The selection process was long
and drawn out and actually started in 1901 when President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Brigadier General William Crozier Chief of Army Ordnance. Three years later, Crozier assigned Captain John T. Thompson and Major Louis Ana- tole LaGarde to investigate and recommend which caliber should be used in any new service handguns. They tested several handguns and bullets on live cattle and medical cadavers. Their conclusion was the next service pistol, “should have a caliber not less than .45.” In 1905, Colt asked John Brown-
ing to improve his Model 1902 Military pistol. Browning did, also developing the .45 ACP cartridge. Later that year, Colt unveiled the .45 caliber, Model 1905. In late 1906 the Army Ordnance Department was ready to conduct their first .45-caliber pistols trials. The main requirements were that
submitted
handguns be not less than .45 cali- ber, have a magazine holding no less than six rounds, a bullet weighing no less than 230 grains and a trigger pull of no less than six pounds. The first handguns submitted
were from Colt, Savage, Luger, Knoble, Bergmann, White-Merrill, Smith & Wesson and Webley. Only the pistols from Colt and Savage were good enough to be considered, but both still had problems. Over the next few years Colt and Savage submitted samples only to see them rejected. Eventually, John Browning decided to prove the superiority of his design and went to Hartford to personally supervise production.
The Final Decision Finally, on March 15, 1911, an en-
durance test was held during which one man fired the Colt 1,000 times in 38 minutes as part of a 6,000-round test. On the March 23, 1911, the Army Ordnance Department
re-
ported, “Of the two pistols, the board was of the opinion that the Colt is superior, because it is more reliable, more enduring, more easily disassembled when there are broken parts to be replaced and more accu- rate.” The rest, as they say, is history and if the Colt model 1873 Peace- maker was the gun that won the West, the Colt model 1911 became the gun that won everything else. Over the years, several modifica-
tions were made to the original 1911 design. Most notably was the transi- tion to the 1911A1. This change in- cluded an arched mainspring hous-
WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM
ing, a shorter trigger, an elongated grip safety, shortened hammer spur, trigger cutouts on the frame and better sights. Colt’s anniversary 1911 represents the 1918 rendition of the original 1911 adopted by the Ordnance Department.
100 Anniversary Pistol This Colt Anniversary 1911 is
listed as Model #O1911ANVIII. It is indeed an exact copy of the hand- gun the US Army adopted in 1911 with three exceptions. The original 1911 had a blued finish; the anniver- sary pistol has a black-oxide finish, as did the 1918 version. The military switched to the black-oxide finish to make it easier for the many compa- nies building the 1911 to meet speci- fications and to lower cost. The second difference is in the
trigger-pull weight; Ordnance de- partment specifications listed a min- imum pull weight of six pounds. The trigger on the test pistol broke con- sistently at 5.5 pounds. No, it would not meet military specs but I’m sure few that purchase this pistol would complain about a better trigger. The third difference is the roll
markings on the pistol’s slide. The Anniversary model is marked “MODEL OF THE 1911-2011” on the right side of the slide. The left side of the slide has three separate markings: “ADOPTED MARCH 29, 1911 - UNITED STATES ARMY,” “COLT’S PT.F.A. MFG. CO. HART- FORD, CT. U.S.A.” and at the rear of the slide, behind the vertical ser- rations is a small circle containing the rampant Colt logo just like the original. On the frame,
just below
the slide, you will find the words, “UNITED STATES PROPERTY.” All Anniversary 1911s also have a special serial number. The test pistol serial number was “No
00521911.” Aside from that, the handgun is
pure and original 1911; to include the double diamond, checkered walnut grips, a lanyard loop, sights that are almost so small you can’t see them and the short grip safety that lets the hammer bite into the web of your hand during recoil. The exposed portion of the barrel — the chamber — that can be seen through the original, ejection port,
small-sized is even roll marked,
“-COLT .45 AUTO–.” Granted, this handgun is mostly
a collector’s piece, but I can’t own a gun and not shoot it. That’s like dat- ing a pretty girl and not taking her out on the town. Reports from the Ordnance Department’s pistol trials
51
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180