The M1911 handgun. Who makes it?

Question

I've heard it as a Colt, a Browning, and some others. Is it just a particular design that is made by a lot of different companies or is there just one? I need to write about it and it's a little clunky just calling it M1911 all the time. I need something that sounds 'cool'

Answer 1

John Moses Browning INVENTED it.
It was liscensed to Colt MFG co, who originally produced it.
When WW2 came along it was produced under millitary contract by numerous US manufacturers.
It has also been produced under military contract by numerous other countries, particularly in South America, but also in such diverse locations as China!
Commercially, it is the most-copied handgun design EVER.
It is produced by literally DOZENS of different manufacturers, including Colt's traditional rival, Smith and Wesson!
(If you can't beat 'em....Join 'em!)
Interestingly enough, It was never to my knowlege produced by Browning (F.N. Browning, Herestal, Belgium)itself.
Imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery.
John Browning and Colt must be flattered to the max.
I'd say that the 1911 has been produced by 50 to 70 different companies over the last 96 years, and is currently in production by at least 20-30. I won't presume to even pretend that I can even BEGIN to name them all.
Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that the vast majority of the copies actually use parts that are dimensionally identical, and thus interchangable, with the original Colt!
It's the most successful handgun design of all time. Period.
It may seem clunky to call it a M1911 because of that "M".
Just call it a 1911.
Everybody will know EXACTLY what you are talking about.

Answer 2

The 1911 design was one of John Brownings ideas. It is named 1911 because that is the year it was put into production, and was the last in a series of pistols that he designed, each called by the year it was introduced.. John sold the rights to the Colt manufacturing company, who still produce it to this day. It became the firearm our miltiary wanted, in fact, there were so many orders for it, that Colt could not keep up during war production and so several other companies were granted the right to help produce them. Companies like the "Singer" sewing company actually built 1911 pistols for the war effort, as did several other companies like "union switch and signal". Many of these firearms made by those businesses are very valuable collectors items today. It was such a popular design, that once the patent expired on it, several manufactures began building them. Today, almost every firearms manufacturer from colt to smith and wesson to para ordinance to Kimber (just to name a few) all manufacture 1911 style pistols.It has been called "ol slab sides" the model of 1911, the colt automatic pistol, the .45 ACP ( acp stands for automatic colt pistol, which is a misnomer as it is really a semi automatic pistol, not fully automatic) and just plain old ".45 auto".
Hope this all helps.

Answer 3

John Browning designed the concept for the pistol in 1905 and later improvments to the 1905 pistol resulted in the 1911, which was bought by Colt and the military adopted it the same year, using it until 1985 when the Beretta 92F replaced it. As of today it is the most widely reproduced pistol on the planet. Just about every pistol manufacturer makes a variation of the 1911 pistol. Some big names are Colt, Smith and Wesson, Taurus USA, Kimber, Springfield Armory, Para-Ordnance, and so on.

Answer 4

John Moses Browning designed the "Model 1911" semi-automatic pistol, originally made in .45 ACP only. It was an improvement of a 1905 pistol he designed. Colt manufactured both models. The US Army adopted it in 1911 after testing pistols by several firms from the USA and Europe. It was slightly altered after World War I and called "1911-A1". That version was our service pistol until 1985 when the Beretta "92F" in 9mm Parabellum replaced it. There are many firms that make copies of it by now, e.g. Springfield, Kimber, etc., and there are compact "Commander' and target "Gold Cup" versions. It may be had in 9mm Luger or .38 Super Auto as well as .45. I can give more details if you like.

Answer 5

The 1911 was a John Browning design that he improved on himself in the 1935 Browning Hi Power .9mm. Originally it was a .45 acp (later also available in .38 Super) and now everyone makes a 1911 clone and it is available in a multitude of calibers from .380 acp to .10mm.

It is an early Twentieth Century single-action-on-the-first-shot design favored by many even today. It probably has more safeties than it needs (Browning eliminated the grip safety in his later 1935 Hi Power design) and it really takes a cognoscente to safely use/carry a 1911.

H

Answer 6

John Moses Browning designed the famous M1911 .45 cal. semi auto pistol at the request of the U.S.Ordinance Dept of the U.S. Army. Colt was the original manufactures. During WWi and WWII, sub contractors were licensed by Colt to product them in sufficient quantity to meet war demands.From 1911-1985, it was the official sidearm of the U.S. Military until replace by the Beretta 92-F in 1986. The Military deaignation for the Beretta is the M-9 pistol.

Answer 7

Well, you have everyone telling you who it's made by.

Just call it a 1911, you don't need the "M". You can also call it a Colt .45.

The 1911 is one of the most copied and most popular designs for handguns.

It's too bad that it was replaced in the military by the Beretta 92FS. I would much rather have a 1911. Personally, I think the Sig P226 should've been the M9 pistol.

Answer 8

Ok, I'll give you just some of the manufacturers of the gun that John Browning designed and Colt originally produced.

1. Colt (expensive anymore and getting hard to find)
2.Wilson Combat
3. Ed Brown
4. Rock River
5. Kimber
6.STI
7. Sprinfield Armory (By Springfield, Inc.)
8. S&W
9. SigArms
10. Auto-Oridnance
11. High Standard (low-end import)
12. Rock Island Arsenal (low end import)

There are more than a few that I did not list who are currently making the 1911 series firearm. The most affordable of the list are Springfield, Kimber, Auto Ordinance, or one of the lower end imports. S&W, Sig, Colt, Wilson, Brown, and STI are going to cost you.

Answer 9

The original manufacturer of the 1911 was Colt. The caliber it was developed in - .45ACP stands for 45 Cal "Automatic Colt Pistol." The model 1911 for its durability, power, & dependability was a long time favorite of the armed forces, and is still the preferred side arm of many special forces operatives. While the 1911 was originally made by Colt Manufacturing, all types of copies are made by just about every major arms manufacture there is.

Answer 10

It's almost easier to ask who's NOT making them these days. That design is hot right now (for good reason) and everybody wants a piece of the action.

If you know pistols, nothing sounds cooler than M1911.