Essex 1911 National Match

[mtngunr]

Thanks, I had heard a long time ago some Camp Perry competitor's were using Essex frames for Match builds. Like the Norinco frames only in the 60s. But if they were not put together by an arsenal then there's probably no way to tell if it was used in competition.

Competition guns generally had a number added (often electro-penciled) on critical parts so that all the same parts went back in same gun.
Essex frames were investment cast, generally not in-spec in numerous ways, anything out of spec needing correction before even starting, and if even possible, such as crooked pin hole alignment through frame, voids in castings, etc..
You find a lot of their frames with formerly cheap and plentiful beater GI slides which were swapped out for post WWII issue slides of better steel and heat treat since the WWII and earlier slides were prone to eventual cracking. Of observed GI 1911s with a SFG in Afghanistan, talking near 300 in inventory and 100 observed, over 30% had replacement slides due to cracks. Of course these all were guns made from the start of WWI to the end of WWII, there being no new 1911s purchased after that, no suprise things started to fail, but generally it was the slides, and older slides not to be trusted to last with much full powered ammo shooting.
All to say an Essex frame with a RR slide ain't nuthin to write home about. But, if in nice shape, and unaltered, the slide something highly desired by someone with a RR frame and mismatched or replaced slide....there were three RR slides produced during the war years, their dating via slide roll marks/location.

 

[Two Gun Warrior]

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What you have there is a good start on building a match gun. Bushing is NM of coarse, do not know about the barrel, can not see the markings on it. The sights have been changed, rear looks a little off to the right. The guide rod is full lenght maybe a groupgripper. The frame does not show anything different from mill spec, does look like it might have been fit to the slide.