US M-1911A1 Colt .45in Automatic Pistol

During the early years of the Twentieth Century, the US Army was equipped with a Colt 0.38in 1900 Military Model pistol that fired a 0.38in ACP cartridge. When US forces became engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the Philippines, however, the soldiers began to express dissatisfaction with the 0.38in cartridge. Against a determined enemy, it did not possess the stopping power necessary for close-range actions.

Colt had purchased four designs from Browning in 1896 and, when service trials for a new weapon were called for in 1907, Colt began work on a 0.45in calibre automatic gun. The result was the Military Model 1911, a watershed in the development of semi-automatic pistols. Modifications to the Colt 1900 Military Model incorporated some of the features of Browning's 1905 design, and thus that pistol became the joint ancestor of both the Colt M-1911 (which was the outcome of the modifications) and the Browning High Power 9mm pistol. The US Army was so impressed with its performance that the M-1911 was adopted for service use during World War I.

Combat experience during the Great War led to a number of modifications and developments at the Springfield Armory, begun in April 1923, resulted in several improvements to the M-1911 including redesign of the grip, an improved manual safety catch and a new mainspring housing. The M1911A1 emerged from these adaptations as one of the most powerful and mechanically reliable handguns ever produced and this improved weapon was adopted by the US Army in 1926 as the M-1911Al and has remained almost unchanged ever since (see Technical Specifications).

Whereas most contemporary pistols employed a receiver stop to arrest the backward motion of the receiver slide, the M1911A1 incorporated a more effective locking system base on interlocking lugs on the barrel and the slide. This enabled the spent case to be ejected and the loading cycle to continue with the minimum of error. By 1941, the M-1911A1 was still a standard weapon in the US armed services. The Colt was not without its faults, however, and it had a love-hate relationship with some of the troops. Although the Colt gave 100 per cent stopping power in combat, it had a fierce twisting recoil that often unnerved those unused to handling such a powerful weapon. For many of the wartime troops, the hefty recoil of the Colt made accuracy difficult beyond ranges of 20yds.

The M1911A1 saw widespread service in World War 2 and was used extensively during the Korean War. It remained the firm favourite of officers and Special Forces during the Vietnam war where its performance was held in particular regard by the Tunnel Rats, men who understood the value of heavy firepower in small, confined spaces underground. In Vietnam it was also used by the South Vietnamese, Filipinos and South Koreans.

The weapon weighed just over 1 kg (2.2 lb) and was 218 mm (8.6 in) in length. It was recoil operated and loaded from a 7-round box magazine, having an effective range of about 50 m (54.7yd). There were two safety devices; a safety catch, mounted just forward of the spur on the frame, and a grip safety at the upper rear part of the pistol grip which fitted into the web of the palm between the thumb and index finger. The pressure exerted by the palm when firing released the grip device and unlocked the safety.

The usual cartridges for the Colt pistol were the 0.45in ball M1911 (which has considerable stopping power), the blank M9 and the tracer M26. To these was added the High Density Shot M261, a round that was loaded with steel-shot projectiles and packed a heavy punch.

Although the last M-1911A1 came off the production line as far back as 1942, soldiers continued to prefer the Colt over 9mm Parabellum cartridge pistols such as the Browning High Power GP 35. A recent survey revealed that, of the 418,000 M1911A1's still in the US armoury, every last one has been either overhauled extensively or rebuilt at least three times.

In the light of weapons trials held after the Vietnam war, a number of proposals were mooted for an improved pistol. Among these was a design that modified the M1911A1 to take a 9mm cartridge. This new service pistol, a version of the Beretta 92 9-mm pistol, was designated M9. However, the M9 was so dogged by problems that the M1911A1 was back in use during Operation Desert Storm. In the meantime, companies still produce spares and components for the M1911 series, knowing that the robust Colt semiautomatic will remain in faithful service for some time to come.

Firing Action

To fire the pistol you insert a magazine into the butt, pull back the slide against a spring which lies beneath the barrel, and release it. The slide runs forward and the edge of the breech block collects a cartridge and pushes it into the chamber of the barrel forward, and the 'swinging link' underneath it causes it to pivot forward and up. As it does so, the lugs on top move into place in the grooves inside the slide top and the barrel and slide are locked together.

Pull the trigger and the hammer drops, hits the firing pin, and fires the cartridge. The bullet goes down the barrel and the barrel recoils. In doing so it makes the slide recoil as well, since the two are locked together, so the breech stays firmly closed until the bullet has left the muzzle and the powder pressure inside the barrel has dropped to a level where it is safe to begin opening the breech.

As the barrel moves back it pivots around the link until the lugs are pulled free from the slide recesses. At this point the barrel stops moving, but the slide has been given sufficient momentum, by the recoil, to continue back, extracting the empty case and ejecting it and cocking the hammer by simply rolling over it. Recoil stops, the spring forces the slide back, the pistol reloads and the barrel and slide lock together again.

Technical Specifications

Front Sight - this is too small for effective combat use.

Barrel - it locks into the slide. It is primarily designed to shoot GI ball ammo, not lead target loads.

Slide - to cock the weapon, pinch in with the fingers and thumb of the left hand against the serrations on the slide and rack it firmly to the rear and release.

Chamber - stoppages are rare with the GI issue full metal jacket ammo, but if using expanding ammunition types such as semi-jacketed soft point or hollow point it is a good idea to check that the weapon will feed them easily.

Barrel Bushing - this supports the barrel and holds the plunger in place.

Plug Plunger - depress the front end of the plunger, 'the plug', in order to rotate the barrel bushing anti-clockwise at the start of the field strip.

Return/Recoil Spring - this provides the motive force to return the slide to the closed position and chamber a round from the magazine.

Recoil Spring Guide - prevents deformation of the recoil spring during recoil.

Link - this enables the barrel to drop down out of the slot in the slide to unlock the action during recoil.

Firing Pin Spring - this returns the firing pin to position after firing.

Rear Sight - again, too small for combat use.

Hammer - this has two positions; half-cock and full cock. On half-cock it can go off. The wepaon should be carried either cocked and loaded or with nothing in the chamber.

Disconnector - this prevents the hammer falling when the safety catch is applied or when the breech is not completely closed.

Grip Safety - the firers grip must be firm enough to keep this depressed or the weapon will not fire.

Magazine - this holds seven rounds. The Colt is one of the few pistols that will drop the magazine out of the pistol unassisted, on pressing the magazine catch.

Magazine Catch - this engages a cut-out in the magazine.

Technical Data

• Calibre: .45in (11.43mm)
• Length: 21.91cm
• Length of Barrel: 12.78cm
• Weight Loaded: 1.36kg
• Weight Empty: 1.13kg
• Muzzle Velocity: 252m/s
• Maximum Effective Range: 20m
• Magazine Capacity: 7 rounds