M1911 pistol

The M1911 is an Semi-automatic pistol designed by genius American firearms designer John Moses Browning, it is an classic weapon which has made appearances in numerous movies and video games, especially those related to World War II.

History[]

During the Philippine-American War, the American soldiers found that their .38 caliber Colt M1892 revolvers were lack of stopping power, forcing them to reused the older Colt M1873 revolvers in a larger .45 caliber. The battle has proved that the heavier round was found to be more effective against the charging tribesmen. Later, the US Armed Forces were looking for a new service pistol to replaced those obsoleted service revolvers which were still in service. In order to meet the requirement of the Army, John Moses Browning has designed a pistol derived from his previous design. Finally, his pistol had won the trial and was formally adopted by the US Army as the M1911. The M1911(A1) has served as the standard pistol of the US Armed Forces for over 74 years (replaced by M9 in 1985), it was a battle proven weapon which has been involved in the first and second world war. Up to date, the M1911 and its variants are still in service with the US Special Operation Forces and several countries. The weapon was widely copied and has large numbers of variants. Its presence has also affects many modern pistols' design routes.

Design features[]

The M1911 is an Short recoil operated Semi-automatic pistol, it is chambered for the large caliber .45 ACP cartridge and fed with a 7-round magazine. The weapon has a Single-action trigger and two safeties (a manual safety and a grip safety).

Variants[]

Original Models[]

Colt M1911A1 (Improved version introduced in 1924, it was the most common version appeared in World War II and thereafter)
Colt Government Mk. IV Series 70 (Civilian model)
Colt Government Mk. IV Series 80 (Civilian model)

Other Models[]

Strayer-Voigt — An Strayer Voigt Infinity pistol

The M1911 has countless derived models manufactured by different firearms manufacturers. Some of them are custom models designed for sporting purposes. I'm not going to shown all of them but just a few examples.

Kongsberg Colt (Norwegian copy)
STAR Model P (Spanish copy)
Ballester-Molina (Argentine copy)
Obregón (Mexican copy)
T51 (Taiwanese copy)
Norinco NP-29 (Chinese copy)
AMT Hardballer (Manufactured by Arcadia Machine & Tools)
Kimber Custom (Manufactured by Kimber)
SIG GSR (Manufactured by Swiss Arms)
MEU(SOC) (Variant designed for the USMC)
Colt Railgun (Another variant adopted by the USMC, designated as the M45A1)
Colt Delta Elite (Variant chambered in 10mm auto cartridge)
Variants built by STI International (High precision custom made pistols designed for IPSC and other purposes)
Strayer Voigt Infinity (High precision custom made Infinity pistols designed for IPSC purposes)

Appears in[]

The M1911 appears in many video games, such as:

Medal of Honor
Fallout Tactics
Devil May Cry (heavily modified)
Battlefield: 1942
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Vietcong
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
Call of Duty
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Medal of Honor: Infiltrator
Battlefield: Vietnam
Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty: World at War (M1911A1, used by US Marine Raiders in Campaign)
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (Appears as the "Kora-919")
Medal of Honor: Airborne
7.62 High Calibre
Counter-Strike Online (M1911A1 and Strayer Voigt Infinity, the latter available in different configurations and akimbo )
Cross Fire
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Unknown model, used by SAS captain John Price, Sergeant John "Soap" Mactavish and USMC Force Recon Sergeant Griggs in Campaign)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Unknown model, appeared in Campaign only. Used by John "Soap" Mactavish and John Price)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (M1911A1, Used by CIA SAD officer Alex Mason in Campaign, available in akimbo)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (M1911A1, available in Campaign only)
Battlefield Play4Free
Resident Evil: Revelations
Hitman: Codename 47 (AMT Hardballer)
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (AMT Hardballer)
Hitman: Contracts (AMT Hardballer)
Hitman: Blood Money (AMT Hardballer)
Hitman: Absolution (AMT Hardballer)