Can you tell me anything about this 1911?

I would leave the pistol as is.
I've owned several 1911 and 1911A1 military guns from several different manufactures thru the years, mostly Colts but also Remington Rand, Ithaca and Union Switch.
I currently have two both are Colts, one is an original 1911 that was called a Black Army model, the other is a 1911A1 it's a nice old gun but someone stippled the front strap and changed the barrel.
I carried a Colt in Nam, some people hated them, I loved mine.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
 
Does the slide have a serial number somewhere? What does the reinforcement look like? I don't see anything that looks like heat treatment but there is an area inside the slide that is very rough. It looks like tool marks. Maybe this is not the original slide?
Also, I reload so I will load some super light loads and shoot it lightly a few times a year as suggested. Memorial day sounds good. I have 2 boys so it could be a nice tradition to take granddad's guns to the range.
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The slide appears to have all the hallmarks of a being correct for the frame's s/n. The position of the prancing horse, the shape of the dust cover 'arch', the sights- all seem to indicate it.

Sometimes s/ns are found on them, but US production was of a state that slides didn't need to be matched to frames. In your s/n range I wouldn't expect to find an s/n.

The recoil plate is a plug that the firing pin would pass through, at the breechface. It is not a small plug just for the firing pin. It creates a hardened surface for the breechface. This didn't happen until the mid 1930s. I would be astounded to learn that a Model of 1911 (not 1911A1) had this done to it. Simply look at the area of your firing pin. It will be smooth- no recoil plate. I mentioned it because every time I post some technical point, somebody can dig out a done-by-a-smith-one-off that seems to prove me wrong in front of the world.
 
Actually, your gun dates to 1918, not 1913. You can tell by looking at the range of serial numbers here: http://proofhouse.com/colt/index.html.

I AM NOT AN EXPERT but the 1913 date on your gun is not the manufacturing date. It is the date of a design change made in the pistol. Also, the arched mainspring housing indicates it is not original to that specific pistol. The 1911s at that time had a flat mainspring housing and the medium length trigger like yours. The U.S. military later requested some changes which include the arched mainspring housing and a shorter trigger. Also, a bit of a "scallop" on the frame behind the trigger area, IIRC. I believe it is quite normal for 1911s of that time to have a replacement mainspring housing installed.

Whatever you do, don't modify it, even the finish. While not shiny and new looking, it is in very good shape for its age and will bring a higher value as-is if you ever want to sell it. Also, shoot mild loads since only the area around the slide stop notch was heat treated.
 
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The dates on the slide are the dates of issue of the patents for various features of the gun, not the dates of manufacture of the gun. At one time, it was common for makers to mark the gun with all the patent numbers and dates to discourage copies and let the buyer know that he was getting the "latest and greatest". The way things were done, a single patent might cover a dozen or more features, while another patent number/date might be placed on an item even though none of its claims were used in that item.

Jim
 
Wonderful gun. I wouldn't change the "original" plastic grips. Those grips could be as old as 1940 and while that gun likely had wood double diamonds at one point, the plastic grips carry their own history.
 
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