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M1911 pistol
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United States Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911.
Mid-1945 produced M1911A1 U.S. Army semi-automatic pistol by Remington Rand. This one was re-built by Anniston Army Depot, October 1972, and carries the ANAD 1072 stamp. The cartridges shown are the .45 ACP (left) and 7.65 mm Browning/.32 ACP (right). Confiscated early 2004 in or around Al-Qurna, Iraq, by Dancon/Irak. Destroyed shortly after.
Type Pistol
Place of origin Flag of the United States United States
Service history
Used by United States, United Kingdom, Commonwealth of Nations, (.455 caliber, WWI)
Wars (As official Service pistol)
World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War
Production history
Designed 1911 & 1927(A1)
Number built Over 2 million
Variants M1911A1, RIA Officers
Specifications
Weight 2.437 lb (1,105 g) empty, w/ magazine (FM 23–35, 1940)
Length 8.25 in (210 mm)
Barrel length 5.03 in (127 mm), Government model;
4.25 in (108 mm), Commander model;
3.5 in (89 mm), Officer's ACP model
Cartridge .45 ACP
Action Short recoil operation
Muzzle velocity 800 ft/s (244 m/s)
Effective range 75 yd (62 m) (FM 23–35 of 1940)
Feed system 7 rounds (standard-capacity magazine), +1 in chamber
The M1911 is a single-action, semiautomatic handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It was designed by John M. Browning, and was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985, and is still carried by some U.S. forces. 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. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era. In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols during its service life.
The M1911 is the most well-known of John Browning's designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. Besides the pistol being widely copied itself, this operating system rose to become the pre-eminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 History
o 1.1 Early history and adoption
o 1.2 Service history
+ 1.2.1 World War II
+ 1.2.2 Replacement for most uses
o 1.3 Current users
+ 1.3.1 MEU(SOC) pistol
o 1.4 Other users
* 2 Design
* 3 Specifications
* 4 Notes
* 5 References
* 6 External links
[edit] History
[edit] Early history and adoption
The M1911 pistol originated in the late 1890s, as a search for a suitable self-loading (or semi-automatic) handgun, to replace the variety of revolvers then in service. The United States of America was 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 were adopted just in that decade. The next decade would see 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.
Hiram S. Maxim had designed a self-loading 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 their forces. In the U.S., such a program would lead to a formal test at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century.
Canus Lupus...I mean you no disrespect but nearly every 1911 type pistol I have ever handled used a standard 7 round military magazine. I am not so arrogant so as to say it was not originally designed that way, That is just the standard for today. The Marine Expeditionary Units are moving back to the 1911A1 due to its ability to end a fight very quickly. It is a very well designed hand cannon that deserves much respect. I think We can both agree on that.
