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THE COLT 45 GOVERNMENT MODEL OF 1911

Possibly the Best Combat Handgun of All Time

The Colt 45 Government Model of 1911 is arguably the most popular handgun ever made. The number of imitations of the 1911 is countless and continues to increase. No other handgun has the dedicated following of the venerable Colt.

Based on John Drownings patent, the IV11 established a reputation for being an extremely rugged, reliable and hardhitting auto pistol. The US Army, Navy and Marine Corps used it for close to a century. It has also been the first choice of many civilians and law officers.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

The 1911 was developed from Browning’s first semiautomatic pistol, the Colt 38 pistol of 1900. Colt and Browning had entered into an agreement for the company to distribute his handguns in America as well as using his patents in pistols that Colt decided to manufacture in the future.

In 1898, the US army was considering replacing the Colt 38 revolver with a self-loading pistol. A board of officers had began trials for a new handgun and was testing a number of auto pistols including the 1896 Mauser and the blow-forward Mannlicher as well as the Colt Browning Model of 1900.

Some 6000 rounds were fired through the Colt with only minor breakages occurring. In fact, the only thing that stopped the test was the running out of ammunition.

The pistol was submitted to field-testing by army units. After complaints from some officers about the pistol’s balance and handling procedures, Colt began fine-tuning the pistol. The pistol’s muzzle heaviness was reduced and the grip elongated, allowing space for a larger cartridge to be accommodated in the magazine.

THE CALIBER QUESTION

The real problem was deciding on a caliber for an updated Model 1900, which was only a 38 caliber at the time. Complaints about the lack of stopping power of Colt New Model Army and Navy revolvers in the Philippines had brought the realization that a larger caliber was required as well as a new sidearm.

These days there is a popular myth that the 38 revolver and its cartridge proved to be complete failures in the Philippine campaign. In fact, during the early stages, it performed quite adequately, even holding its own against other weapons.

This situation changed dramatically when operations moved to the southern island. It was against the tough, fanatical Moro warriors who inhabited the island that the 38 proved to be inconsistent in its fight-stopping abilities. The myth of its ineffectiveness against a fanatical enemy was born. More stopping power was required.

Thompson and LeGarde, two officers in the US Army, conducted experiments with a variety of projectiles of different weight, diameter and velocity. The tests were conducted using human cadavers, steers and horses.

Stopping power and wounds were compared and judged. For the military, the best performing round was judged to be one that entered the body and then stopped and delivered all its inherent energy. The 45 caliber (11.43mm) was the bullet judged best to fit the bill.

In its final configuration, the Colt pistol was chambered for the newly developed 45 ACP cartridge. It was officially designated as the Colt Government Model 45 pistol of 1911. Photo courtesy of Garry James.

Colt developed a new 45-caliber automatic pistol in 1905 from the Model 1900. Called the Colt 45 Automatic Pistol, it had a 5-inch barrel chambered for the new 45 ACP cartridge and had a seven-shot magazine.

The pistol and cartridge went through several stages of metamorphosis before it reached this point. The initial cartridge was too heavy to achieve the hoped-for performance so Colt and Winchester combined their efforts to produce an effective cartridge for the new pistol. The case was shortened and bullet weight reduced. The resulting cartridge reached the desired level of 853 fps and retained accuracy up to 147 feet.

The pistol underwent exhaustive trials during the period of 1907 to 1911. The trials included other arms and continued until the field had been narrowed down to two competitors, the 45 Colt and a pistol in the same caliber from Savage.

Both were found to have the desirable features required by the army, but with several flaws inherent in each, which would need correction before a final decision could be made.

Both guns were cited as having insufficient safety mechanisms and each needed some fine-tuning, including wood grips for the Savage and a better trigger for the Colt.

In 1907, Colt received the list of improvements necessary for the next incarnation of its design—an almost-vertical ejection port, a loaded-chamber indicator and an automatic safety. In 1909, the pistol was overhauled into what was nearly the end result of the 1911. The two-link locking system was replaced by a one-link system. The grip safety, a fairly late addition, was worked on and made easier to manipulate. The magazine release catch and ejector were both enhanced.

The 1911 employed John Browning’s swinging-link system to lock the breech momentarily during firing. Photo courtesy of Garry James.

In 1910, the Cavalry Board, still nervous about the safety of an autoloader, requested more work done on the safety mechanism of the gun. After attempts with several designs, Colt came up with a safety that allowed the pistol to be “cocked and locked” safely. But after a test that resulted in a cracked barrel and a damaged slide on the Colt, the Army determined that neither it nor the Savage was ready in their present forms and that strengthening of the guns was necessary, as was work on the reliability of the actions of both pistols.

Both companies resumed work in correcting these defects. In March of 1911, the board of officers met to test the two updated pistols for the last time. The Savage had 31 malfunctions and a number of parts breakages. The Colt performed without a hitch. In March of 1911, the secretary of war announced a new sidearm for the US Army – the Colt Government Model 45 pistol.

The 1911 is often referred to as the Colt/Browning 45 pistol, implying that Browning was its sole designer. While his contribution was considerable, engineers from both Colt and the Army Ordnance Department were equally involved in creating improvements and refinements. In addition, the patents of other inventors were incorporated into the pistol.

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES

The 1911 was a locked-breech semi-automatic pistol chambered for the 45 ACP cartridge. It used Browning’s single swinging-link system to lock the action during firing. It had a single-action trigger that required the hammer to be cocked for every shot. Its controls consisted of multiple safeties, a slide stop and a magazine catch. One of the safeties was a manual thumb catch located with the two other controls on the left side of the frame. The other safeties included a disconnector that prevented firing until the action was fully closed, a half-cock hammer notch to prevent the pistol from going full auto and grip safety positioned in the top rear of the frame. The latter permitted firing only when the pistol was correctly gripped in the hand. The slide stop was positioned above the safety and a button-style magazine catch was located behind the trigger. The pistol had a seven-shot single-column magazine.

DESIGN CHANGES

During its long service with the US armed forces, the 1911 has undergone relatively few changes.

In the early 1920s, important changes were made that included a longer grip safety tang, an arched mainspring housing and a shorter trigger. Pistols with these changes became standard military issue and are designated as the Colt Government Model 1911A1.

No further changes were made to military Government models until the last GI models were made at the end of World War II.

In the post-war years, Colt continued making the 1911 for the civilian market and continued to update and improve the design when appropriate. Virtually all of these changes were minor in nature.

One of the first noticeable changes was a slightly larger thumb safety that was easier to manipulate. During the 1970s, the Mark IV Series 70 model was introduced. This model replaced the old-style barrel bushing with a new collet finger-style design intended to improve accuracy.

The Colt Series 80 Mark IV stainless steel model.

During the decade that followed, the Series 80 was introduced. This pistol reverted to the old-style plain barrel bushing but had an internal passive firing pin lock to prevent firing should the pistol be dropped on its muzzle. The Series 80 also introduced much-improved fixed sights.

The final changes of significance occurred several years later with the so-called “Enhanced Series.” These pistols had features that had become popular in competition and customized versions of the Government model. These include a ribbed slide, improved fixed sights, speed safety, modified beavertail grip safety and a round spur hammer.

OTHER 1911 MANUFACTURERS

During World Wars I and II, there was an urgent need for firearms, and Colt could not produce enough pistols for the expanding army. As a result, other companies were licensed to produce the pistols. These included:

Remington Arms Co of Ilion, New York

North American Arms Co Ltd, Canada

Remington Rand Co, Syracuse, New York

Ithaca Gun Co. Ithaca, New York

Union Switch & Signal Co, Swissdale, Pennsylvania

Singer Sewing Machine Co, New York, New York

The Springfield armory ordnance factory made a number of pistols. In addition, some countries like Norway and Argentina were also licensed to make the 1911 for their military and police forces.

The pistol’s controls are all on the left side and consist of aslide stop, magazine catch and thumb safety. Photo courtesy of Garry James.

PISTOLS BASED ON THE 1911

During its long life, the 1911 has spawned a number of other Colt pistols based on its design. Although intended as a military service pistol, gunsmiths in the years between the wars discovered that the pistol could be fine-tuned to deliver enough accuracy for target shooting. This was enough to prompt Colt to produce a target 1911 especially for competition. Eventually called the National Match, it was first introduced in 1933. It was tuned for accuracy, given a match trigger and target sights. A 38 Special National Match was made in 1960.

The National Match underwent further refinements to its sights and action, eventually becoming the Gold Cup in 1957. Since its introduction, Colt has always billed the Gold Cup as its premier 1911 model.

In 1949 Colt introduced a special, lightweight, more-compact 1911 called the Commander. It had an alloy frame, a shortened barrel and slide, and was chambered for 45 ACP, 9mm Luger and 38 Super. In 1971, a steel frame version called the Combat Commander was introduced.

The year 1985 saw the introduction of the even more compact Officers ACP series. These pistols were shortened both in length and height and were later offered with light alloy frames and in stainless steel.

CALIBERS

While the 1911’s main caliber has always been the 45 ACP, over the years models in other calibers have been made. These include 455, 7.65 Luger, 9mm Luger, 9mm Largo and 38 Super. In recent years, the pistol has been made in modern calibers such as 10mm and 40 S&W as well as a 9x23mm cartridge made by Winchester.

In 1931, the Ace appeared, which was a 1911 chambered for the 22 Long Rifle cartridge. This pistol has a lightened slide and a special floating chamber. Later, Colt offered 1911 owners a 22 conversion unit consisting of a barrel, slide, bushing recoil spring ejector and magazine.

In addition to the thumb safety, the Model 1911 had a grip safety positioned in the back of the grip. It incorporated a relatively short tang and a flat mainspring housing. Photo courtesy of Garry James.

One of the pistol’s first major changes occurred after World War I in the revised 1911A1 model. The changes consisted of a revised grip safety with alonger tang and an arched mainspring housing. The new thumb safety shown here was only made after World War II.

FINISHES AND MATERIALS

The first 1911s had Colt’s brightly polished fire-blue finish but later military pistols had a matte non-glare Parkerized finish. Civilian models with bright blue finishes continued to be made.

Grips began with checkered-wood side panels. Military models later had panels made of a brown plastic material. For a time, Colt used a special synthetic material with a wood-like appearance called “Coltwood” for most of their handgun grips, including the 1911.

While carbon steel has been the material used for most 1911s, an aluminum alloy called “Coltaloy” was substituted for lightweight versions like the Commander and Officers ACP. During the 1980s, Colt offered a stainless steel Government model and this material is now used throughout the 1911 line.

THE COLT 1911 TODAY

As already mentioned, the 1911 continues to be made by Colt in several versions. Even though Colt’s future is uncertain, the 1911 continues to thrive in the form of a variety of clones and copies made by other companies.

FIELD STRIPPING PROCEDURES

The following is the field strip procedure for the standard Government model. Customized pistols and those with full-length guide rods have a slightly different procedure.

First remove the magazine and check that the chamber is empty. Then rotate the barrel bushing clockwise so the recoil spring and plug can be removed. Next, rotate the barrel bushing counter-clockwise so it can be removed from the slide.

With the recoil spring removed, pull back the slide until the smaller detent on the left side is aligned with the rear of the slide stop. When in this position, the slide stop can be removed from the frame.

The slide and barrel assembly can then be pulled forward off the frame. The final step is to remove the barrel from the front of the slide. The pistol is assembled in reverse order. With Series 80 models that have the firing pin lock, the levers operating the same need to be pushed back in the frame when refitting the slide.

SHOOTING AND HANDLING THE GOVERNMENT MODEL 1911

In spite of its continuing popularity, not everyone has praised the pistol as a shooting arm. Many a GI has cussed it for its lack of accuracy and heavy recoil. This is in sharp contrast to those who extol it as one of the best combat handguns ever made. The simple fact is the pistol would never have survived as long as it has if it did not have many virtues and few faults.

Its strength, reliability and great hitting power are at the top of its many attributes. In spite of the pistol’s great strength, prolonged shooting of high-performance ammunition can result in accelerated wear and even frame and slide cracking. Regular maintenance and recoil spring replacement can go a long way towards preventing this.

The pistol’s large components and generous tolerances enable it to continue functioning in the most arduous of circumstances. Nevertheless, like other pistols of the period, it is designed for shooting full metal case ammunition. Problems therefore may be experienced with modern hollowpoint ammunition, although some 1911s handle them as well as hardball.

In my experience, malfunctions often occur with pistols that have been tricked up, accurized or otherwise customized for high performance. To avoid this, use only the services of a gunsmith who is well acquainted with the 1911. Such gunsmiths can also improve the reliability of 1911s with functioning problems.

In terms of shooting performance, the Government model has many excellent qualities. Its controls are all well placed for easy operation with the thumb of the shooting hand. The thumb and other safeties enable a well-trained shooter to carry it “cocked and locked” (chamber loaded, hammer cocked and safety applied).

The pistol’s grip provides a very comfortable hold. Recoil is surprisingly mild, especially when a two-handed grip is used. The only problem that can occur, depending on how the pistol is gripped, is failure to completely push in the grip safety. This may happen if a very high thumb position is taken.

Taking a high thumb position with a Model 1911 also may result in hammer bite (the fleshy part of the web of the hand being pinched between the hammer and the grip safety spur). This is less likely to occur with a 1911A1 because of its longer grip safety tang. The problem can be resolved either by taking a different hold or having a custom Beavertail grip safety fitted.

Except for 1911s of later than 1990 vintage, the fixed sights tend to be on the small side and trigger pulls on the heavy side. The former can be vastly improved by fitting a set of one of the many excellent aftermarket sights while the services of a good gunsmith can provide a trigger equal to that of any target pistol.

Most Government Models have accuracy that is adequate for service and defense purposes, although it is possible to get a pistol that has superior accuracy. My first Government Model, a 1911 of fairly early vintage delivered excellent accuracy. The fact is the 1911 and the 45 ACP have great accuracy potential.

There are gunsmiths specializing in 1911 custom work who can create a match-grade target arm out of a military GI 45. Accuracy can be improved by simply fitting tighter barrel bushings and longer barrel links. A device called a Group-Gripper that is relatively simple to install can produce remarkable improvements in accuracy.

No other handgun has been subjected to such extensive gunsmithing. Such pistols dominate the target and action shooting ranges. The things that can be done to improve the pistol’s performance are one of its most endearing qualities.

COLLECTOR INTEREST

Model 1911s of early vintage have high collector value as do some of the later models. Customizing can destroy their value and there is also the question of whether to shoot such a pistol. It is, therefore, important to know exactly what type of 1911 you have.

In the 1930s, Colt offered a slide 22 barrel and magazine conversion unit to allow the 1911 to shoot 22 LR cartridges.

The Series 80 also introduced new fixed sights that were a vast improvement over those of the earlier models.

A trigger-activated lever in the rear of the frame disengages the firing pin lock in the slide.