3 Singer 1911A1's | The Gun That Costs As Much As A House! 

In 1962, I checked into my first unit in Germany as a 2nd Lt. I was told to go to the arms room and pick up a weapon. I did. I was given the most worn disreputable chunk of metal you have ever seen. It was a very well used Singer 1911. When I left the unit 4 years later the arms Sgt. told me to just take it with me and he would write it off the books as "lost". I was tempted because it and I got along quite well. The armorer had accurized it by slamming it in a wooden door. It tightened the slide quite nicely. and I qualified several times and always as Expert. I turned the offer down because I didn't want to get caught with it while traveling. One of my many mistakes.

They say only 2500 of the original 500 still exist! 😂

My Grandmother BUILT those pistols! She worked for Singer sewing machines in Elizabeth, NJ!

Im a collector of singer sewing machines from 1800 to 1960 and didnt know they did guns , it makes sense that they made so little , too high of quality, every sewing machine i own still works like new and all have original parts , im glad i found this info , i like to know as much as i can when it comes to antique stuff and i never knew they made guns too , cool ...

I was at an air show back in the 80's and boarded a B-17 that was there. It had 50 cal guns made by singer in the turret and tail guns, cool.

I'm more likely to be able to afford those pistols than any of Ghislane Maxwell's clients are to be prosecuted.

At a gun show in Los Angeles in the 1970s I was able to handle and look closely at a Singer 1911A1. The workmanship was impeccable. Even on the inside the machining was smooth. If I could have afforded it I would have purchased this one over the Colt version. I vaguely remember back then the cost of this pistol being much more than Colts or the Remingtons. Tom, I am getting those giveaways all the time allegedly from you. I don't bite on them.

If anyone of those Singer 1911’s were in my house in a safe, I still wouldn’t be able to sleep at night!

I was issued a Singer 1911 during my tour in the Gulf War. My unit also had some made by Remington Rand. The story of what happened to my units brand new M-9's is a whole other story.

The first 500 guns were called an Educational Order, whose purpose it was to judge the viability of the manufacturer's product. Evidently the Army thought Singer's output would be better spent making other things for the war effort; an example would be the M1 Carbine receivers.

Back in the early 90s I leant a friend of mine $500 so he could buy a gun when we were at a gun show. He was young, but had inherited his grandfather’s gun collection that had several rare guns and a lot of just really nice guns. It included 4 1911 Colts from WW2 era, including one made by Ithaca and the one by the rail road company, the name escapes me. But he always said he wished he could find a Singer. He came up to me at a gun show and asked if I had found anything, and I said no and then he asked to borrow $500 so he could buy a gun he wanted. I knew he had at least $600, so I wasn’t sure what he had found, but at the time Gun prices hadn’t gone completely nuts. So I finally said yes and off he went, almost running. He caught up with me later and told me he wanted to show me what he bought, but only outside in his truck. He opened a pistol case and showed me the 1911 he had just bought, and I actually thought he was going to scream. He just smiled and said it was a Singer. I was happy he got it, but would be happier after he paid me back. He was able to pay me back all but $50 of what he borrowed over a couple months and I finally said he could forget about the rest, and consider the rest a birthday gift and continue to let me shoot the guns in his collection at times. He did get the gun checked out by a gun expert and it was indeed a matching Singer 1911. He had paid $1200 for it, not sure we’re he got the other $100. The guy who checked it out also made sure it was safe to shoot and between the two of us, we put about 100 rounds through it. The gun ran flawlessly and was super accurate. The finish was worn some, but it felt super tight and didn’t feel like a 50 year old gun. I was really amazed by how great the fit and finish on it was. The only real problem was that one of the grips has a very small crack in it, but it didn’t seem to go all the way through. I lost track of my friend after 30 years, but I wonder if he still has that gun. I imagine that if he is still alive, he does. He wasn’t the type that would sell off his guns, only hand them down to his kids.

I am not even sure that I would like to have one… (easy to say, as I am not even close to affording such a thing… :D) But I am very happy to see them, and to hear You talking about them, so THANKS Tom & the team! :):)

Accepting donations to be able to afford one of these war horses!

I like how you stitched all that history together :)

You Sir, are living the dream! Thanks for sharing with those of us not worthy..

closest I got to a Singer was a Union Switch & Signal 1911A1 in 98+ percent condition... traded it off before I knew what I had... oh well... knowledge hurts sometimes.. lol

I thought Singer received a contract to make the tooling to build 1911s and that the contract required the assembly of 500 pistols . I understand that once the contract was completed the tooling was sent to Remington-Rand . I could be mistaken .

in 1986 when USMC Recon first stood up Direct Action anti-terrorist unit , I was issued a 1911A1 Singer as my sidearm to go with my Vietnam era CAR-15 , to begin CQB training. 100,000 rounds later my CAR-15 kept breaking parts, and I was issued a MP5N. Then one day while shooting drills, the slide of my 1911A1 Singer flew down range following the bullet. The Marine Corps armorer's in Quantico , totally rebuild the gun into a MEUSOC 45. They took all the old 1911s and 1911A1s in the Marines and rebuild them from ground up.

I've always thought it funny that the 1911 I carried in the Marines in the early 70's was built by Singer. It never occurred to me that one day they'd be valuable. It was accurate.

Watching you fondle those 1911's makes you the Hugh Hefner of classic firearms.

Great video! Thanks, Tom. I'm still waiting for the P38, the MP 40 and the Singer 1911A1 that I won on your last giveaway! 😆😆😉

When I was an armorer in the Marines in the early 90s not all of the units had been issued Berettas yet. The MCAS armory still had 45's and one full chest of 50 was a mix of Singers, Ithaca's, and a couple of the Remington Rands. All of them had super low round count cards. Sadly the unit was issued Berettas and all three chests of the 45's were sent to Barstow to be destroyed. 😒

The Jackson Five was 5 Singers, so You have a Trio.

Singer 1911 -- AWESOME collector's treasure!!!❤❤❤

My dad was on the battleship USS North Carolina in WWll. If I could own one I'd love to have a WWll Navy 1911A1 ⚓

sweetness. they are just going to keep going up and up in price. fine fine art and all that history. I sure wis you could open a museum that would be wonderful you are the master.

Thank you! Amazing pieces

My father had one that was in mint condition, it came from the Pacific theater. Some one snerkerd my elderly dad and gave him 500. 00 dollars for it. My dad never told me until much later as he knew I wanted that gun. He needed money to pay bills and never talked to me.

Wow Singer hit that frame with the P stamp HARD, it looks like a dent in the frame!

I owned a beautiful WWII Remington Rand Colt 45 years back and it was so nice to shoot.

I wonder if they "run like a sewing machine"

That was great information. Thank you for sharing.

Some time in the sixties my father had a Singer. He was a National Match Course shooter. I have his hard ball gun that he bought through DCM for $65. It is a Rem. Rand. He accurised that himself. Stippled the front and back straps to the hilt. It still shoots 5 shot ragged holes at 50'. He told me the Singer was very valuable. Collecting ment nothing to him. It had to "shoot" for him or it was worthless. I begged him to keep it for me. I said I would give him the money he was going to sell it for. He got it for next nothing and was going to make a few bucks on it. I don't remember the price, but it seems to me it was less than $200. A chunk of change in those days. I was about 11 or 12 and had already started saving for a car, so I had the money. He said that I didn't need it and had no business with it.

So basically, Singer had the government contract "all sewn up." Sorry. I'm here all week. Try the veal. 😛😛😛😛😛😛

Great show my friend and thanks for the info 👍👍👍👍

As someone who loves sewing machines, if i ever got one of these id keep it in my sewing room. Seems fitting 🤣

I wish they still make blued classic 1911 like these

USS "lunchbox" M1911A1s used to show up at gun shows in the Pittsburgh area back in the 80s.

In the Army in 70 and 71, my issue weapon was a Singer. Outside it was well worn, not nice like what you have, and the numbers matched. I don’t know about the magazines. It functioned well. I don’t know what might have happened to it after they were replaced. That was a shame. Take care.

I suspect that some/most/all "fakers" will know the subtle differences. Maybe we should too? What a spectacular work of "art"/"history"! When I win the lottery........... Thanks for sharing.

You have to wonder how many rare 1911s were cannibalized for parts to keep up the army's inventory? Every part on the 1911 was interchangeable. One of the 1911s I had in Germany had a Colt slide on a Remington frame. I disliked the back strap lines. They were deep and dug into your hand.

It is the year 2511 or 2539, these ACPs are a bit noisy but still, every bit as deadly as it was in 1911 and just as reliable, provided it has fresh ammo. It will still fire in the vacuum of space, in high heat, through mud and salt water and after it been ran over by vehicles. After all, in Star War, Hans Solo used a Broomhandle, another much desired collectable classic. The Singer is a rare gun, but I be just as happy with one made by Colt, a name more associated with the 1911s. The closest I can get to that for me now is a Colt Woodsman, with a heavy barrel. The gun was made around the 60s and I inherit it, workmanship is excellent, same grip angle as the 1911 but hidden hammer. I used to be able to drive nails with it, and someone younger with the eye sight can still do. But I am in the restrictive Canada, if I get an ACP, I likely get one from an 80% kit that no one know about and a threaded barrel for suppressor.

The 1911 probably wasn't a Singer dad used in WW2 . He was promoted to a Sargent in the field by Patton and his officers. He was given a Thompson sub , but turned it down. He was sent to Bastogne and either picked up a 1911or it was given to him , probably not a Singer but his 1911 did make some Nazis sing for their life,but a rope stopped that .

Wow. One of those was at one of my active duty units in the middle 1980s.

Depots mix-mastered all the parts during rebuilds, as did unit arms rooms during mass cleaning sessions. The last time weapons were factory original is when the manufacturer's shipping crate was opened. Always be suspicious of "correct" guns.

Alright now I want one!! 🤠👍

YT earns a lot of us, they have an obligation to solve this ASAP. Or they got paid from those scammed?

I love wartime firearms produced by non-firearm companies. They are just fascinating to me. Singer 1911s are on top of my list. M1s made by International Harvester are 2nd.

WOW !!!!!! Spectacular 1911's

Holy Grails, for sure!!!

They are truly a gem but just think of all the colts , Remmies , Ithaca's , US S+S etc you could get for less than the cost of 1 Zinger .

Guess it's time to sell the house then!

I had a Gov' singer back in the 1970's. It was a little loose, so I traded it........

The sewing machine companies was very suitable to produce guns, the Huskvarna did the same but in reverse, both Hunting guns, very well made, military arms, handguns and rifles HK G3, went on to one of the best chainsaw makers in the world. A very high tech company, the first automovers in Sweden, probably in Europe, maybe in the world. Kitchen whiteware. ....

Great video 👍

Thank you

Thank you for the warning ⚠️

Great guns Tom. Loving the history. I have reported spam messages on my comments not only on your channel but Ian mccollem forgotten weapons in range . Bloke on the range. Chappies channel and autumns armoury

Picasso painting for 67 millions US dollars. Is it worth that much?

With a Singer being worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, one wonders if it's possible for an expert machinist to "make" a Singer out of an old Colt? How hard is it to make a roll stamp that is just like the one used in the 1940's?

I could not find Singer 1911 on Gun Broker? Maybe I misunderstood...

Those spammers need to be drawn and quartered. It's overdue. (Look it up, viewers)

I had an acquaintance many years ago ('75s) who had a Singer.

In Scotland , England was already at war, ottch that hurt.

Tom - " if any of you have Singer parts , i'd love to buy them from you" .... Me starts taking my nans sewing machine apart 🤣🤣

Whenever anyone criticizes a high value bear in mind that a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard sunburst electric guitar can be priced at half a million dollars because in that year only 643 were made and obviously not all survived. Rarity has value.

A Singer question, how many were actually used in the Vietnam War and beyond into the 80-90s?

Value is what someone places on an item, if someone is willing to pay $10 Million for a pistol, then the Value (at least in that person's eyes) is $10 Million.

All of these 1911s went to war in Europe?? Some of them look brand new, absolutely beautiful. Seems to me had they all saw action they would be scuffed and not such good shape. Im wondering how many of these never went onto a field of battle?? Ahh, I just read that many of the pistols that went to Europe were reworked by the Military after the war, that would explain the condition of these firearms. They did stay in service until 85/86.

I've seen a number of rare 1911 videos. However, I've not heard of the rare Inter American non-proofed 1911 (Example No. 297944). Might you have anything on these few Cold Pre-war (Aug1940) units ?

You found my list 45's I can come there to retrieve them. I think there is 4 more floating around there. I'm so full of crap. You have to joke around or you will go insane. I think the Singer's are superior to the best of the military contract 1911''s. Maybe that's why they made high tech components for the time.

Is there a large difference in trigger pull or break?

I have two my grandfather gave me that he keep from 2ww... Iam a gun smith have been for 30 years... They are in about 100 percent they look brand new....

Acquiring and reselling someone else’s collection is either passed away or passing it on because there’s only a finite supply of these Singer M 1911s I think they’re only 500 I wonder if you could go to some of these legacy manufacturers and have them to at least put their name on it after having the parts made elsewhere New generation brand new singer, 45s

What kind of clumsy klutz scratches the slide of a $400k Singer-not once but twice ?

Love to have a Singer, or a US&S but being retired and only SS for income, it won't happen. Love the presentation though. Thanks

Wow! I’ve seen one in my lifetime back in the 80s, and your holding 3! If I had unlimited money I’d buy one.😎

Those early 1911s have a feature not seen much if at all one more recent runs no matter the manufacturer, the lanyard loop at the bottom of the grip

In the Army I had a 50 cal machine gun made by Singer

I've been trying for 30 years to get my uncle to give me his singer. He's 93 and still says no.

You would think singer would have made more throughout the war

Is the barrel (on the one that is entirely finished) ALL blued??

My 1917 Colt M1911 has those grips on it for some reason, and one has the reinforced circles and one doesnt? serial number under 100,000

Runs like ah sowen machine

didn’t Singer also make a copy of the M1 carbine?

Are the Underwood Singer sub contract M1 Carbines anything special??

Yes get a snap cap and dry fire that 100k plus gun! I will never ever have a chance. Vicariously yours, lri

GODDAMN that's a sexy pistol!

My father was born in 1908

Semper Fi

Is it true that when Canadian WWII veterans passes away, their collectible handguns from the war are destroyed since they cannot pass then down?

He uses gloves to protect his hands.

I think we should go easy on the fakers... life without parole would do.

Uh oh tom looks like you got a scam bot.

Just curious, does one owner have the initials D.V.? I know someone that owns one, not sure if his is on here.

GRAIL GUN

Why is every slide nicked on the bottom edge? Accidental contact with safety?

Hey I bought this expensive magic gun for 3 magic beans. Common' gun SING !

I want one

I read Singer made machine guns as well. I have owned Singer Industrial Canvas/upholstery machines and they are forever if kept oiled. And weight a ton. I've owned Jap and Chinese knock offs and they aren't in the same ball park as these older singers. Just seeing the thread tension adjustment knob and the quality of work and steel compared to knock off stuf. And they do 2500 stiches per min. They must of made a heck of a machine gun.