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Make: Colt
Model: Service Model Ace
Serial Number: SM 1034
Year of Manufacture: 1940 (
https://colt.com/serial-lookup)
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 5”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated, ramped blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a flat-topped square-notch adjustable for windage and elevation dovetailed to the rear of the slide.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are fully checkered walnut panels. The grips show little in the way of wear with only a few scattered minor marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. The grips rate in Fine Plus Condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original, the slide is serial-matching.
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is infrequent minor erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 9 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 97% of its metal finish. There are a few scattered minor scuffs and light handling marks. There is one tool-slip between the grip safety and sear pins on the right of the frame. There are a few minor nicks in the frontstrap. The action shows minor operational wear. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol rates in Fine Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this pistol. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one rare, early, pre-war Colt “two-tone” partially blued 10-round magazine stamped “COLT / 22 ACE (in a diamond) L.R. / SERVICE MODEL” on the bottom floorplate. Also included is a rare, early, pre-war manual for the Colt Service Model Ace.
Our Assessment: The Colt Ace was introduced in 1931 as a .22 Long Rifle pistol similar in shape and manual of arms to their famous 1911 Government Model. Though certainly a promising concept, the Ace suffered from a few major drawbacks. First, it could not properly mimic the .45’s recoil, and second, it could not generate sufficient blowback strength from the .22 cartridge to force the slide completely back for ejection and reloading. In 1937, the legendary inventor David Marshall “Carbine” Williams patented the “floating chamber device”, and Colt introduced this marvel feature that same year on their new model of .22 LR 1911, dubbed the Service Model Ace. Williams’ device gave the Service Model Ace a recoil duplicating that of the Government Model .45, allowing shooters the use of relatively inexpensive .22 ammunition to simulate the larger cartridge. Being that the Service Model Ace was introduced in the depths of the Great Depression, the cost savings on ammunition was a significant selling point. Over 13,500 Service Model Aces were made from 1937-1945, and about 90% of those were sold to the US military, making any commercial examples, such as this one, extremely scarce today.
This Colt Pre-War Commercial Service Model Ace Pistol was made in 1940 and is in Fine Condition. It features a 5” barrel, 97% of its gleaming, original blued finish, the crisp, original fully checkered walnut grips, strong mechanics, a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling (there’s infrequent minor erosion), a rare, early Colt “two-tone” partially blued 10-round mag, and a rare, early manual for the Colt Service Model Ace. Lastly, this pistol comes from the personal collection of inventor, founder, and President of Universal Firearms, Abe Seiderman, and should be of additional interest to collectors for that ownership lineage. A signed Certificate Of Authenticity from the Seiderman family will be included with this piece. This is a gorgeous example of a rare pre-war commercial Service Model Ace, and it’s sure to take a prized place in a Colt handgun collection.