I'd sure like to get my hands on a Colt made 1911A1 like you've got there. I handled a Colt made 1911, but it was dinged the fuck up. Guy at the store siad it was probably used in a dozen crimes and never taken care of. I've seen a Remington Rand before, but they don't have the same charm. Those are some good looking 1911s though. Congrats on owning them.

Oh, wait, maybe you guys can help me with something:

http://www.imfdb.org/images/9/9f/US2-1911-4.jpg

Is this a Remington Rand 1911? I'm starting to think it is, looking at the rear of the slide and the marking above the safety.

Well, for one, it's a 1911, not a 1911A1, and I'm pretty sure Remington Rand only made A1s, and also, you see the pony at the rear of the slide, and the parallel lines of text on the side? It's a Colt, dude.

Definately. Remington Rand (the typewriter company) only made M1911A1s. Remington-UMC (the gun company) made some M1911s, but that's definately a Colt 1911 As was said, the mark above the safety is Colt's trademark pony.

Whoops, just noticed the lanyard question.

It's actually not a British thing, it's a pre-1919 Colt thing. Remember it was designed as a cavalry pistol, the intention was you'd have a lanyard on the pistol and all your mags so you wouldn't lose it when you dropped it on horseback. That obviously became obsolete very quickly, so they stopped doing it.

The British style was actually to a ring that went through the factory lanyard loop - the standard British lanyard wouldn't fit through the factory loop. It seems to be about 50/50 with British 1911s, mine doesn't happen to have it. Oddly the Remington-Rand does, which is why I think it's a lend-lease gun. I say oddly because lend-lease A1s typically don't have a British lanyard loop added.

OK, thanks for setting me straight. I forgot about the difference between Remington Rand and Remington UMC...silly me. :D