A Brief History
On March 29, 1911, the US Army made the Colt M1911 .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol its official sidearm. (For a companion list for this article, please see our list of “The Top 10 Famous Pistols.”)
Digging Deeper
The late 19th century and early 20th century represent an exciting time in history of firearms, with inventors and manufacturers racing each other to produce rugged and reliable semi-automatic sidearms for the lucrative military market.
The US Army had previously discovered their .38 caliber revolvers did not have the stopping power needed to halt an enthusiastic or even drugged enemy while fighting the Moros in the Philippines, and had brought their old Colt Peacemaker single action .45’s back into service. Bulky and slow to reload, something more modern was needed, and the Army wanted that something launching man stopper bullets!
A 1904 study of bullet effectiveness further sold the US Army on the choice of a .45 caliber pistol, and the rapid reloading capability of semi-automatic pistols definitely favored that design. Many other of the new semi-autos being presented at the time were deemed of insufficient caliber, frequently .32 (7.65 mm) or .36 (9 mm). (Note: caliber is the diameter of the projectile/bullet in hundredths of inches, thus a .50 caliber bullet is ½ inch wide. Caliber is frequently also expressed in millimeters.)
The John Browning designed entry from Colt was tested against other entries from Luger and Savage, all in .45 caliber, with the Colt coming out on top by a large margin. Rugged, incredibly reliable, quick to reload, and easy to disassemble and reassemble without tools for cleaning and maintenance made the M1911 the clear winner.
Serving in World War I, the M1911 was modestly improved in 1924 and designated M1911A1.
Serving all branches of the US armed forces as well as various law enforcement agencies, the M1911A1 continued as the main US combat pistol through World War II and the Viet Nam War, until 1985 when the 9 mm Beretta M9 (model 92) became the primary US military pistol. The Colt .45 was not done!
Continued use in special units of the military never ended for “Old Slabsides” and an updated version featuring an accessory rail has been designed for the Marine Corps. Many pistoleros consider the 1911 as the ideal pistol design that has not yet been beaten! Imitations from numerous countries and companies have been and are being produced, and slightly smaller models such as the Officer’s Model and the Commander have been made. A magazine holding 7 or 8 rounds, plus 1 in the chamber sounds good compared to the old six-shooter revolvers, but is a lot less than the 15 to 20 rounds carried by today’s “wonder nines” 9mm pistols. The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) bullet weighs in at 230 grains, compared to 115 grains for standard 9 mm bullets, so the 1911 actually holds as much weight in ammo as the newer guns. (Just to keep everybody happy, the 1911 has been produced in a variety of calibers other than .45, but not for US military service.)
The main complaint against the M1911/M1911A1 has been the pathetic military sights, and you really do not find those on new production guns. Untold thousands, or even millions of service men and women have carried the 1911 with the confidence of knowing it would do the job! Question for students (and subscribers): If you could carry any pistol in combat, what would it be? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Poyer, Joe. The Model 1911 and Model 1911A1 Military and Commercial Pistols (For Collectors Only). North Cape Publications, Inc., 2017.
Sweeney, Patrick. 1911 The First 100 Years. Gun Digest Books, 2010.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by M62 of a M1911 A1 pistol in .45 ACP by Remington, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="1475 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=1475">31 Comments
I would carry any pistol that I had been taught to use reonably. I grew up in a household with a gun sitting in every corner and was taught to use them reasonably as soon as old enough to do so. A person that is informed and educated about their gun is not a dangerous person and guns are not dangerous, only when placed into the hands of the uneducated. The 1911 sounds like a good pistol but only if the one carrying it knows how to use it.
I am a retired Army officer and was trained with both the M1911A1 and the M9. Hands down, I prefer the M1911. Its stopping power and reliability are, in my opinion, unmatched. That being said, in combat I also had a rifle available so I could “reach out and touch someone” before they got close enough to have to use my pistol.
Calling the Colt M1911 ‘the greatest pistol of all time’ (sic), is extremely presumptuous.
1. The ad nauseam-ly praised ‘stopping power’ is compensated in extenso by the extreme recoil, which in real life situations impairs its general accuracy with a first shot, as well as having to ‘re-aim’ any subsequent shots. (in layman terms: your first shot may go wild, while you could squeeze off 3 or 4 aimed shots, compensating for your first with a 9 mm in the time you might be able to seriously pull the trigger again on a .45). And keep in mind that military use of a handgun is usually confined to a ‘last second’ situation, meaning that the enemy really has to be within grasping reach before you use your handgun in stead of your usual rifle/carbine/machine gun/flamethrower. So, if your first shot misses and you have to re-aim a gun pointing at the blue sky due to it’s missed first round, that Nazi-bayonet pointed at your throat could have a serious advantage over you… .
2. Even the US Armed Forces became aware of this when they entered into a real shooting war during WW 2 and replaced a multitude of .45’s with the M1-Carbine, shooting a significantly smaller calibre pistol-sized cartridge, as a personal side arm. Stopping power night have been a lot less, but you could at least shoot 15 to 30 seriously aimed bullets in a lot less time over a far longer distance (still remember that Nazi-bayonet…).
3. ‘Greatest pistol of all time (sic)’, do you mean since Adam and Eve up till 2014 ?
Awwww… let’s get serious. How about the HK 9PS (both in 9mm and your venerated .45), the Glock 17-series, the Sig Sauers, HK 2000/USP, the legenadary Browning HP and the CZ 75-series ?
Even at the time (1911) there were handguns around with better performance, such as the 08-Luger and the Mauser Broomsticks, with better ballistics, higher magazine capacities, flatter trajectories at longer distances, and far better penetration rates. But heck, let’s be honest, they were ‘NMH’ for Uncle Sam … .
4. Talking of which, when the ‘ultimate handgun expert’ Jeff Cooper designed the ‘ultimate handgun’, the BrenTen, nowadays mostly known for its appearance in the first two series of Miami Vice 😉 ; he didn’t even look at the archaic M1911, nor for it’s mechanics (he copied the CZ 75), nor it’s caliber (10 mm). Never ever wondered why .40 S&W became the new ‘stopping-power-standard’ for every size-obsessed-macho who proclaimed that 9 mm was for girls/pansies/gays ?
Here is a paragraph by paragraph rebuttal from a Marine and police officer:
“1.
The ad nauseam-ly praised ‘stopping power’ is compensated in extenso by
the extreme recoil, which in real life situations impairs its general
accuracy with a first shot, as well as having to ‘re-aim’ any subsequent
shots. (in layman terms: your first shot may go wild, while you could
squeeze off 3 or 4 aimed shots, compensating for your first with a 9 mm
in the time you might be able to seriously pull the trigger again on a
.45). And keep in mind that military use of a handgun is usually
confined to a ‘last second’ situation, meaning that the enemy really has
to be within grasping reach before you use your handgun in stead of
your usual rifle/carbine/machine gun/flamethrower. So, if your first
shot misses and you have to re-aim a gun pointing at the blue sky due to
it’s missed first round, that Nazi-bayonet pointed at your throat could
have a serious advantage over you…”
Recoil is absolutely not excessive except for sissies. The greatest pistol marksmen use 1911’s. If you go to any shooting range, especially a police or military range, you will see that the muzzle of the 1911 is not pointing at the sky after each shot, and shooters can fire it quickly and accurately.
“2.
Even the US Armed Forces became aware of this when they entered into a
real shooting war during WW 2 and replaced a multitude of .45’s with the
M1-Carbine, shooting a significantly smaller calibre pistol-sized
cartridge, as a personal side arm. Stopping power night have been a lot
less, but you could at least shoot 15 to 30 seriously aimed bullets in a
lot less time over a far longer distance (still remember that
Nazi-bayonet…).”
The M-1
carbine was designed to provide longer range (which it did) and greater
firepower (15 round magazine) but was woefully inadequate in stopping
power. It does not fire a pistol sized cartridge, although a couple of
not very effective pistols have been chambered in .20 carbine.The 1911 is still in service, the M1 carbine is not.
“3. ‘Greatest pistol of all time (sic)’, do you mean since Adam and Eve up till 2014 ?
Awwww…
let’s get serious. How about the HK 9PS (both in 9mm and your venerated
.45), the Glock 17-series, the Sig Sauers, HK 2000/USP, the legenadary
Browning HP and the CZ 75-series ?
Even at the time (1911) there were
handguns around with better performance, such as the 08-Luger and the
Mauser Broomsticks, with better ballistics, higher magazine capacities,
flatter trajectories at longer distances, and far better penetration
rates. But heck, let’s be honest, they were ‘NMH’ for Uncle Sam … .”
When
the Glock or HK has been in military service for over 100 years and
dominates pistol shooting matches, we will consider them. The Luger and
other pistols you call better performers are nowhere near as reliable or
as easy for a soldier to disassemble, reassemble and maintain.
Reliability is one of if not the most important factor as to the worth
of a pistol. The 9mm and other “flatter shooting” calibers are
notoriously ineffective when using full metal jacket ammo that military
guns use. The .45 is effective even in the FMJ mode.
“4.
Talking of which, when the ‘ultimate handgun expert’ Jeff Cooper
designed the ‘ultimate handgun’, the BrenTen, nowadays mostly known for
its appearance in the first two series of Miami Vice 😉 ; he didn’t
even look at the archaic M1911, nor for it’s mechanics (he copied the CZ
75), nor it’s caliber (10 mm). Never ever wondered why .40 S&W
became the new ‘stopping-power-standard’ for every size-obsessed-macho
who proclaimed that 9 mm was for girls/pansies/gays ?”
When
was the last time you saw a military or police department armed with
the 10mm cartridge? It is a hard kicking magnum type round unsuitable
for normal combat and self defense (but ok for hunting). The .40 caliber
S&W is a fairly effective round with modern hollowpoints and having
greater magazine capacity than the .45, but again, when forced to use
full metal jacket ammo, the .45 is better. Not everyone
would agree that Cooper is the ultimate handgun expert. Elmer Keith,
perhaps was, or any one of a number of today’s experts.
It seems crazy to me that the M1911 stayed the official sidearm for the US Army from 1911 to 1985! With so many manufacturers and investors racing to compete in the military market, I would have thought that the official sidearm would change more often.
It is surprising that a gun could have been made so long ago and we still rely on it heavily today.
I didn’t know that the army and its branches could have an “official” sidearm. I always just assumed that they used a variety of different weapons. I think that the Colt must have been very effective for it to be used throughout not one, but three wars (WWI, WWII, and Vietnam)!
I’m not one to know much about guns but I was shocked to read that the official sidearm stayed the same for so long. They know more than I do obviously though and clearly it worked.
Guns have gone through a long way before taking the final appearance and performance they have today. They are important for wars and the Army so I am sure this invention made many armed forces happy. Crazy to think that the official sidearm remained the same for so many years.
Guns have come a long way and I am surprised that pistol itself was relied on for as long as it was.The M1911 from what I can recall, was accurate and fairly powerful for a pistol of its time.
The M19 as a good reason why it is so heavily relied upon in the army today. Playing video games in recent years I have heard of this gun and in every game it is the primary hand gun and very powerful as well.
Gun language is a complete foreign language to me. I just think it is amazing how far gun advancements have come. I doubt any soldier in 1911 ever thought the automatic weapons we have today would be possible.
It makes sense that during that time gun production was at its peak because of all the wars going on but you’d think over time that would dissipate. However, that’s not the case in America, where gun culture seems to be thriving.
I really have no idea about guns and to be honest I never want to even touch a gun. It’s terrifying that a gun has the power to kill another person so easily. The colt 1911 sounds like it was really loved by gun owners and those in police service but I hope I never find out first hand.
The fact that the M1911A1 was able to be the main gun from the WWII times all the way to 1985 makes a statement towards how efficient and successful that gun was. With the United States of America being the elite military power that it is, it is necessary that its soldiers are equipped with the best possible firearms to allow them to maintain that long-established, well-deserved reputation.
An entire century of dominance from one firearm is very impressive! The benefits of it being semiautomatic as well as simple to disassemble and clean makes it an easy choice for those using it.
The M1911 seemed to be one of the best guns ever created since it was easy to reload, and one was able to disassemble and reassemble it. I am no where near a gun expert but that sounds like a clean cut good weapon to have especially during a major war.
Good to know that the greatest pistol of all time was in the hands of U.S. soldiers. Impressive that the M1911A1 was the main pistol for both World War II and the Vietnam War. Although this gun was made so long ago, it’s almost shocking to think that soldiers still use it to this day. Goes to show you how well made our guns are.
This pistol was revolutionary, as demonstrated by the fact that it is still in use today. This pistol seems to have been one of the most important guns in United States history. Without this pistol, the United States armed forces would not be properly equipped for battle.
It amazes me that the M1911 was the official sidearm for the army for as long as it was, especially with all the new technology and guns that came out during that time frame. It was quick reloading and easy to take apart which made it an easy gun to use.
With the rapid development of firearm technology at this time, I am surprised the Colt remained the official sidearm for so many years. This is a testament to American craftsmanship and durability. It is nice to know that our soldiers have the best weapons available to them.
I am not too interested in guns and do not understand gun language much, but the M1911 seemed to be a pretty amazing gun and seemed to serve a great purpose. I am surprised that a gun made so long ago is still used today.
It makes sense that the United States military was looking for a gun with more power and a faster reload. The .45 allowed soldiers to feel confident in the sidearm they were carrying.
Colt M1911 .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol was made by the US Army on March 29, 1911. The Army was looking for something with man stopper bullets. Nothing before the Colt M1911 did not have enough stopping power. This gun became the main US combat weapon throughout the Vietnam War.
The .45 was more efficient for those who chose to use them. It needed to be quid and it needed to be light. Not only was it quick but it was easy to take care of.
To put an enemy down, the .38 was too little so they created .45. It is a good thing they stepped it up a notch or else when used in war, outcomes might have been very different.
My Father loves guns and has offered to buy me a 1911 for myself as a first gun. Reliable seems to last throughout time.
I’m sure this was a big upgrade in terms of use in war. Troops were more confident and better.
I never knew what caliber measured until now. You always hear about the Colt pistol, which should be no surprise given how useful and reliable it has been.
My pistol of choice is the NERF N-Strike Elite Jolt Blaster
Going from muskets to this… Evolution of guns!