Gun Reviews · Profile & review in progress

Colt M1911

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John Browning’s .45 ACP pistol, U.S. standard sidearm from 1911 to 1985.

World War II–era U.S. government-issue M1911 pistol, right side — Photo: Mitch Barrie / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The M1911 is John Moses Browning's .45 ACP pistol, adopted by the U.S. Army in 1911 and the standard U.S. military sidearm through the Vietnam era, until it was replaced by the Beretta M9 in 1985. Its single-action trigger, slim single-stack magazine, and grip and thumb safeties have made it a favorite for target shooting for more than a century.

Design

The 1911 uses Browning's short-recoil, tilting-barrel system, which became the basis of many later pistol designs. Standard military magazines hold seven rounds of .45 ACP. The M1911A1, adopted in the 1920s, changed the grip safety tang, added an arched mainspring housing and a shorter trigger, and added relief cuts in the frame.

Today

Many manufacturers now build 1911-pattern pistols in several calibers, and the design dominates some classes of competition shooting. Military-issue examples are popular with collectors.

Ratings will be added only after the hosts have spent real time with one at the range.

Ratings

HistoryComing soonDesignComing soonShootabilityComing soonCollectibilityComing soonOverallComing soon

Ratings are editorial opinions and will be added once the hosts have spent time with this firearm. No scores have been assigned yet.

The verdict

Coming soon.

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