Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · II · 114

Colt Government Model, engraved for President Grau of Cuba

Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 5 ↗

Colt, factory engraved for "Dr. Ramon Grau San Martin," President of Cuba, cal. .45, pistol with 5" barrel and blue steel finish, S/N C231769.

ATF lists cal. .45; this is the .45 ACP cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour firearm is this edition: “factory engraved for "Dr. Ramon Grau San Martin," President of Cuba”
  • ATF REQUIRESConfigured as the ATF wording states: “with 5" barrel and blue steel finish”
  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/N C231769”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1947.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States²
Manufacturer
Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co.
Type
Pistol
Action
Semi-auto³
Caliber
.45 ACP
Made
S/N C231769 · c. 1947production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 5 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. oldcolt.com ↗, years: Government Model S/N C222001–C232000 shipped 1947
  2. Wikipedia, “Colt's Manufacturing Company” ↗, country: Colt's Manufacturing Company: American maker, hq Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.; incorporated at Hartford in 1855 as Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company
  3. Wikipedia, “M1911 pistol” ↗, action: the M1911/Government Model is a semi-automatic pistol; ATF names a .45 Colt pistol whose S/N is in the Government Model C-series
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
2 changes · see below

Correction history

  1. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → High. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.
  2. Data-trust reviewYears: 1944–1948 → 1947. S/N C231769 falls in the 1947 block

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

M1911 pistol (base model shown for Colt Government Model, engraved for President Grau of Cuba)
Shown: the base M1911 and M1911A1, not the factory-engraved pistol made for President Grau of Cuba.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “M1911 and M1911A1 pistols.JPG” by Dkamm at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “M1911 pistol”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Colt M1911 is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge.