Colt 1909 (pre-1911 developmental pistol)

[@ZGryphon]

I love that even for a development test item, Colt in 1909 put such a shiny finish on the gun that more than 100 years later, I could still catch a glimpse of Ian's camera's REC light in it a couple of times. :)

[@LT1derland]

the finish on these old colts is gorgeous.

[@Tired_Sloth]

Estimated Price: $130,000 - $180,000 Mortgage the house, bid on gun Frankly, I'm almost surprised it isn't more than that given it's such a rare part of the 1911 development

[@AnonAlmostDelivers]

+Tired Sloth yeah, the price almost seems kinda low considering it's a prototype of a legendary gun, made by a not less legendary man.

[@vguyver2]

+Master D These auctions do surprise me. To someone who doesn't buy antique firearms, they seem expensive. But many of these guns are auctioned off surprisingly low for the value they would normally be found in more well known state auctions. One of the out of production WWI machine guns went for just over $3,000 but it would easily be a museum piece worth $80,000.

[@slimgrowden]

What a spectacular peace of firearms history! I was just looking at all the 1911 history on makes and models. And from what I was reading and I saw, the 1909 is the smallest production models of the 1911 models ever made. With a total production number of only 23! Thanks for the video it is so cool that you got to handle and shared it with all of us. There is just nothing like a completely steel framed pistols.

[@troy9477]

Very nice. As luck would have it, i just watched the 1907 video minutes before this one. My knowledge of pre-1911 pistols is now greatly enhanced. Great video as always. Thank you

[@newdefsys]

An astonishing video Ian ! Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful pieces of history.

[@lyntonr6188]

Thanks for the informative video Ian, hope your shoulder heals up quick.

[@cjholden2903]

This should sell for a ton of money for its history, being the last Colt M1909 made, the condition that it is made in, and sent to Springfield for testing.

[@pkonneker]

History is awesome. Especially history of gadgets.

[@arminiusschild5260]

Having watched many firearms videos of various types I have to say yours are the most educational and interesting in terms of history and functioning. And when you get to shoot some thay ain't too bad either. Hope to see many more. Thanks.

[@TheLilKay]

He's the best! try Taufledermaus if you want some Shotgun madness. Try Demolition Ranch of you want some more madness. Try FPSRussia it you want the firearm knowledge of a 12 years old Call of Duty aficionado. But if you want the real good stuff, stay here

[@TheLilKay]

+turbostewi yes

[@lakemanson8051]

Thank you for all the hard work Ian!

[@wastedangelematis]

so nice, always making my day

[@williamhayden7711]

+Forgotten Weapons Ian great video as always. Thank you for the awesome information.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Beautiful finish on those early Colts. That Model 1909 will sell for megabucks I'm sure.

[@squishyblanket]

Thank you for sharing.

[@blairleishman5697]

Love the videos Ian been watching for about two years a lot of facts I never knew keep it up from Blair in Scotland

[@2tommyrad]

WOW!! Expected sale price, $130,000 to $180,000

[@Xv7kyle7vx]

dang this is a fresh post

[@rlbadger1698]

Some one correct me if I'm wrong, I believe the Army required 20 of an item to test, and those where tested to destruction. So like 3(?) of these in existence?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Rl Badger No, most of them were not destroyed.

[@rlbadger1698]

Thank you sir. As all ways I defer to your vastly superior knowledge.

[@Scabota]

+Rl Badger ALL BOW TO OUR OVERLORD, IAN.

[@phileas007]

+Forgotten Weapons You briefly said that the 1905 had issues with the slide flying into the shooter's face. Are there any accounts of this happening? I would expect the chamber to be in the way somehow....

[@micnor14]

+phileas007 Have you seen Sin City? I imagine that's about how it'd look.

[@titaniumdiveknife]

I love these sooooo much!

[@joeyd1404]

another awesome vid!

[@treatb09]

1911 is flawless, except for a few things like hammer bite. i shot a 10mm delta elite, that the casing blew out…my 1911 has jammed once while shooting. still don't even know how it happened because it wasn't an spent round that jammed. real head scratcher there. only reason i can think is my magazine let a round slide a little foreword and it popped up when cycling. magazine problem, not the gun!

[@Regolith86]

Serial numbers starting at zero? Whoever made that decision must have been a time-traveling computer programmer...

[@RedXlV]

I was wondering, are there any physical examples left of the truly forgotten offshoot of the 1911, the FN Grand Browning?

[@mattlf9120]

There are quite a few FN Browning 1903 and Husqvarna M1907's in existence. Both came before the 1909, 1910 & 1911.

[@mattlf9120]

+RedXlV Yes you are correct. I got my FN's mixed up.

[@DK-gy7ll]

Ask and ye shall receive: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIjIo2aAbLuAfdk

[@triggerfist903]

I love 1911's.

[@d33b33]

Does the decreasing angle of the grip signify a change from an Olympic single-handed to a Weaver two-handed style grip in the US military?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Daniel van Slooten No, shooting doctrine as of WWI was still very much one-handed.

[@d33b33]

+Forgotten Weapons I see. It probably was a way to reduce in muzzle flip then, by angling the grip so that the barrel becomes more in line with the shooter's arm. Great video, very educational.

[@gophop]

but does it take Glock mags?

[@TheZansibar]

Question: Do you think you can get your hands on a Colt Monitor? upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Firearms_practice,_1936.jpg i38.tinypic.com/34t7vc2.jpg

[@sergeantbigmac]

+TheZansibar Thats a good gun suggestion and would make a good video, considering how much Ian doesnt like the BAR! The monitor attempted to fix the same problems that made Ian detest the BAR.

[@TheZansibar]

sergeantbigmac I dont even know why Ian didnt detach the bipod like the soldiers who carried it did i.imgur.com/k6ewUmW.png

[@sergeantbigmac]

TheZansibar Ya I know right? I think Ian is a very intelligent, well spoken and fair person. But his BAR video is the only video hes done that his bias showed through... He really went heavy on it. Obviously the BAR has its faults, but he made it seem like its the worst gun design ever adopted or something!

[@peterpeterson4800]

Why don't they make such weapon finishes anymore? I'm no gun or metal expert, but it just looks gorgeuos.

[@prestonhenson263]

Peter Peterson oh they do still. but cheaper alternatives exist now. you have to remember how expensive these would have been... they were essentially all premium guns, people expected a nice finish on a gun worh two weeks pay.. today the same holds, the premium guns have that level of exquisite finish

[@williamhayden7711]

SOLD!!!

[@drmaudio]

I have always found the internal extractors on 1911s to be a little fiddly. Some such as S&W have gone to external extractors in recent years. Do you know why this was adopted, then dropped on the '05 and '09?

[@ronslaughterandalice1018]

Re: Counterfeiting,,, I'm sure there are plenty counterfeits and there are plenty of antique guns out there that are not 100% but bought and sold as 100% completely original. In past years I have made parts for antique gun dealers and have owned a couple , one of which was a 1905 model like the one above. I could have reproduced that gun to the smallest detail but the down side to my thinking would have been to great. Making a repair part is one thing but making a counterfeit where there had only been I think 2,200 or so ever made is a whole different ball of wax. ( gun laws and prosecution ) I bought my 1905 sight unseen for $200 from a guy on the street who didn't know what he had. Wish i had not sold it some years later.

[@tehgreatvak]

It's interesting that one of the "custom 1911" features (ball cuts on the slide) appeared so early in the history of the 1911.

[@TheLilKay]

Who takes care of the dog? Venom Snaek or Rvolver Oceloot?

[@tehgreatvak]

this is the weirdest offer for gay sex I've ever gotten, but I will roll with it. a/s/l?

[@Lazarus7000]

So what was the most powerful handgun available in 1905? Were Mars pistols offered for sale at some point? Wasn't the C96 at one point the most powerful... something? Automatic pistol, perhaps?

[@HughesEnterprises]

The Colt Walker was still around and was no slouch. Besides absurd .45lc hand loads, the Walker was the most powerful until the .357 magnum was made. .45 Mars long was technically more powerful, but not commercially available.

[@LtCmdrGordon]

161 wooo hooo! Thank you for the history sir

[@HughesEnterprises]

Hey Ian- what gun oil/wax does RIA use to keep these guns rust free? Do you have a favorite?

[@Ungabungabraincell]

Very interesting! Do you have any idea why they switched to an internal extractor? It's funny that the external extractor came back with some current production models.

[@crisrose9707]

developmental?

[@baileynathan9160]

I doubt you see this. Just came across your video 7 years later. I have a friend that has had a colt 1911 for the last 35 years or so. I found the dates odd on the side of it, considering it was a 1911 and the date stamps were pre 1911. Watching your video hasn’t changed the confusion. The dates on these for example the 1905 in video. The last date stamped on side is 1905, the newer one was I think 1913 maybe. Hard to see. So his has 1908 as the last date stamped on slide. Is it a 1908 that isn’t mentioned or “prototype” you mentioned. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[@geraldford8255]

130000$ that pricetag

[@Jesses001]

This has to be the first time I have ever seen in the comment section people seeing the estimated cost in the 6 digits and are saying, yup, I can see that, ha.

[@hancockbrewer1465]

Very cool!

[@guccie95209]

How much is a 1905

[@stephen_crumley]

Skip to 2021 and the ATF has this redefined, it’s now a SBR

[@tobyman360]

surprised you didn't go for white gloves Ian. I'd use oven mitts to not damage a weapon that expensive and rare.

[@Regolith86]

+toby Hogan He abides by the wishes of the owners/auction house, which apparently don't like the white glove approach.

[@tobyman360]

Regolith Or, he is perfectly adapted to review weapons, Having hands that don't transfer any oils or grease to the weapons........

[@mrblisterfist]

$180,000 USD (possibly will go higher)

[@rekabneb]

Similarities with browning are pretty obvious.

[@rekabneb]

6236003 ( I did not actually know prior to seeing this) :D as a newbie I'm learning new things about gun history every day

[@sergeantbigmac]

+Ben Baker I know right? Like Browning designed it himself or something...

[@sergeantbigmac]

6236003 Sorry, couldnt help myself ;)

[@rekabneb]

sergeantbigmac Stop browning up my comment thread.

[@VicariousReality7]

1905 looks much better

[@ilikepie2737]

how many of the guns that you show on your channel are actually able to be fired, I'm just asking because if I spend $140,000 on a gun you better believe I'm going to want to shoot it.

[@michaeldriggers7681]

"The slide could fly off the frame and hit the shooter, which is not a good thing" really Ian?

[@butterfly62084]

More closely resembles a colt 1909, not 1911.

[@mikehorrod4367]

drop in audio quality in these last RIA vids

[@jjjsss3869]

Nice story in the caption. No mention of the caliber?

[@michaelparker2449]

I don't get why there's all this worship for the 1911 when countless guns have surpassed it since.

[@mattlf9120]

Plastic surpasses nothing that that is crafted from a block of steel.

[@michaelparker2449]

MattLF9 Technology moves on and any rational person knows a mix of composite materials makes a better gun.

[@mattlf9120]

Sure I guess. But I have proof I'm my hands right now and it's 103 years old and just as reliable as any new firearm. 2000/2500 rounds a year for the last 7 years. Only non-original part is the barrel. But nobody makes a wear resistant barrel yet......dang.

[@michaelparker2449]

MattLF9 Reliability is just 1 part of a gun while it loses out on ergonomics, weight, capacity etc. And the 1911 is known to need a lot more care and attention to keep running reliably so in reality it loses out there too unless the owner is the sort who takes real care of it.

[@mattlf9120]

+Michael Parker My 1911 fits my hand perfectly. I do clean it every 800 rounds. Its not finicky at all. Capacity isn't a big deal for me as I'm pretty proficient from muscle memory. I do like the weight.

[@adammccormack33]

"modern guns "

[@BushmasterXM15E2S]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I heard that Adolf Hitler's Walther is the most valuable handgun ever sold at auction. Is that true?

[@miwang5175]

you are literally on the Internet just look it up

[@BushmasterXM15E2S]

+Mi Wang That's why I'm asking here. This is the internet and this is the person who's probably most likely to know the answer to that question. Other places on the internet aren't the most reliable sources of information.

[@miwang5175]

I don't think some random guy of the internet would be anymore reliable. However Hitlers gun sold for $114,000 and the most expensive gun was George Washington’s Saddle Pistols at $1,986,000.

[@miwang5175]

BushmasterXM15E2S Ian might know but he doesn't reply to that many comments.

[@BushmasterXM15E2S]

+Mi Wang Actually Forgotten Weapons has responded to several of my questions in the past. I don't know if it was Ian but it was Forgotten Weapons. They're actually very good about answering questions.

[@ihateemael]

I don't get it . . why not just beef up the retaining wedge on the swing barrel model? why the complete redesign? it looks cheap compared to the original design.

[@maiorciprian]

I think cheap and simple was the whole idea

[@AMX-014S]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴊᴜʟɪᴀɴ.

[@ludo9234]

Give you £10.00 for it

[@juniorfio1196]

+LUDO or 10.17 (euros) in credit.

[@traskpierce3774]

Escobar guns

[@rigormortiz5357]

lol 🤣🤣🤣

[@rogerwilco2]

"Modern" is still 1911...

[@FutureNaught]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[@loganp.9987]

First comment c;

[@George_Doc]

+Logan P. (neoisprettycool) Ок,second.

[@winterroad666]

why r these so depressing