Springfield Armory 1964 National Match 1911

Although I am a fan of the 1911 and something of a student, having written three books on this pistol, most of them I run across are not terribly interesting. However, the handgun illustrated here is one that I hold with a deep reverence because it is one of the legendary firearms build by Springfield Armory gunsmiths, back when Springfield Armory was still a government facility.

The most noticeable thing about this pistol is its Drake slide. The Drake Manufacturing Co. produced a run of slides for 1964 National Match pistols, and these slides were built to withstand constant practice and heavy competition schedules.

The triangle-marked rear sight is a fully adjustable unit similar to the Bomar. The front sight is interesting. This one appears hand cut, as many National Match gun sights were. As sights got heavier they were prone to taking flight from their staked-on perch, and until dovetail sights came along, Army gunsmiths silver-soldered them in place. This would appear to be a transitional sight, one of the last staked types.

The barrel and bushing are marked “NM” for National Match. The frontstrap is checkered in a credible cut with good borders—more for utility than art.

Identifying Marks

The frame’s serial number tells me it’s of Remington Rand manufacture, and it’s stamped “United States Property.” Prominent “M74” and “SA” markings indicate it was modified at Springfield Armory. A large “T” identifies the pistol as a 1964 National Match.

The hammer is the spur type. The grip frame is the standard 1911A1 type with arched mainspring and standard grip safety. The Parkerizing shows some wear but is otherwise in excellent condition.

The pistol features a solid aluminum trigger. I don’t know for certain if the trigger action itself is original, but old 1911 hands and my own experience suggest that the National Match pistols left Springfield Armory with light triggers in the three- to 3.5-pound range—well suited to taking on the 50-yard bullseye at Camp Perry’s National Matches. The pull on this one breaks clean and crips at 3.15 pounds.

The pistol does not pass a safety check. If you drop the slide on an empty chamber, the hammer falls to half cock. This was also common with National Match 1911s of the era—not Colt factory guns but Army gunsmith guns. If a safety cartridge or dummy round is loaded from the magazine and the slide allowed to go forward, the hammer does not fall.

Limited Run

According to my best sources and consultation with learned individuals, Springfield Armory built 800 of these guns in 1964. While it seems 195 of them were sold to competitors through the Directorate of Civilian Marksmanship (today known as the Civilian Marksmanship Program), the figure is probably higher.

Prices on these old guns were not the simplest to nail down. Although quite rare on an individual year-by-year production basis, they don’t bring the prices of GI guns in good condition.

The pistol illustrated will fetch $1,500 to $1,850 according to my best searches. This is a credible collectible handgun that is an interesing piece of shooting history. 

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