Rare Colt 38 AMU pistol (C10868)

Rare Colt 38 AMU pistol. This is a very scarce and desirable Colt commercial pistol, produced in the scarce 38 AMU cartridge. This cartridge was developed by the army marksmanship unit, Fort Benning, Georgia to meet national match standards, by firing the light and more accurate 38 AMU round as used by the US ARMY marksmanship teams. It was built on a model 1911 A1 type pistol frame, with basic parts provided by Colt, in essence a kit gun. Initially they were manufactured on government contracts, but eventually a few were sold commercially and they were manufactured on special order for Gil Hebard Guns, Knoxville, Illinois. The slide is marked on each side; “Colt/.38 AMU/Automatic” followed by the Rampant Colt and the obverse “Colt’s PT. F.A MANUFACTURED. CO. Hartford, CONN. U.S.A.” The top of the barrel is marked “Colt .38 AMU” The slide is equipped with an extended front sight and an adjustable Bo-Mar target rear sight. Serrated trigger and stippled front grip. Gun is in very fine condition with almost all of its original blue. Mechanically excellent. Bore is excellent.