M1911 pistol

Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911
M1911 and a M1911A1, both manufactured by Colt
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1911–present
Used bySee Users
WarsAs standard U.S. service pistol: In non-US standard use:
Production history
DesignerJohn Browning
Designed
  • 1911 (Model 1911)[10]
  • 1924 (Model 1911A1)
ManufacturerColt Manufacturing Company, Smith & Wesson, Norinco, other companies
Unit cost$26.38 (1938),[11] equal to $589 now
Produced1911–present
No. built2,734,345 (produced by Colt)
4,294,345 (total including licensed copies)[12]
Variants
  • M1911A1[10]
  • M1911A2[13]
  • FN Grand Browning
  • RIA Officers
  • Kongsberg Colt
  • MEU(SOC) pistol
Specifications
Mass39 oz (1,100 g) empty, with magazine[10][14]
Length8.5 in (216 mm)[10]
Barrel length
  • Government model: 5.03 in (127 mm)[10]
  • Commander model: 4.25 in (108 mm)
  • Officer model: 3.5 in (89 mm)

Cartridge.45 ACP, .455 Webley Auto (British Contract), .38 Super, 9x19mm Parabellum, 7.65mm Parabellum, 9mm Steyr, .400 Corbon, others
ActionShort recoil operation[10]
Muzzle velocity830 ft/s (253 m/s)[10]
Effective firing range50 m (160 ft)
Feed system7-, 8-, 9-, 10- or 12-round box magazines[15]

The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge.[10]

  1. ^ Thompson 2011a, p. 38.
  2. ^ Alejandro de Quesada (November 20, 2011). The Chaco War 1932-35: South America's greatest modern conflict. Osprey Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-84908-901-2. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  3. ^ Douglas de Souza Aguiar Junior (September 11, 2022). "O Museu de Polícia Militar de São Paulo". Armas On-Line (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  4. ^ de Souza Aguiar, Jr., Douglas; Mercaldo, Luke; Vanderlinden, Anthony (May 16, 2022). "Handguns Of A Forgotten Ally". American Rifleman.
  5. ^ "L'armement français en A.F.N." Gazette des Armes (in French). No. 220. March 1992. pp. 12–16. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  6. ^ de Quesada, Alejandro (January 10, 2009). The Bay of Pigs: Cuba 1961. Elite 166. Osprey Publishing. p. 60. ISBN 9781846033230.
  7. ^ Thompson 2011a, p. 65.
  8. ^ Thompson 2011a, pp. 56–58.
  9. ^ "M1911 Spotted in Free Syrian Army's Arsenal". The High Road. October 9, 2012. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911 Technical Manual TM 9-1005-211-34 1964 edition. Pentagon Publishing. 2018 [1964]. ISBN 978-1-60170-013-1.
  11. ^ "Second Deficiency Appropriation Bill for 1939". 1939.
  12. ^ Kuhnhasen, Jerry (1997). The U.S. M1911 M1911A1 Pistols and Commercial M1911 Type Pistols: A Shop Manual. VSP Publishers. p. 9.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference AMU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ FM 23-35, 1940
  15. ^ "1911: Magazines".