Here for your perusal is Colt .45 ACP 1914 Government Model Pistol serial number C9591 which was 1 of 20 shipped to Remington Arms-UMC Company Bridgeport CT on October 5 1914. The Canadian C broad arrow property mark is stamped on the magazine floor plate and British Birmingham commercial proofing on the slide and barrel. Remington Arms-UMC acted as purchasing agents for Britain and Canada during WWI. I'm speculating that either Remington-UMC sold the pistol to Canada after it was finished with using the pistol for ammunition trading or the pistol was purchased by a Canadian officer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a reply from NRA contributor Bruce Canfield bout this pistol

A very neat early war pistol and a great letter from Canfield detailing the particulars of this M1911.  I can't quite make out the stamps on the toe of your magazine.  Is the large one the Canadian military marking?

 

 

Hi Sarge, yes the marking on the magazine plate is the C/broad arrow Canadian military property mark; it was double stamped. Here's a close up of the marking:

 

I received this very interesting detailed reply from the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum concerning this pistol:

1. Shipment to Remington-UMC (October 1914)
Your pistol (C9591) being 1 of 20 shipped to Remington-UMC on Oct 5, 1914 is the key starting point.
That is not a normal commercial or military delivery pattern. Small lots like “20 pistols” sent to an ammunition manufacturer strongly suggest:
Most likely purpose:

Ammunition development / function testing

Establishing reliable .45 ACP loads for wartime production

Possibly endurance and pressure testing

This fits the context:

WWI had just begun (August 1914)

Britain and its allies were scrambling to source arms and ammunition in North America

UMC (soon part of Remington) was gearing up for large-scale contracts

So yes—Colt absolutely did send pistols to ammunition makers. That was standard practice when scaling up production of a cartridge.
 

2. How did it get into Canadian service?
This is the tricky part—and where speculation needs to be disciplined.
Known historical anchor:

Canada purchased ~5,000 Colt Government Models in late 1914 for the Canadian Expeditionary Force

These were shipped directly from Colt—not via intermediaries like Remington

Your pistol’s path (most plausible reconstruction):

Scenario A (most likely)

Colt ships pistol to Remington-UMC for testing

After testing, pistol becomes surplus / retained inventory

It is later:

Sold commercially or

Transferred as part of broader wartime supply dealings

It enters Canadian service through:

Direct purchase

Officer private purchase

Or informal acquisition early in the war

Early-war procurement (late 1914–early 1915) was messy. Canada and Britain were buying anything available.

Scenario B (possible, but less provable)

Remington-UMC acted as a procurement intermediary

The pistol was bundled into shipments tied to:

ammunition contracts

or British purchasing missions in the U.S.

There is precedent:

Remington Arms supplied rifles and handled foreign contracts

They also arranged handgun supply (e.g., S&W .455s for Britain)

But: there is no direct evidence that these 20 Colts were officially forwarded to Canada as a batch.
 

Scenario C (least likely but often suggested)

“Smuggled” or informally diverted into Canada

 This is usually overstated. While early war procurement was chaotic, outright smuggling is not needed to explain this pistol’s path.

3. Canadian marking (C Broad Arrow)

The Canadian “C broad arrow” on the magazine is important:

Likely applied to replacement or spare magazines (1915 onward)

Matches your note that early pistols shipped with unmarked mags

This suggests:

The pistol was in Canadian service long enough to receive replacement equipment

The magazine is not necessarily original to the pistol

4. British proof marks (Birmingham)

The Birmingham Proof House marks tell a very clear story:

BNP (Birmingham Nitro Proof) = civilian/commercial proof

Required when:

A firearm enters civilian market in the UK

Or is exported commercially

Your dating (1958) is very plausible:

Post-WWII surplus disposal

British/Commonwealth pistols sold off commercially

Proofed before sale/export

 This means:

This means

The pistol remained in British/Commonwealth control through WWII

Then entered civilian circulation in the late 1950s

5. WWII barrel on a WWI pistol
Completely normal.

Many WWI Colts were:

Re-arsenaled

Refitted with later barrels (1937–WWII production)

Your “G” marked barrel fits U.S. government contract replacement barrels (pre-1943)

 This strongly supports:
Continued service life into WWII

Likely refurbishment in a British or Canadian system

6. Putting it all together (clean timeline)

Most defensible reconstruction:

1914 – Manufactured by Colt

Oct 5, 1914 – Shipped to Remington-UMC for ammo testing

1914–1915 – Leaves Remington inventory (sale/transfer)

WWI – Enters Canadian service (CEF), magazine later replaced

Interwar / WWII – Remains in Commonwealth service, refurbished (new barrel)

Post-1945 – Declared surplus

~1958 – Proofed at Birmingham for civilian sale/export

Later – Returns to North America

Bottom line answers to your core questions
Did Colt send pistols to ammo makers for testing?
Yes—very likely in this case. That’s the most solid conclusion.
Did Remington-UMC forward it to Canada?
Possible, but unproven.
More likely: it left Remington as surplus and was later acquired through wartime purchasing channels.
Is the Canadian/British service story believable?
Yes—strongly supported by:

Canadian-marked magazine

British proof marks

WWII replacement barrel

Final assessment
Your pistol is a legitimate multi-service gun with a complex but believable chain:

Non-standard origin (test gun)

Early wartime acquisition

Canadian service

Extended Commonwealth use

Postwar British disposal

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