Colt Model of 1911 US Army.
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, which served as the standard issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. It was widely used in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1911 is still carried by some US forces. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic. M1911A1 in the Vietnam era. In total, the US procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts due to its service life. The M1911 was replaced by the M9 pistol as the standard US sidearm in the early 1990s, but due to its popularity, it has not been completely phased out. Modern M1911 variants are still in use by some units within the US Navy and USMC.
Designed by John Browning, the M1911 is the best-known of his designs to use the short-recoil principle in its basic design. The pistol was widely copied, and this operating system rose to become the preeminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols. Compact variants are popular civilian concealed carry weapons, because of the design's inherent slim width and the power of the .45 ACP cartridge.
History[]
Early history and adaptations[]
The M1911 pistol originated in the late 1890s as the result of a search of suitable self-loading (or semi-automatic) handgun to replace the variety of revolvers then in service. The United States was adopting new firearms at a phenomenal rate, as well as a series of revolvers by Colt and Smith & Wesson for the Army and Navy, were adopted just in that decade. The next decade would see a similar pace, including the adoption of seveal 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.
Hiram S. Maxim had designed a self-loading rifle 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 1896. The designs caught the attention of various miitaries, each of whihc began programs to find a suitable one for their forces. In the US, such a program would lead to a formal test at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.
During the end of 1899 and the start of 1900, a test of self-loading pistols was conducted, which included entries from Mauser, Mannlicher, and Colt.
This led to the purchase of 1,000 DWM Luger pistols, chambered in 7.65mm Luger, a bottlenecked cartridge. During field trials these ran into some problems, especially with stopping power. Other governments had made similar complaints. Consequently, DWM produced an enlarged version of the round, the 9mm Parabellum (known in current military parlance as the 9x19 mm NATO), a necked-up version of the 7.65mm round. Fifty of these were tested as well by the US Army in 1903.
General William Crozier became Chief of Ordnance of the Army in 1901.
American units fighting Moro guerillas during the Philippine-American War using the then-standard Colt M1892 revolver, in .38 Long Colt, found it 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 drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain. The US Army briefely reverted to using the M1873 single-action revolver in .45 caliber Colt, which had been standard during the late 19th century; the heavier bullet was found to be more effective against charging tribesmen. the problems prompted the then-Chief of Ordnance, Gen, William Crozier, to authorize further testing for a new service pistol.
Following the 1904 Thompson-LaGarde pistol round effectiveness tests, Colonel John T. Thompson stated that the new pistol "should not be of less than .45 caliber" and would preferably be semi-automatic in operation. This led to the 1906 trials of pistols from six firearms manufacturing companies (namely Colt, Bergmann, Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken, Savage Arms Co., Knoble, Webely, and White-Merril.
Of the six designs submitted, only three were eliminted early on, leaving only the Savage, Colt, and DWM designs chambered in the new .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge. These three still had issues that needed correction, but only Colt and Savage resubmitted their designs. There is some debate over the reasons for DWM's withdrawl-some say there was bias and that the DWM design was being used primarily as a "whipping boy" for the Savage and Colt pistols, though this does not fit well with the earlier 1900 purchase of the DWM design over the Colt and Steyr entires. In any case, a series of field tests from 1907 to 1911 were held to decide between the Savage and Colt designs. 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 test at the end of 1910 attended by its designer, John Browning. Six thousand rounds were fired from a single pistol over the course of two days. When the gun began to grow hot, it was simply immersed in cold water to cool it. The Colt gunn passed with no reported malfunctions, while the Savage designs had 37.
Service history[]
Comparison of government-issue M1911 and M1911A1 pistols.
Following its success in trials, the Colt pistol was formally adopted by the Army on 29 March, 1911, thus gaining its designation, M1911 (Model 1911). It was adopted by the Navy and Marine Corps in 1913. Originally manufactured by Colt, demand for the firearm in WWI saw the expansion of manufacture to the government-owned Springfield Armory.
Battlefield experinece in the First World War led to more small external changes, completed in 1924. The new version received a modified type classification, M1911A1. Changes to the original design were minor and consisted of a shorter trigger, cutouts in the frame behind the trigger, an arched mainspring housing, a longer grip safety spur (to prevent hammer bite), a wider front sight, a shorter spur on the hammer, and simplified grip checkering by eliminating the "Double Diamond" reliefs. Those unfamiliar with the design are often unable to tell the difference between the two versions at a glance. No significant internal changes were made, and parts remained interchangeable between the two.
World War II[]
Diagram from the Solder's Handbook (1940-1) showing the various components of the pistol.
WWII and the years leading up to it created a great demand. During the war, about 1.9 million units were procured by the US government for all forces, production being undertaken by several manufacturerers, including Remington Rand, Colt, Ithaca Gun Company, Union Switch & Signal, and Singer. 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. This pistol was favored by US military personnel. Singer produced pistols in particular are highly priced collectibles, commanding high prices even in poor condition.
M15 General Officers adopted by the US Army in the 1970s for issue to Generals.
Before WWII, a small number of the original M1911 pattern pistols were produced under license by a Norwegian weapons factory, which were designated "Pistol M/1914" and unofficially known as "Kongsberg Colt". During the German occupation of Norway, the production continued. Norway never updated the design to the M1911A1 standard. These pistols are highly regarded by modern collectors, with 920 examples stamped with Nazi Waffenamt codes and the unknown number of unmarked examples assembled in the Norwegian resistance movement. German forces also used captured M1911A1 pistols, using the designation "Pistole 660(a)". The M1911 pattern formed the basis for the Argentine Ballester-Molina and certain Spanish Star and Llama pistols made after 1922.
Replacement for most uses[]
After WWII, the M1911 continued to be a mainstay of the United States Armed Forces in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. It was used during Desert Storm in specialized US Army units and US Navy Mobile Construction Battalions (Seabees), and has seen service in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, with US Army Special Forces Groups and Marine Corps Force Reconaissance Companies.
However, by the late 1970s the M1911A1 was acknowledged to be showing its age. Under political pressure from Congress to standardize on a single modern pistol design, the US Air Force ran a Joint Service Small Arms Program to select a new semi-automatic pistol using the NATO-standard 9 mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. After trials, the Beretta 92S-1 was chosen. The Army contested this result and subsequently ran its own competition in 1981, teh XM9 trials, eventually leading to the official adoption of the Beretta 92F on 14 January 1985. By the later 1980s production was ramping up and despite a problem with slide separation using highter-than-specified pressure rounds that resulted in injuries to some US Navy personnel. This last issue resulted in an updated model that inclueds additional protection for the user, the 92FS, and updates to the ammunition used.
By the early 1990s, most M1911A1s had been replaced by the M9, though a limited number remain in use by special units.
Design[]
Springfield Mil Spec field stripped.
Browning's basic M1911 design has seen very little change throughout its production life. The basic principle of the pistol is recoil operation. As the expanding combustion gases force the bullet down the barrel, they give reverse momentum to the slide and barrel which are locked together during this portion of the firing cycle. After the bullet has left the barrel, the slide and barrel continue rearward a short distance.
At this point, a link pivots the barrel down, out of locking recesses in the slide, and brings the barrel to a stop. As the slide continues rearward, a claw extractor pulls the spent casign from the firing chamber and an ejector strikes the rear of the case, pivoting it out and away from the pistol. The slide stops and is then propelled forward by a spring to strip a fresh cartridge from the magazine and feed it into the firing chamber. At the forward end of its travel, the slide locks into the barrel and is ready to fire again.
The military mandated a grip safety and a manual safety. A grip safety, sear disconnect, slide stop, half cock position, and manual safety are on all standard M1911A1s.
The same basic design has been offered commercially and has been used by other militaries. In addition to the .45 ACP, models chambered for .38 Super, 9 mm Parabellum, .400 Corbon, and other cartridges were offered. The M1911 officially replaced a range of revolvers and pistols across branches of the US armed forces.
Despite being challenged by newer and lighter pistol designs in .45 caliber, such as the Glock 21, the SIG Sauer P220, and the H&K USP, the M1911 shows no signs of decreasing popularity and continues to be widely present in various competitive matches.
Cultural impact[]
As of 18 March 2011, the state of Utah in the US-as a way of honoring their native son-M1911 designer John Browning, adopted the Browning M1911 as the "official firearm of Utah".