This rare Norwegian M1914 pistol is in 98% mint sharp condition and totally factory original and all matching and has an excellent bore. This is a top collector grade example of the highly regarded and sought after Norwegian variant of the Colt M1911 .45 acp pistol known as the M1914 Kongsberg-Colten. This is a completely original condition completely matching pistol, which is not an easy thing to do on a Norwegian M1914. Norway adopted the model 1911 in 1914 and they are the most popular and historic of the foreign made Colt 1911 type pistols to collect.
This particular pistol was manufactured in 1923 at the Kongsberg Vapenfabrikk and was inspected by Halydan Alstad as evidenced by his initials HA under the date. 1923 dated Pistols are VERY scarce as only 1,660 were manufactured that year representing less than 2% of total production. On May 27, 1924 this pistol was part of a shipment of pistols sent to the Army Arsenal in Kristiania. There it remained until it was sent to the 1st Infantry Regiment sometime in 1938. What happened to this pistol during the Second World War is not known. After Norway surrendered in 1940 many were issued to German forces and it was called the Pistole 657 (n) by them. It was also widely issued to the Kriegsmarine and many pictures showing its German Navy service use are known. Of course many were used by the Norwegian Free Army and the resistance.
One only need watch The Heavy Water War on Netflix to get the flavor of ww2 in Norway. Because of the large .45 caliber it was quite popular with those of any side who carried it. Starting in 1957 and lasting until about 1962 numbers of these pistols were surplussed and sold in the US. This pistol may have been a vet bring back or it may have been imported in and sold during this period. If you have been looking for one of these pistols this is certainly a top example.
