TITANIUM

M1911A1 .45 Caliber Pistol




Primary function Semiautomatic pistol
Caliber .45 (11.4 mm)
bullet wt 230 gr, charge 5 gr
Muzzle velocity 830 fps (253 meters)
Muzzle Energy 356 (ft-lbs)
Magazine capacity 7 rounds
Weight Magazine empty: 2.5 pounds (1.14 kg)

Magazine loaded: 3.0 pounds (1.36 kg)
Length Overall 8.625 inches (21.91 centimeters)
Length of Barrel 5.03 inches (12.78 centimeters)
Max Effective range 82.02 feet (25 meters)



The .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol M1911A1 is a recoil-operated hand weapon. It is a magazine-fed semiautomatic weapon, which fires one round each time the trigger is squeezed, once the hammer is cocked by prior action of the slide or thumb. This design is referred to as "single action only." The thumb safety may only be activated once the pistol is cocked. The hammer remains in the fully cocked position once the safety is activated. (Note: More modern pistol designs of the "double action" type will allow the hammer to move forward to an uncocked position when the thumb safety is activated.)

The M1911A1 was widely respected for its reliability and lethality. However, its single action/cocked and locked design required the user to be very familiar and well-trained to allow carrying the pistol in the "ready-to-fire" mode. Consequently, M1911A1s were often prescribed to be carried without a round in the chamber. Even with this restriction on the user, numerous unintentional discharges were documented yearly.

The M1911A1 had been the standard handgun issued to Marines for many decades. Selected weapons were modified in the 1980s to meet the requirements of the MEU(SOC) in lieu of arming them with the M9 9mm pistol.


The classic M1911 pistol has now served the U.S. military for 88 years, but first came into its own during the Great War.




The Model 1911 and its progeny are perhaps the most successfully designed semi-automatic pistols in history. The brainchild of noted designer John Moses Browning, this legendary pistol has been widely copied both in the United States and abroad. A favorite of competitors and recreational shooters, the M1911 first established its reputation as a military arm, serving as the U.S. Army's standard sidearm for nearly 75 years and seeing action in every American conflict from the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 through Operation Desert Storm. It has also served various law enforcement agencies and continues in that role today, having recently been selected for use by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's elite Hostage Rescue Team.

Despite how famous the M1911 has become, its service life began modestly. On April 24, 1911, the Army placed an initial order with Colt for 31,344 pistols. By early 1917, more than 100,000 had been manufactured both by Colt and by Springfield Armory under a licensing agreement. Most of these were issued to commissioned and noncommissioned officers, cavalrymen, and members of machine gun, artillery, and other crew-served weapons units. In addtion, about 18,000 were procured by the Navy and Marine Corps. Thousands more were purchased by various foreign governments, while others were sold to U.S. military officers and government officials, or on commercial markets. Among the M1911s sold during the prewar years were a group of approximately 100 pistols purchased through Springfield Armory by National Rifle Association (NRA) Life Members and members of NRA-affiliated clubs. Both Colt- and Springfield Armory-produced examples were included in this program. These pistols carried a purchase price of $16 each and were stamped with the letters "NRA" on the right side of the frame below the serial number.

Earlier government purchases had been sufficient for a peacetime army, but were woefully inadequate for a world at war. As the possibility loomed of American involvement in the European conflict, the War Department increased its orders for all types of military arms and supplies. Officials reported that approximately 70,000 M1911s were avilable for issue to U.S. troops when Congress declared war against the Central Powers on April 6, 1917, and the Army's Ordnance Department soon ordered an additional 500,000 pistols from Colt at a price of $14.50 each. To supplement this purchase, the Army also placed orders with both Colt and Smith & Wesson for 100,000 Model 1917 .45 caliber double-action revolvers. By the end of the war, more than 250,000 revolvers had been acquired by the government, and most were issued to officers and troops in rear areas.

Pistols became a much sought-after commodity among American soldiers as they took their places with the Allied forces in France. Patrols and trench raids frequently resulted in close-in or even hand-to-hand fighting between opposing troops. Excelling in both offensive and defensive roles, the rugged, hard-hitting Browning-Colt .45s quickly proved their worth. In one of the most famous incidents of the war, Sergeant Alvin C. York successfully engaged and silenced multiple German machine gun crews while armed only with a rifle and an M1911. Less than a week later, First Lieutenant Samuel Woodfill performed a similar feat. Both were awarded the Medal of Honor for their gallantry in action.

As the war progressed, Army estimates for the number of pistols it required were continually revised to meet increasing demands. After the gun's success in the trenches of France, the Army decided to supply the M1911 in greater numbers to infantry troops. During October 1917, government orders for the .45 autoloaders reached 765,000, an increase of nearly 60 percent. A critical situation arose as demands exceeded both available supplies and production efforts. For several reasons, Colt was only able to fill about 25 percent of its monthly quota for the M1911, and its backlog continued to grow. In addition to contracts for these pistols and for M1917 revolvers, the Hartford arms maker was producing both Vickers and Browning machine guns, as well as Browning Automatic Rifles, and the company had also agreed to rebuild or refurbish thousands of unserviceable .45 pistols and revolvers in military inventories. Production problems were further complicated by shortages of both skilled workers and raw materials.

Hoping to find an expedient but temporary solution to this problem, the government appealed to the public to turn in their commercially purchased Colt Government Model .45 autos for military use. Very few citizens responded to this call. Faced with a growing shortage and no immediate solutions, the Army began to investigate the possibility of expanding M1911 production by issuing additional contracts to other manufacturers.