Kongsberg Norwegian M/1914 1911

Description

Matching, Mint & RARE! Early in the 20th Century, Norway was considering replacing the 7.5mm M/1893 Nagant revolver as the standard service side arm for the Norwegian military forces. Following extensive tests through 1914 it was finally decided in August to adopt the Colt M1911 pistol in Norway. While the original pistol was known as the 1911 Colt, the designer & copyright owner was John Browning who had licensed manufacturing in the US to Colt. Norway attempted to get licensing through Colt, but discovered European production was through Fabrique Nationale so in September 1914, Norway signed a contract with Fabrique Nationale of Belgium for manufacture. The pistol would be produced at Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk in Norway. The Kongsberg Colt remained in service with the Norwegian Armed Forces until being replaced by the Glock P80 in 1985. These pistols were identical to the Colt M1911 except for a minor detail on the hammer checkering & are highly valued by collectors. Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk was ready to start mass production in 1918 & it was then that one significant change was made, one which immediately identifies the Norwegger 1911 from a US 1911. The slide-stop was extended down & back to make it easier to operate which required a cut-out in the left stock. The new version had the left side of the slide stamped "11.25 m/m AUT. PISTOL M/1914.", which was correct as the adoption of the gun was approved in 1914. During the German occupation of Norway (1940–1945), manufacture of the pistol, given the designation Pistole 657(n), was continued under German control. The Waffenamt acceptance mark (WaA84) was added in 1945 & only those 920 pistols produced that year were ever Waffenamt-marked...this is not one of these guns! Making these even harder to find is the fact that no pistols were produced in 1943 & 1944 because in those years, production of Krag–Jørgensen rifles was prioritized. This example was almost certainly carried throughout WW2 by some Wehrmacht soldier before being surrendered in 1945 & returned to the Norwegians post war. This has been part of a significant collection after being imported from the US for many years & is now available to but for the serious collector. We are offering this pistol as a collectable piece of military history & acknowledge the grievous atrocities committed by the Nazi regime & some of its military, particularly toward the peoples of occupied territory & the Jewish population in Europe. In no way do we condone or glorify the Nazi regime which must be remembered for the vile stain on human history that it was. This gun is in outstanding condition & all matching numbers as can be seen in the photos & comes with the original two tone magazine, correct with the lanyard loop. We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do. We think we have described it accurately but please make your decision based on the photos as these form the main description & override all other. Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an 'as is' basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting. We have a pretty unique refund policy on our collectable guns whereby we will refund your money if it is not as described when you receive it. Just let us know before you decide to send it back. Standard shipping is $55 for all for metro shipping bar WA, otherwise call for a cost to your dealer.

Specifications