M1911

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The M1911 is a single action, semi-automatic handgun, chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It was designed by John Browning, and was the primary standard-issue handgun in the combat arm of the United States Armed Forces officially from 1911 to 1985. It was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. Nomenclature changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era. In popular culture, it shares the name "Colt .45" with Colt's other famous .45 caliber handgun, the Single Action Army "Peacemaker" revolver. The M1911 is also sometimes called a ".45 ACP", but as noted above, that is the cartridge it fires—not a proper name for the handgun.

The same basic design has also been chambered for the .38 Super, 9mm Parabellum, and other loads. It was developed from earlier Colt designs firing rounds such as .38 ACP. The design beat out many other contenders during the government's selection period during the late 1890s and 1900s up to the pistol's adoption. The M1911 officially replaced a range of revolvers and pistols across branches of the U.S. armed forces, though a number of other designs would see some use over in certain niches.

1 Early History and Adoption
2 Service and Later History
3 In Popular Culture
4 Specifications
5 See also
6 External links

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Early History and Adoption

The firearm originated in the late 1890s search for a suitable self-loading handgun to replace the variety of .38 revolvers then in service. The Armed Forces were adopting new firearms at a phenomenal rate — several new handguns and two all new service rifles (the M1892/96/98 Krag and M1895 Navy Lee), as well as a series of revolvers by Colt and Smith & Wesson for the Army and Navy just in that decade. The next decade would have a similar pace, including the adoption of several more revolvers and an intensive search for a self-loading pistol that would culminate in official adoption of the M1911 after the turn of the decade.

Maxim had made a design for an automatic pistol in the 1880s, but was preoccupied with machine guns. Nevertheless the application of his principle of using bullet energy to reload led to several self-loading pistols in the 1890s. The designs caught the attention of various militaries, which began programs to find a suitable one for the forces. In the US, such a program would lead to a formal test at the turn of the 19th to 20th century.

During the end of 1899 and start of 1900 a test of self-loading pistols was conducted, which included an entry from Mauser (caliber 7.63 mm), Mannlicher (caliber 7.6 mm), and Colt, (caliber .38). See Mauser C96, Steyr Mannlicher M1894, and Colt M1900.

This led to a purchase of 1000 DWM 'Luger' pistols, chambered for 7.65. These would go on field trials but ran into some issues, especially in regard to round power. Other Governments had also levied similar complaints, which resulted in DWM producing the an enlarged version of the round — 9 mm Parabellum (a necked-out version of the 7.65 round). Fifty of these were sampled by the Army as well in 1903.

In response to problems encountered by American units fighting Moro insurgents during the Philippine-American War, the then-standard .38 Long Colt revolver was found to be unsuitable for the rigors of jungle warfare, particularly in terms of stopping power as the Moros had very high battle morale and frequently used native drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain. The Army briefly reverted to the .45 Colt revolvers which had been standard during the last decades of the 19th Century; the slower, heavier bullet was found to be more effective against charging tribesmen. The problems with the round led to the army shipping new Double Action .45 Colt revolvers to the Philippines in 1902. It also prompted then Chief of Ordnance, Gen. William Crozier to authorize further testing.

Image:William Crozier.jpg

In 1904, the Thompson-LaGarde Tests were conducted in which various types of rounds being considered at the time were shot at live cows, though the testing was not very consistent. The variation in cows aside, they were not all shot in the same location or all rounds given the exact same test. The rounds tested included .45 Colt (.45 Long Colt), 7.65 mm Luger, 9 mm Luger, .476 Eley, .38 ACP, .455 Man-Stopper. An example was to shoot a cow, then see how long it took to die (such as 4 minutes) and kill it with a hammer if it took too long. Another test was to keep shooting it until it died. The final test was to shoot at a hanging cadaver at various distances and rate the effect.

The end result was that they decided the caliber of the new pistol "should not be of less than .45", as well as some smaller requirements. This led to the 1906 trials, for which various gun makers had produced designs. The Ordnance Board, headed by John T. Thompson, concluded that a .45 caliber (11.4 mm) semi-automatic weapon would be most appropriate, and took bids from six firearms manufacturing companies in 1906. This included Colt, Bergmann, Deutsche Waffen and Munitions Fabrik (DWM), Savage Arms Company, Knoble, Webley, and White-Merril.

Of the six designs submitted, two were selected for field testing in 1907, one of them being Colt's model, which Browning had modified to government specifications his earlier auto-loading Colt Model 1902 .38 ACP (.355-inch bullet diameter) design, resulting in the Colt Model 1905. Most pistols were eliminated early leaving the Savage, Colt, and DWM designs. These three still had issues that needed correction, but only Colt and Savage resubmitted their designs. There is some debate over the reasons for DWMs withdrawal — some say they "felt" there was bias, though this does not fit well with the earlier 1900 purchase of the DWM design over the Colt and Steyr entries.Template:Fact In any case a series of field tests and test went on to decide between the Savage designed gun and the Colt between 1907 and 1911. Both designs were improved between each testing over their initial entries leading up to the final test before adoption.

Among the areas of success for the Colt, was a 6,000 round test at the end of 1910 attended by John Moses Browning. The Colt gun passed with flying colors having no malfunctions while the Savage designs had 37.

In order to meet the Ordnance Board's requirements, the 1911 was designed to fire a .45 caliber (11.4 mm), 230-grain (15 g) bullet at approximately 800 feet per second (240 m/s). These specifications were championed by Gen. Thompson, and were the result of terminal ballistics tests conducted in 1904 at the Nelson Morris Company stockyards in Chicago on live cattle and human cadavers. Some aspects of these tests lacked scientific rigor, but the stopping power of the .45 ACP cartridge was clearly demonstrated. Nearly 70 years later in the move to the 9mm M9 Pistol, many similar debates about round effectiveness in a combat handgun were started.

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Service and Later History

Image:Springfield Armory M1911A1.JPG Image:M151911.jpg

The weapon was formally adopted by the Army on March 29, 1911, thus gaining its designation. It was adopted by the Navy and Marine Corps in 1913. Originally manufactured only by Colt, demand for the firearm in World War I saw the expansion of manufacture to the government-owned Springfield Armory.

Battlefield experience in the First World War led to some more small external changes, completed in 1924. The new version received a modified type classification, designated M1911A1. Changes to the original design were minor and consisted of a shorter trigger, cutouts in the frame behind the trigger, a curved mainspring housing, a longer grip safety spur (to prevent hammer "bite"), a wider front sight, a longer spur on the thumb safety, and simplified grip checkering. Those unfamiliar with the design are often unable to tell the difference between the two versions at a glance. No internal changes were made.

World War II and the years leading up to it created a great demand for the weapon. During the war, about 1.9 million units were procured by the U.S. Government for all forces, production being undertaken by several manufacturers, including Remington Rand (900,000 produced), Colt (400,000), Ithaca Gun Company (400,000), Union Switch and Signal Company, Singer, the Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal. So many were produced that, after 1945, the government did not order any new pistols, and simply used existing parts inventories to 'arsenal refinish' guns when necessary.

Before World War II, a small number of Colts were produced under license at the Norwegian weapon factory Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk (these Colts were known as "kongsbergcolts"). After the German occupation of Norway the production continued, but this time with a Swastika mark next to the serial number; these pistols are highly regarded by modern collectors. Captured 1911 pistols were highly prized by German troops as well due to the necessity of capturing or killing an officer for one. The 1911 pattern also formed the basis for the Argentine Ballester-Molina and certain Spanish Star and Llama pistols made after 1922.

After the Second World War, the sidearm continued to be a mainstay in the United States Armed Forces, in the Korean War and the Vietnam War (where it was the standard weapon for U.S. "tunnel rats"), and was even used during Desert Storm in some U.S. Army units. It was officially replaced, largely due to considerations of NATO commitments, with a 9 mm sidearm, the Beretta 92F/FS, on January 14, 1985. By 1990, virtually all M1911A1s were replaced by the M9. Although the .45 ACP continued to be used in the Heckler & Koch Mk 23 Offensive Handgun Weapon System, the Mark 23 and HK USP were not intended as direct replacements.

Little known are the USMC Marine Expeditionary Units continuing to issue M1911's to Force Recon units. Hand-selected Colt M1911A1 Frames were gutted, deburred, and prepared for additional use by the USMC Precision Weapon Section (PWS) in Quantico, VA. They were then assembled with after-market grip safeties, ambidextrous thumb safeties, triggers, improved high-visibility sights, accurized barrels, grips, and improved Wilson magazines. These hand-made pistols were tuned to specifications and preferences of end users.

In the late 1980s, then USMC Colonel Robert Young laid out a series of specifications and improvements to make Browning's design ready for 21st century combat, many of which have already been included in MEU(SOC) pistol designs. However, as the U.S. Marine Corps began its process of hand selecting members from its Force Recon to be submitted to USSOCOM as Marine Corps Special Operations Command - Detachment One, or MCSOCOM Det-1, the selection of a .45 ACP 1911 based pistol meant roughly 150 units would be needed, quickly. The PWS, already backlogged with producing DMRs, USMC SAM-Rs, and updating M40A1s to M40A3s, so Det-1, based in Camp Pendleton began the search for COTS, Commercial Off The Shelf surrogates to use. Given the familiarity with the USMC and LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department), and that the LAPD's choice of the Kimber LAPD SWAT CustomII was met with much enthusiasm, a sole source request was issed to Kimber for such a pistol. Without waiting for their TLE/RII models to be in production, Kimber began producing what would be later termed the Interim Close Quarters Battle pistol (ICQB). Maintaining the simple recoil assembly, 5-inch barrel (though using a stainless steel match grade barrel), and internal extractor, the ICQB is not much different from Browning's original design.

The final units as issued to MCSOCOM Det-1 are the Kimber ICQB's with Surefire IMPL (Integrated Military Pistol Light), Dawson precision rails, Tritium Novak lo-mount sights, Gemtech TRL Tactical Retention Lanyards, modified Safariland 6004 holsters, and Wilson '47' 7 round magazines. They have reportedly been used with over 15,000 rounds apiece.

The 1911 is slated to be the issue handgun for all Marine Expeditionary Units (Special Operations Capable), and MEU(SOC) pistols are currently being designed, tested, and evaluated for use. Over a century after Browning's original design, the 1911 is still projected to be a preeminent handgun for years to come.

In the meantime, the M1911A1 design is also favored by a large number of police SWAT teams throughout the United States. A large number of military and law enforcement organizations in the United States continue to use (often modified) M1911A1 pistols because they favor the stopping power of the .45 cartridge and the superior handling of the weapon in close fighting. Marine Force Recon, Los Angeles Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics and Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta (Delta Force) are among some of them. The weapon is also extremely popular among the general public in the United States for practical and recreational purposes. The pistol is commonly used for concealed carry, personal defense, target shooting, and competition. Numerous aftermarket accessories allow the user to customize the pistol to his or her liking. There is a growing number of manufacturers of 1911-type pistols and the model continues to be quite popular for its reliability, simplicity, and all-American appeal. Various tactical, target, and compact models are available. Price ranges from a low end of $250 for an imported model to more than $3,000 for the best competition or tactical models such as those by Wilson, Kimber and Les Baer, which are precisely assembled and tuned by hand.

In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols during its service life.

Despite being challenged by more modern and lightweight pistol designs in .45 caliber, such as the GLOCK 21, the SIGARMS P220 and the aforementioned Heckler & Koch Mk 23, the original 1911 design will soon be 100 years old with no signs of decreasing popularity. Despite its large size and weight, the M1911 has a very flat profile owing to its single stack design, making the gun surprisingly easy to conceal, as it has been by civilians for a century.

The U.S. went to a 9 mm round with the M9 Pistol, however, it is poised to at least partially go back to .45 if the Joint Combat Pistol is a success. Among the requirements for it, are use of the .45 ACP round. If the cancelled XM8 project is any judge, or for that matter the XM9/XM10 pistol trials, what is actually adopted is never certain.

The M9 and M11 will likely remain in service to some degree, as even during the M1911's tenure there was a need for smaller caliber pistols. Whether .45 ACP is re-adopted or not as the standard combat pistol round, 9 mm will likely remain as a permanent replacement for the .38 revolvers and pistols.

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In Popular Culture

The .45 Government Model pistol is as ubiquitous in movies, television shows, video games and other media as it is in actual use. Produced for almost a 100 years, the .45 Government Model automatic has firmly entrenched itself in American society. Interestingly enough, many early depictions in movies and TV utilized the Spanish Star 9mm variant since an effective .45 ACP blank that could operate the action were hard to come by. Actual .45 Government Models were used in non-firing close ups.

"The 1911 was the design given by God to us through John M. Browning that represents the epitome of what a killing tool needs to be. It was true in 1911 and is true now." —Colonel Robert J. Coates, USMC

George Peppard is seen with one in the A-Team.
Brendan Frasier has one in The Mummy, though he never uses it.
Nicolas Cage's character in the John Woo movie Face/Off famously carries two customized, gold-plated M1911's with dragon insignias on the slides.
Inspector Zenigata uses one in the anime Lupin III.
Julia uses one in the anime Cowboy Bebop.
Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Phillipe use them throughout the film Way of the Gun. Particular attention was given to technique, number of shots fired, and reloading under fire.
Steve McQueen uses one in The Getaway.
Warren Beatty robs banks with one in Bonnie & Clyde.
Tom Selleck uses a .45 Government Model in Magnum P.I.
Marlon Brando is seen cleaning out a .45 Government Model in Sayonara.
Pierce Brosnan in The World Is Not Enough.
Sy Richardson carries one in his briefcase in the cult classic Repo Man.
Judge Reinhold disarms a robber carrying an M1911 at the end of Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Kevin Costner's side arm in The Untouchables is a .45 M1911A1. But he uses a Star 9mm in shooting scenes.
Humphrey Bogart is depicted with one on some boxshots of The Maltese Falcon, though he never used one in the movie.
William Holden carries an M1911 and a Single Action Army in The Wild Bunch, though the Spanish Star 9mm was used in firing scenes. In fact, they are a staple of many Sam Peckinpah films.
John Travolta carries a custom chromed, pearl-handled Auto Ordinance .45 in Pulp Fiction while Samuel Jackson carries a similar looking custom chromed, pearl-handled Star 9mm (A Spanish version of the M1911A1).
All the protagonists in John Woo's Bullet in the Head use .45s at some point throughout the film.
Steve McQueen uses a .45 Government Model in all non-firing scenes of The Getaway but uses a Star 9mm in firing scenes.
Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot both use a .45 M1911A1 in We Were Soldiers.
Robert Redford uses a .45 for his protection throughout Three Days of the Condor.
Steven Seagal uses an .45 Government Model or a Colt Combat Commander in most of his films. He is also known to have trained extensively in the .45s use with Ken Turnupseed, and Seagal is reputedly a very deadly shot off screen.
Dustin Hoffman carries one for protection in Marathon Man.
A Colt Commander .45 was pulled out of the dead hands of a town member in Red Dawn. This happens in view of a bumper sticker that reads "They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers."
It is the favorite weapon of Dirk Pitt, the central character in many of Clive Cussler's novels
Gene Hackman carries a .45 Government Model in Enemy of the State.
William Fichtner uses a .45 in Black Hawk Down
Marv from the popular graphic novels (and now a motion picture) Sin City uses a .45 Government Model which he names "Gladys". Many other characters in the movie also use Government Models Dwight McCarthy carries two of them.
Tom Hanks uses a 1911 in the film Forrest Gump, when sent into a small tunnel in Vietnam.
Tom Hanks fires one against a German tank in the memorable final sequence of Saving Private Ryan.
Tom Hanks uses a 1911 as Michael Sullivan, in Road to Perdition.
Robert De Niro uses one in Ronin. The weapons supplier comments that it is an "old gun." DeNiro's character says it "served [his] country well."
Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, and Samuel Jackson use highly customized, police-use only Kimber .45s in SWAT.
Naked Snake uses a heavily modified M1911 in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
The .45 Government Model is the main pistol in Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City.
Billy Coen, the second playable character of Resident Evil 0 comes equipped with a .45 Government Model chambered in 9x19 Parabellum
Takara of Japan's early eighties Microman toy line featured a .45 Government Model toy that transformed into a robot. It is much smaller than the real gun. While never adapted for the American Transformers series, the toy did become a human-sized Decepticon in the Japanese-only Masterforce Transformers cartoon.
Delta Snipers Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart use them as their sidearms in Black Hawk Down.
Willem Dafoe is seen cleaning and later firing an M1911A1 in Flight of the Intruder.
Aya Brea can locate an M1911A1 early on in the video game Parasite Eve.
Kevin Ryman's favourite pistol is the M1911A1 in the Resident Evil: Outbreak series.
Brad Pitt is seen brandishing a .45 on the front of the DVD case for Mr and Mrs Smith, as well as at least once in the movie.
Dash Mihok's character in The Thin Red Line steals one in an early scene and later uses it in a commando mission on Guadalcanal.
A captured Japanese Zero pilot comandeers an M1911A1 from a slain Marine guard during a hostage standoff in the sickbay of the USS Nimitz in the movie The Final Countdown.
Saddam Hussein has been shown firing an M1911A1 into the air from the balcony of his palace during public appearances.
Features in numerous computer and video games, some being: Metal Gear Solid 3, Medal of Honor series, Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Vietcong, Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30, Battlefield 1942, Battlefield Vietnam, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down and Mafia.
Dennis Haysbert's character in The Unit uses a SW1911 Government (specific model unknown), as his primary weapon/sidearm.
Matt Dillion's character has one unloaded in The Outsiders and uses it to rob a convenient store, and is eventually shot by police.
Arnold Schwarzenegger obtains one with an early laser sight in The Terminator. He uses it to kill the first two Sarah Conners and the real Sarah Conner's roommate.
Resident Evil 4's 1911-based weapon, the Killer7, is similar to the one used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator. It's name is a reference to Capcom's Killer7.
Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil series uses a 1911 often.
In 24: The Game, it is one of the usable weapons.
It is frequently seen on the show 24.
It is referred to as the ".45" in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. It is used on many occasions as it was the standard sidearm for the United States Army. On one occasion it is used to kill a loud horse in order not to give away the squads position. However, the German Luger is fancied by the soldiers over the 1911.
In Goodfellas it makes many appearances. Ray Liotta's character delivers one to Robert DeNiro's character. DeNiro'd character refuses it because to doesn't fit any of the silencers he bought.
Ed Harris uses one in the final mutiny scene in The Rock.
Al Pacino uses a compact version with an ivory grip in the movie Heat. It is his personal sidearm.
Tommy Lee Jones holds one in promotional pictures for U.S. Marshals but never uses one in the movie.
The upcoming movie, The Sentinel starring Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland, features some in the trailer.

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Specifications

Cal: .45 ACP; Other versions offered (mostly for civilian use) included 50 GI, .38 Super Automatic, 9 mm Parabellum (Luger), .40 S&W, 10 mm, 400 Cor-bon, .22 LR, and probably many others.
Barrel: 5 in (127 mm) Government, 4.25 in (108 mm) Commander, and the 3.5 in (89 mm) Officer's ACP. Some modern "carry" guns have significantly shorter barrels and frames, while others use standard frames and extended slides with 6in (152mm) barrels
Rate of twist: 16 in (406 mm) per turn, or 1:35.5 calibers (.45 ACP)
Operation: Recoil-actuated, closed bolt, single action, semi-automatic
Weight (unloaded): 2 lb 7 oz (1.1 kg) (government model)
Height: 5.25 in (133 mm)
Length: 8.25 in (210 mm)
Capacity: 7+1 rounds (7 in standard-capacity magazine + 1 in firing chamber); 8+1 in aftermarket standard-size magazine; 9+ in extended and hi-cap magazines/frames Guns chambered in .38 Super and 9 mm have a 9+1 capacity. Para Ordnance and Springfield Armory manufacture double-stack 1911-type pistols with up to 14+1 capacity.
Safeties: A grip safety, sear disconnect, slide stop, a half cock position, and manual safety (located on the left rear of the frame) are on all standard M1911(A1)'s. Several companies have developed a firing pin block. Colt's 80 series uses a trigger operated one and several other manufacturers use one operated by the grip safety.