Welcome to in the present day’s Photo of the Day! The Kongsberg Colt was the Norwegian army’s adaptation of the American Colt M1911 pistol, produced below license on the Kongsberg Armory beginning in 1914. On the time, Norway’s commonplace sidearm was the outdated M1893 Nagant revolver, in order that they sought a extra trendy semi-automatic alternative. After in depth testing of the Colt M1911 adopted by the U.S., Norway selected to license the Browning-designed .45 ACP pistol because the Mannequin 1914. The Kongsberg model was practically similar to the Colt M1911, aside from just a few distinctive options just like the prolonged slide launch. Manufacturing was restricted in the course of the interwar years, however continued by means of WWII below German occupation, who insisted some pistols be made for his or her forces. These 1945 German-stamped fashions are uncommon in the present day. In complete, round 30,000 Kongsberg M1914 pistols have been manufactured till the mannequin’s alternative in 1985, making Norway the one European nation to undertake the .45 ACP cartridge within the early twentieth century.
“A licensed copy of the Colt Authorities Mannequin manufactured at Kongsberg in 1945, in the course of the later phases of the German occupation of Norway. That is considered one of solely 920 such pistols that acquired a Waffenamt acceptance mark, all of which have been manufactured in 1945. Mounted sights, with the slide marked with the “Crown/Okay” over the one line mannequin marking on the left aspect together with Waffenamt proof “eagle/WaA84”, “1945” on the reverse, checkered grips and journal with lanyard ring base. The hammer and journal catch are appropriately unnumbered, with the opposite externally numbered elements bearing matching numbers, largely “.101″. Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Assortment”
Lot 3567: Waffenamt Proofed Norwegian Kongsberg Mannequin 1914 Pistol. (n.d.-d). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved February 21, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/83/3567/waffenamt-proofed-norwegian-kongsberg-model-1914-pistol.