Find an NRA 1911 at the Firearms Museum

Find an NRA 1911 at the Firearms Museum

via NRAblog by GOblog.nospam@nospam.nrahq.org (LDalseide) on 6/20/12

National Firearms Museum changes Centennial Collection pistols

Fairfax, Virginia - On the way into the building this muggy morning, National Firearms Museum Senior Curator Doug Wicklund stopped me at the elevators with a question.

"Have you seen the NRA 1911? We just added it to the Centennial Collection. Might be worth a picture." Sure enough it was.

According to Wicklund, there was time when NRA Life Members were allowed to purchase a Colt or Springfield Armory 1911 from the U.S. Army. Course, that time was just prior to World War I, but there was a time none the less. Prior to delivery, the 1911s were altered just a little.

"The Army would put an NRA stamp right underneath the serial number so you knew which one was which," Wicklund explained. "It is a real collector's item."

A collectors item indeed. In fact, records show that less than 200 of these pistols were ever made. Now there is one here at the National Firearms Museum (thanks to a donation from Mr. James Adams).

"We like to change the exhibits from time to time," said Wicklund. "There are so many historically significant 1911s here that we decided to put them on rotation. New ones now include the NRA 1911, the Singer (Sewing Company) 1911 and the Union Switch & Signal A1. They are something to see."