grips had diamond shapes around the grip screw holes which were left uncheckered). All 500 Singer M1911A1s were blued with walnut grips. The thing is: comparatively few M1911A1s were made prior to WWII. Around the time that production ramped up for WWII, they went with the cheaper Parkerizing and plastic grips.

In my many units, I only saw pistols in 1911A1 configuration. They were from many manufacturers, and all were World War Two production. We had several Remington Rands, Union Switch and Signals, but I never saw a Colt, or Singer Sewing Machine, in a military arms room.

Remington Rand (which was a typewriter company) made more M1911A1s than any other manufacturer, about 900,000 of them. Next was Colt, with about 400,000. I'm surprised you saw US&S M1911A1s, but no Colts, considering they only made about 50,000 of them.

The listed replacement cost for a 1911A1 was listed at about $ 100 in the late 70s and early 80s. More than a few thought about losing their 1911A1, and paying the $ 100 for replacement. Of course, that didn't include the Article 32 Investigation that was bound to follow, that could lead to a host of problems, ranging from non judicial punishment to court martial. When weighed in the balance, most were smart enough to make sure their issued firearm was properly returned to the unit's arms room.

I wonder what they did with that $100; they certainly didn't buy a new M1911A1 with it. Not a single M1911A1 was purchased by Uncle Sam after 1945. Even the Marines had to scrounge around for decent M1911A1 frames in existing inventory to use as the basis for their MEU(SOC) pistol builds, and eventually resorted to using aftermarket commercial parts on those USGI frames from 1945 or earlier, such as slides from Springfield Armory, Inc. (not to be confused with the real Springfield Armory, which was a U.S. government arsenal which made some M1911s [but no M1911A1s] for the military). They did this right up until 2012 when they bought up to 12,000 new 1911-type pistols from Colt which they designated "M45A1" (which could be thought of as an "M1911A2").

In the series, there are numerous inferences that Magnum's 1911A1 was "liberated" during his Vietnam service.

Yes, that seems to be what they were going for. Magnum's commercial Colt Series 70 Government Model can't truly pass for any M1911A1 ever built, but they did try to make it look somewhat like an M1911A1. For example, the plain (no medallions) fully-checkered walnut grips on Magnum's pistol were used on early M1911A1s and their commercial Colt Government Model counterparts. They also installed an original-style partial-shelf thumb safety on Magnum's pistol (though this came later in the series), which was on all M1911s and M1911A1s, as well as pre-1950 commercial Colt Government Models. From the factory, Magnum's S70 CGM would have come with a full-shelf thumb safety and fully-checkered walnut grips with silver Colt medallions.

There were at least three different props used for Magnum's pistol (not counting the Star Model B and BM anomalies), or possibly the same prop at three different stages of modifications:

1. Colt S70 CGM 9mm Luger with nickel-plated trigger (some S70s came like that stock), stock full-shelf thumb safety, replacement grips (fully checkered walnut, no medallions).
2. Same as above except with a blued trigger (some S70s came stock like that as well).
3. Same as #2 except with a partial-shelf thumb safety.

The one in the NRA's museum has USGI M1911A1 brown plastic grips, though I never saw anything but walnut grips on the show.

The closest USGI match to Magnum's pistol would be a rare and valuable Singer, because that's the only one which had a polished blue finish (other early M1911A1s had a brushed finish applied to the steel prior to bluing). Magnum's pistol, like all Colt Government Models made since about 1950, only had polished flats; the rounds were matte (sandblasted). No M1911 or M1911A1 had a polished flats, matte rounds finish. The Singers had polished flats and rounds.

Also, Magnum's pistol, like all S70 9mms and .38 Supers, had a lowered ejection port. All M1911s and M1911A1s had a standard ejection port. Even S70 .45 ACPs had a standard ejection port.

If I had to pass off an S70 9mm as an M1911A1 onscreen, in addition to the obvious things like adding a mainspring housing with a lanyard loop, partial-shelf thumb safety, wide-spur hammer, etc., I'd file off the Colt Series 70 markings from the slide and put Singer markings on there, along with M1911-stye sights, and give the steel a full-polished finish before rebluing. I'd also fully-blue the barrel, including the chamber hood (instead of the in-the-white finish that commercial Colts have had for ages). Then I'd write a scene where someone berates Magnum for having had a gunsmith lower the ejection port on a Singer (which was rare and valuable even in the '80s). That would be my way of hanging a lampshade on the fact that I was stuck with a factory-lowered ejection port on the prop gun. It would also inject a bit of typical Magnum, P.I. humor as Magnum pleads ignorance and feels like a fool for having unwittingly drastically lowered the value of his gun. Of course, as an alternative, the ejection port could be welded up and reshaped to look like a standard ejection port, but I suspect that would lead to poor functioning with blanks, which wasn't all that great to begin with; plus it would be a lot of work to get it to look right.

By the way, here's a picture showing the version of Magnum's prop gun that's in the NRA's museum, along with a Singer M1911A1 for comparison:

Weapons accountability is paramount in the military. I knew a few truly lost weapons, but they were few and far between. One of the units to which I was assigned spent a 3 day period searching a several acre area to find a stolen M-16A1. That M-16A1 was eventually recovered after a lengthy Army CID investigation, and the soldier who stole it had a Fort Leavenworth mailing address for 20 or so years.

When I first started buying guns as a 15-year-old in 1990, USGI M1911s were common and cheap. One of the gunshops in my area had 5 or 6 of them, all Colts, in well-used condition, for $275 each, and they weren't flying off the shelf. I should have bought all of them. Ironically, M1911A1s were less common and more expensive; I only ever saw one at a local gunshop around that time; a Remington Rand, for $400 (which I also should have bought). I say that it's ironic because they made way more M1911A1s than M1911s, but I suspect that, at some point (probably between WWI and WWII), they tightened up their measures to keep GIs from taking them home, which resulted in the newer M1911A1s being less common on the civilian market.

During the 1960s there was a 100% legal path to civilian ownership of M1911s and M1911A1s, through the CMP. Some people purchased NOS/unissued ones for cheap during that time. That didn't last long though, and relatively few people took advantage of it. The existence of the CMP isn't even very well known among the general public.

[Rands]

MaximRecoil:

I can't tell you how many different firearm oddities I found in the arms rooms of both active and reserve Army units. While in college, I was a member of the National Guard, while in ROTC. After graduation, I spent a lengthy period in the Active Army, for even more enlightenment as to what resided in the active Army inventory.

My Guard unit during the Carter Administration had a great deal of WW2 and Korean War armaments. Our "counter sniper" rifles were M-1Ds, and after digging long enough, a few 1903 rifles were found in the more remote arms rooms for ceremonial purposes. Our tank crews were armed with either 1911A1s or M-3 sub machine guns, both M-3 and M-3A1s. Those Guardsman issued M-16's were found having a variety of manufactures. The two most prominent were H&R, and GM Hydramatic Division. Again, it was reported that a few XM-16E1s were also found in the are rooms as well.

We were an armored cavalry unit, and our tanks were M-60A1s, with the scout vehicles being M-113 "gassers". Each of our M-113s had a 90mm recoiless rifle, in addition to the M-2 Browning. As it was the Carter Administration, there was no funding for modernization and far too many units were using equipment that would have made the most ardent military collector envious.

After I finished school, I went into the active Army, as a Combat Engineer. The Reagan Administration was very good to the military, but the increase in funding went into the acquisition of the highest priority systems first, with the Army's high priority going to the M-1 Abrams, and M-2 Bradley. The Army seriously upgraded the Artillery Branch, Aviation Branch, in addition to the Armor and Infantry. Correctly so, the other branches soldiered on with what was available.

My last Engineer Battalion, and my last division were scheduled for modernization prior to the massive de-mob/re-mob for the first Gulf War. Our tank battalions were early M-1 Abrams, with 105mm rifled tank cannon, our infantry battalions M-113A1s with Dragon anti-tank missile systems, and anti-tank companies using the Improved TOW Vehicle variant of the M-113. Our tank battalions were still issued M-3 subguns for self defense, while their co-axial machine guns were M-240s. Our Aviation Battalion flew AH-64, with OH58D's in support. We were an incredible mixture of both old and new equipment.

My battalion was equipped with an odd variety of obsolescent equipment. We had M-113A1 APCs, with M-60 or M-48 tanks hulls as our Combat Engineer Vehicles (CEVs), and Armored Vehicular Launched Bridge (AVLBs) vehicles. As we were the only unit still using M-60 or M-48 hulls, repair parts were extremely difficult to come by. We even had CEV serial number 0001, which the Engineer Museum desperately wanted.

Each of M-113 engineer squads was nominally to be issued a 75mm recoiless rifle, in the event of war. But as 75mm recoiless ammunition was always in "critical" supply neither the rifles nor ammunition was ever seen. We were equipped with M-16A1s, M-60 machine guns, and 1911A1s for sidearms. The infantry battalions were issued at the time, M-16A2s with m-9 bayonets, M-249s, and M-9s for sidearms. It was easy to see what soldier belonged where by the weapons they carried. There was often an assumption that each military unit was uniform in their issued arms, but the opposite was quite true.

As to the 1911A1 used in the Magnum PI series, I certainly will have to do my research into the issue. It sounds as though you are very well versed on the subject, as well as the 1911 as well. As to the issued 1911A1s in my units, I was told the assignment was by luck of the draw, being sent to units by depots. This was told to me by one of battalion supply officers S-4s, who said that as part of the Reagan Administration's rapid rebuilding of the U.S. Military.

Yes, and I too, have felt like kicking myself for passing on several firearms purchases. Either I didn't have the money, or the money could have been better spent buying something for the family.

[Rands]

MaximRecoil:

I have to be out of town for a few days, but when I return, I'll open the safe and compare and contrast between a few of the 1911s I have. Of the several I own, I own Colts in both 9mm and .45 ACP. I'm really looking forward to checking out the differences between the two.

Returning to the subject of 1911s being subject to arsenal refurbishment, in 2000 I did see a 1911 that had been through the process. It was a 1911 frame, that had been parkerized many years before, and had the flat mainspring housing replaced with an arched mainspring housing with lanyard loop. The slide, which I was sure had been replaced, wore a contract "drawing numbers" on it, and had been offered for sale in a friend's gun store. The pistol was a consignment, by the widow of a World War Two veteran. The asking price was $ 1200 or 1400, which I thought was too much for the given condition. I can't recall much other than those facts, as I really wasn't interested in purchasing it.

Ironically, I used just about the same money to purchase three Colt revolvers, an 85% 6 inch Python, a NIB King Cobra (Enhanced), and an Army Special. Those three were a much better return on investment, with the current value being at or about 6K. Certainly, a blind hog, acorn moment.

[MaximRecoil]

Those Guardsman issued M-16's were found having a variety of manufactures. The two most prominent were H&R, and GM Hydramatic Division. Again, it was reported that a few XM-16E1s were also found in the are rooms as well.

That's surprising. Colt made most of them. GM's Hydra-Matic division made about 469,000 M16A1s and H&R made about 246,000. Both of those manufacturers only made them during the late '60s and early '70s, i.e., during the height of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war. The XM16E1s would have definitely been Colts, as Colt is the only company that made the pre-A1 variants. Colt, Hydra-Matic, and H&R are the only companies that made the pre-A2 variants.

The XM16E1 (experimental model 603) is perhaps my favorite version due to it being the last lightweight version, and the last version which had the 3-prong flash hider (second "improved" version of it), which is my favorite out of the three versions of the pre-A2 flash hiders. Early M16A1s were nearly as light as XM16E1s (about a 3 oz. difference), but they had the "birdcage" flash hider, which doesn't look as good (though it solved the problem of the 3-prong flash hiders getting caught on foliage). The later M16A1s had the type E "trapdoor" buttstock which was about 5 oz. heavier than the older type D buttstock. On top of that, the XM16E1 had the original-style Edgewater buffer, which was about 3 oz. lighter than the standard M16A1 buffer. So an Edgewater buffer combined with a type D buttstock made the XM16E1 weigh about a half-pound less than the standard M16A1 (about 6½ lbs. without magazine or sling vs. about 7 lbs., also without magazine or sling).

The lightest ones (not counting the pre-Colt ArmaLite prototypes which were tested, but never used by the military) were the 601 and 602 models, which not only had the earlier lightweight buttstocks (types A & B) and lightweight Edgewater buffers, but they also lacked a forward-assist. They weighed about 6¼ lbs. The early 604 models (USAF version, which they designated simply "M16"), were quite light too; lighter than the XM16E1, because they lacked a forward-assist. They weighed about the same as the 601 and 602. Later 604s got heavier, because they kept up with the M16A1 (603) changes, i.e., the heavier type E buttstock and heavier standard buffer. They were still a couple/few ounces lighter than M16A1s though, because they never got a forward-assist.

The 601s and 602s were never widely issued. The experimental 603s (XM16E1) and the early 604s were the first to be widely issued. The M16A1 (standard 603) was the most widely issued overall, prior to the A2.

My rifle was an unissued USGI Colt M16A1 manufactured in the late 1970s, which was originally part of a shipment of rifles to Israel. They stayed in storage until 2010, when they were sold to retailers in the U.S. as parts kits, minus their selective-fire lower receivers, which were destroyed. I used a NoDak Spud NDS-16A1 lower receiver (which is an M16A1 style, semi-auto-only lower receiver with an "XM gray" anodized finish intended to match the finish on old Colts) and a new Colt-manufactured semi-auto-only AR-15 fire control group. Here's a picture of it - link.

I have a new-old-stock Colt-manufactured 3-prong flash hider (second "improved" version) coming in the mail for it. It isn't technically "correct" for an M16A1, but I have two Vietnam war pictures showing M16A1s with a 3-prong flash hider, so it happened, even if it wasn't "supposed" to - link 1 and link 2. All three of those rifles in those two pictures have full-fence lower receivers (XM16E1s had a partial-fence lower receiver), along with a forward-assist, which means they are M16A1s. The only other pre-A2 version which had a full-fence lower receiver was the later 604s (USAF M16), but those didn't have a forward-assist. Plus, like the 603s, when they got the full-fence they also got the birdcage flash hiders, officially anyway.

I have to be out of town for a few days, but when I return, I'll open the safe and compare and contrast between a few of the 1911s I have. Of the several I own, I own Colts in both 9mm and .45 ACP. I'm really looking forward to checking out the differences between the two.

The differences will depend on when they were manufactured. The 9mm version of the Colt Government Model was introduced in 1970, when the Series 70 was introduced. Prior to that, the only 1911-type 9mm pistol Colt made was the Commander (shorter barrel and lighter weight than a Government Model), which was available in 9mm from day one (regular production started in 1950).

When the 9mm CGM was introduced in 1970, it had the same fundamental differences compared to a .45 ACP CGM that a .38 Super CGM had for many decades, i.e., a lowered ejection port, extended ejector, different extractor, different breech face, different chamber and bore dimensions, different firing pin, lighter recoil spring, different slide stop, and a magazine with alignment grooves stamped into it to keep the smaller diameter cartridges centered in the .45-size magazine body. You can clearly see that type of grooved magazine during the title sequence of any episode of MPI. The difference in the breech face of the slide is what prevents an easy conversion between 9mm / .38 Super and .45 ACP. Instead of just being able to swap the barrel, barrel bushing, magazine, and various small parts, you have to swap the entire slide as well.

Starting with Series 80 CGMs (introduced in 1983), all of them had a lowered ejection port, including the ones chambered for .45 ACP. The other differences still apply.

A 9mm CGM was selected as a prop gun on MPI and many other shows/movies of the era due to the difficulty in obtaining .45 blanks, and the difficulty in getting them to function reliably in 1911s. Magnum's pistol was portrayed as a .45 though, i.e., it was referred to by Magnum and other characters on the show as a "forty-five" more than once. Another example is the 1911 used by Sylvester Stallone in the movie Cobra (1986). That was a Colt Gold Cup with a Colt 9mm Conversion Unit installed (which included, among other things, a new slide). The promotional material for that movie referred to it as a "forty-five". At some point during the 1990s, the problems with .45 blanks in 1911s was solved and Hollywood no longer needed 9mm versions of 1911s to stand in for .45s.

[Rands]

MaximRecoil:

Back in town, having suffered the better part of a week trout fishing. One must have one's priorities.

I took a brief moment for a distraction of clearing gear, to take a quick look at the subject matter. You are absolutely correct in your statements concerning lowered and flared ejection ports. I pulled the 1911 type pistols out, and the two that are either a Combat Commander (9mm), or built using a Commander slide (.45 ACP), both had the ejection port lowered, and the .45 ACP had the port flared. Of the pistols using a five inch barrel, not one is either flared or lowered.

Many of the other differences you noted, I was knowledgeable about, namely bushing diameter, breech face diameter, extractors, ejectors, magazine width, ring hammered Commanders, etc. But, I did not have any knowledge as to the ejection ports. I wont tell you how long I've owned both types. And, with so many manufacturers of 1911 pistols, the variations are now dizzying. I am happy to note, that I have learned even more about the pistol that I carried for so many years.

I too, enjoyed the A1 rifle. I have had the opportunity to handle the A2s , and the M-4, but found the A1 to better fit my tastes. I still recall being told that the A1 was pretty much soldier proof, and with a few notable exceptions, I found that true. This of course, does not consider the first A1s fielded in the Vietnam. They had many issues, not with design, but rather implementation.

The first rifle I actually saw marked COLT, was an SP-1 owned by a friend. I really liked the rifle design and it's ergonomics. Too bad, I couldn't afford one when they were available, and of reasonable price. But, as both of us have remarked, there are more than a few times, I can believe the deals I let pass through my fingers.

[MaximRecoil]

MaximRecoil:

Back in town, having suffered the better part of a week trout fishing. One must have one's priorities.

I took a brief moment for a distraction of clearing gear, to take a quick look at the subject matter. You are absolutely correct in your statements concerning lowered and flared ejection ports. I pulled the 1911 type pistols out, and the two that are either a Combat Commander (9mm), or built using a Commander slide (.45 ACP), both had the ejection port lowered, and the .45 ACP had the port flared. Of the pistols using a five inch barrel, not one is either flared or lowered.

Any standard Colt Government Model or Commander with a flared ejection port would have had it done by the owner / a gunsmith, i.e., none of them came that way from the factory. In the early 1990s Colt started making "enhanced" Government Models and Commanders, which did have a flared ejection port, among other departures from the standard design.

As for lowered vs. standard ejection ports:

Government Models chambered for .45 ACP: lowered since 1983.
Government Models chambered for .38 Super: lowered since 1952.
Government Models chambered for 9mm Luger: lowered from day one (1970).
Commanders: lowered for all calibers from day one (1950)

Note about Commanders: originally there was only one version and it was simply called "Commander". It had a lightweight frame made from aluminum (which was manufactured under contract by Alcoa). The "Combat Commander" was introduced in 1970, which was the same thing except it had a steel frame. At that point the Commander model became known as the "Lightweight Commander". Both the aluminum- and steel-framed versions have always had lowered ejection ports in all calibers. The Commander was also available in 9mm from day one in 1950, whereas the Government Model wasn't available in 9mm until 1970.

I too, enjoyed the A1 rifle. I have had the opportunity to handle the A2s , and the M-4, but found the A1 to better fit my tastes. I still recall being told that the A1 was pretty much soldier proof, and with a few notable exceptions, I found that true. This of course, does not consider the first A1s fielded in the Vietnam. They had many issues, not with design, but rather implementation.

The first rifle I actually saw marked COLT, was an SP-1 owned by a friend. I really liked the rifle design and it's ergonomics. Too bad, I couldn't afford one when they were available, and of reasonable price. But, as both of us have remarked, there are more than a few times, I can believe the deals I let pass through my fingers.

Colt, of course, was the original manufacturer of the AR-15/M16 family of rifles. They bought the design from ArmaLite in 1959. ArmaLite was never set up for large scale manufacturing; it was basically just a small machine shop with a few employees (the current ArmaLite company is unrelated; they simply bought the name). Their MO was to come up with designs (Eugene Stoner being the main brains behind the operation) with the intent of selling the designs to actual manufacturers and/or selling to the military, in which case the military would farm out the designs to their own contractors for production. Colt still owns the technical data package (TDP) for the M16 family (which includes the M4), and because of that they get a fee for each one sold to the government, such as from FN Herstal.

Colt introduced the AR-15 SP1 in 1964, and it was the first civilian version of the M16. It never had a forward-assist or a fence on the lower receiver, making it most similar in appearance to a USGI Colt Model 601 or 602. However, as time went on it kept up with some of the changes, i.e., it got a birdcage flash hider and the heavier buffer in place of the Edgewater in 1967, and it got a type E "trapdoor" buttstock in the early '70s. At that point it was very similar to a later Model 604 (USAF M16), aside from it having no fence on the lower receiver.

The ATF insisted on some bizarre changes to the SP1 to prevent it from being "readily restored" to full-auto operation, which would make it an NFA item. For some reason, it wasn't enough that the lower receiver wasn't milled out for the auto-sear or drilled for the auto-sear pin. They also insisted on changes to the bolt carrier, so as to make it incompatible with an auto-sear. This was unfortunate, because the modification resulted in the bolt carrier having less mass, which made it less reliable, theoretically at least. They also insisted on the front takedown pin/hole being changed, so that an M16 lower receiver couldn't be readily swapped in. That's why the SP1 has a takedown screw rather than a pin, and it's larger in diameter than an M16's takedown pin. Colt has been using a standard takedown pin and a standard M16 bolt carrier in their more recent civilian AR-15s for quite a while now though, so apparently the ATF has backed off from those ridiculous demands.

My first AR-15 was a Colt SP1, which I bought in 1993 when I was 18 (like-new condition, $500). I loved it. It was very accurate and it never malfunctioned. Unfortunately I sold it a couple of years later when I needed money to buy a vehicle. The one I have now, built from a Colt M16A1, is just as good, but I still wish I had that SP1, considering the collector value of them now.

[To The Regiment]

MaximRecoil:

Back in town, having suffered the better part of a week trout fishing. One must have one's priorities.

I took a brief moment for a distraction of clearing gear, to take a quick look at the subject matter. You are absolutely correct in your statements concerning lowered and flared ejection ports. I pulled the 1911 type pistols out, and the two that are either a Combat Commander (9mm), or built using a Commander slide (.45 ACP), both had the ejection port lowered, and the .45 ACP had the port flared. Of the pistols using a five inch barrel, not one is either flared or lowered.

Any standard Colt Government Model or Commander with a flared ejection port would have had it done by the owner / a gunsmith, i.e., none of them came that way from the factory. In the early 1990s Colt started making "enhanced" Government Models and Commanders, which did have a flared ejection port, among other departures from the standard design.

As for lowered vs. standard ejection ports:

Government Models chambered for .45 ACP: lowered since 1983.
Government Models chambered for .38 Super: lowered since 1952.
Government Models chambered for 9mm Luger: lowered from day one (1970).
Commanders: lowered for all calibers from day one (1950)

Note about Commanders: originally there was only one version and it was simply called "Commander". It had a lightweight frame made from aluminum (which was manufactured under contract by Alcoa). The "Combat Commander" was introduced in 1970, which was the same thing except it had a steel frame. At that point the Commander model became known as the "Lightweight Commander". Both the aluminum- and steel-framed versions have always had lowered ejection ports in all calibers. The Commander was also available in 9mm from day one in 1950, whereas the Government Model wasn't available in 9mm until 1970.

I too, enjoyed the A1 rifle. I have had the opportunity to handle the A2s , and the M-4, but found the A1 to better fit my tastes. I still recall being told that the A1 was pretty much soldier proof, and with a few notable exceptions, I found that true. This of course, does not consider the first A1s fielded in the Vietnam. They had many issues, not with design, but rather implementation.

The first rifle I actually saw marked COLT, was an SP-1 owned by a friend. I really liked the rifle design and it's ergonomics. Too bad, I couldn't afford one when they were available, and of reasonable price. But, as both of us have remarked, there are more than a few times, I can believe the deals I let pass through my fingers.

Colt, of course, was the original manufacturer of the AR-15/M16 family of rifles. They bought the design from ArmaLite in 1959. ArmaLite was never set up for large scale manufacturing; it was basically just a small machine shop with a few employees (the current ArmaLite company is unrelated; they simply bought the name). Their MO was to come up with designs (Eugene Stoner being the main brains behind the operation) with the intent of selling the designs to actual manufacturers and/or selling to the military, in which case the military would farm out the designs to their own contractors for production. Colt still owns the technical data package (TDP) for the M16 family (which includes the M4), and because of that they get a fee for each one sold to the government, such as from FN Herstal.

Colt introduced the AR-15 SP1 in 1964, and it was the first civilian version of the M16. It never had a forward-assist or a fence on the lower receiver, making it most similar in appearance to a USGI Colt Model 601 or 602. However, as time went on it kept up with some of the changes, i.e., it got a birdcage flash hider and the heavier buffer in place of the Edgewater in 1967, and it got a type E "trapdoor" buttstock in the early '70s. At that point it was very similar to a later Model 604 (USAF M16), aside from it having no fence on the lower receiver.

The ATF insisted on some bizarre changes to the SP1 to prevent it from being "readily restored" to full-auto operation, which would make it an NFA item. For some reason, it wasn't enough that the lower receiver wasn't milled out for the auto-sear or drilled for the auto-sear pin. They also insisted on changes to the bolt carrier, so as to make it incompatible with an auto-sear. This was unfortunate, because the modification resulted in the bolt carrier having less mass, which made it less reliable, theoretically at least. They also insisted on the front takedown pin/hole being changed, so that an M16 lower receiver couldn't be readily swapped in. That's why the SP1 has a takedown screw rather than a pin, and it's larger in diameter than an M16's takedown pin. Colt has been using a standard takedown pin and a standard M16 bolt carrier in their more recent civilian AR-15s for quite a while now though, so apparently the ATF has backed off from those ridiculous demands.

My first AR-15 was a Colt SP1, which I bought in 1993 when I was 18 (like-new condition, $500). I loved it. It was very accurate and it never malfunctioned. Unfortunately I sold it a couple of years later when I needed money to buy a vehicle. The one I have now, built from a Colt M16A1, is just as good, but I still wish I had that SP1, considering the collector value of them now.

Thank you for all that research and insight, MaximRecoil. Vickers Tactical posted a video in 2018 that features a (supposedly) screen-used Magnum, PI Colt 1911 from Independent Studio Services: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWi63fOea2M They show the Magnum Colt around 9:00 into the video. Note what appears to be mismatched grips. The right side appears to have a smooth wooden grip that's lighter in color. The left side looks like what we see in some of the screen caps: dark brown, checkered, no medallion and no rings around the screw heads. Extraordinary.

Best,
To The Regiment

[To The Regiment]

I ran across this Gun Digest story from December 2020 titled "The Flash and Oddity of Hollywood 1911s": https://gundigest.com/handguns/the-flas ... wood-1911s

It's an interesting read, but what piqued my interest was the hi-res closeup photo of a Colt Series 70 1911 used in the original Magnum, PI production. This one is owned by Independent Studio Services and was test fired by the author of the Gun Digest story. Note the walnut grip, which differs from the plastic GI grips on the NRA Museum's Magnum, PI prop gun.

Best,
To The Regiment

[NotthatRick]

I ran across this Gun Digest story from December 2020 titled "The Flash and Oddity of Hollywood 1911s": https://gundigest.com/handguns/the-flas ... wood-1911s

It's an interesting read, but what piqued my interest was the hi-res closeup photo of a Colt Series 70 1911 used in the original Magnum, PI production. This one is owned by Independent Studio Services and was test fired by the author of the Gun Digest story. Note the walnut grip, which differs from the plastic GI grips on the NRA Museum's Magnum, PI prop gun.

Best,
To The Regiment

Good read. And that picture of his Colt is very cool!

[To The Regiment]

I ran across this Gun Digest story from December 2020 titled "The Flash and Oddity of Hollywood 1911s": https://gundigest.com/handguns/the-flas ... wood-1911s

It's an interesting read, but what piqued my interest was the hi-res closeup photo of a Colt Series 70 1911 used in the original Magnum, PI production. This one is owned by Independent Studio Services and was test fired by the author of the Gun Digest story. Note the walnut grip, which differs from the plastic GI grips on the NRA Museum's Magnum, PI prop gun.

Best,
To The Regiment

Good read. And that picture of his Colt is very cool!

Interestingly, neither the Magnum, PI Colt owned by ISS nor the one on display at the NRA Museum (which is now closed) appear to be the one in this screenshot:



Note the apparent scratch on this Colt's slide near the end.

Best,
To The Regiment

[Pahonu]

I ran across this Gun Digest story from December 2020 titled "The Flash and Oddity of Hollywood 1911s": https://gundigest.com/handguns/the-flas ... wood-1911s

It's an interesting read, but what piqued my interest was the hi-res closeup photo of a Colt Series 70 1911 used in the original Magnum, PI production. This one is owned by Independent Studio Services and was test fired by the author of the Gun Digest story. Note the walnut grip, which differs from the plastic GI grips on the NRA Museum's Magnum, PI prop gun.

Best,
To The Regiment

Good read. And that picture of his Colt is very cool!

Interestingly, neither the Magnum, PI Colt owned by ISS nor the one on display at the NRA Museum (which is now closed) appear to be the one in this screenshot:



Note the apparent scratch on this Colt's slide near the end.

Best,
To The Regiment

Having worked in production for a few years, I can say that there were almost certainly several prop guns used in the series, none of which could fire. Lower budget productions use completely fake weapons, while those wanting more realism use actual weapons, but doing so requires following an entire set of regulations and procedures that cost time and money. An armourer is required to follow a large number of procedures even when a “dummy” weapon can’t even fire blanks. They must visually demonstrate it before each take. The firing of blanks brings eye and ear protection for all the crew and even more procedures, costing more time and money. The close-up shown is likely a dummy weapon, one of several to make sure productions isn’t delayed in any way.