Description
Some guns just feel like history the moment you pick them up. This Colt Service Model Ace (Serial MS15) is one of those. Manufactured in 1936, it’s one of the earliest .22 Long Rifle training pistols ever built for U.S. military evaluation — a pre-war model with roots that trace straight back to the era when Colt was defining what precision meant in American service arms.
It’s not just old — it’s significant. This particular pistol was one of the first Service Model Aces acquired by the U.S. Government for testing and training, complete with “U.S. Inspected RIA” markings from Rock Island Arsenal. It retains its factory 5-inch barrel, parkerized finish, and brown checkered Keyes grips, all wrapped around that clever floating chamber system that made the .22LR mimic the recoil of a .45 ACP. Smart, practical, and very Colt.
And the provenance? Outstanding. It includes a copy of the original 1954 Rock Island Arsenal sales receipt transferring the pistol to Captain Mark Jartman, Office of the Deputy Chief of Ordnance in Washington, D.C., plus the Railway Express Agency shipping receipt that confirms its official handoff. The original Rock Island Arsenal shipping box is here too — label intact, with matching federal stocking numbers neatly scribed on top.
Condition-wise, it’s precisely what collectors hope for: roughly 97% of its parkerized finish intact, a bright bore, and the kind of honest, careful preservation that proves it’s been respected for nearly nine decades. Early pre-war Service Model Aces with verified U.S. markings rarely surface. This one doesn’t just tell the story, it is the story.
High Caliber History on YouTube did an amazing and detailed video on the history of this exact firearm. Check that video out by clicking here.
