[Riss]

Recently got a Springfield Armory 1911, Want to try to figure out exactly what it is. It is marked Compact, Night .45 . Ser#LW3355xx and F I Brazil. Looks to be a Lew Horton special run, appears to be painted black, could be a stainless slide and Alum frame, but I.m not really sure. Beavertail also appears to be case hardened, BUT it is only slightly magnetic. Baffles me if all is stainless or if I'm way off.

[FPrice]

Call Springfield Armory with the serial number, they can tell you best. I called them about a frame on a parts gun about two years ago and they told me exactly what it was.

[ktd]

Probably a SA Nite Lite or something like that. A special run of alum frame blackened 1911's with tritium sights. Does it have a crescent moon logo on the slide? (is it a 1991? I thought that was a Colt model). Just read an article on those last night.

k

[Riss]

I did figure it migt be an alum frame. It does have the crescent moon. ODD thing is that the sights are not night sights. If they glowed they would have on;y been the kind that are activated under a light source. Is a SA 1911 copy of the Colt. That patent ran out yearrrrrrrrrrrs ago.

[scubie02]

Night sights only last for a certain number of years before they lose the glow effect, so its possible they have just "run out". Or they might have been replaced. I think the night owl models or whatever they were called (they did have the little moon symbol) were sort of a precursor to the LW Compact Loaded, which was a compact aluminum framed model with night sights. Very nice for carry. Does it have the ramped barrel or barrel on frame? That would be the only potential issue I think.

[ktd]

Is a SA 1911 copy of the Colt. That patent ran out yearrrrrrrrrrrs ago.
I was asking because you called it a 1991, which I think is a Colt trademarked name for their basic no frills gun, while the equivalent Springfield is called a GI, and of which the nitelite is neither.

Anyways, I will go lookup the article and see what else of interest it may say for you. The gun should be non-ramped I think, they came out quite a while ago.

[Riss]

No definately a 1911. Have difficulty getting my fat fingers to work correctly on the keyboard. Frame is Alum., barrel is unramped. Sights do not appear to be deep enough to hold tritium inserts. But they could have been the painted on phosphecent type.

[ktd]

the article says that the Night Lights are Lew Horton guns, there were two Night Lights, alloy frame standard and compact, and one Night, a steel compact. The compact is a 4.28 inch barrel.

You might wanna take a close look at the sights, the sights are special Millets, fixed high profile GI style, with a tritium front, and a rear with both painted dots and a tritium bar below the notch (see pic). It may look like regular painted dots, otherwise, it sounds like someone may have swapped out the sights.

The guns came from the distributor with Hogue finger grooves, extended beavertail, beveled magwell, videcki trigger, and a slot hammer.

[Riss]

Is alloy frame standard model. Sights look like GI, but painted on, non tritium. Shoots good and slide is tight. AND I was going to strip it down to Park' it because I did not like the finish. Well I guess I won't be doing that after all. Thanks for the help everyone.