Tag Archives: historic firearms

October 13, 2014 · 5:35 am

Historic Firearms — The Colt Model 1911

Colt M1991A1 — The “Modern” Model 1911 with Series 80 firing system

Next Monday I’ll be presenting a review of the firearm pictured here, but today I want to devote this blog to one of the most iconic and historically important handguns ever produced — John Moses Browning’s superlatively designed, stunningly beautiful achievement the Colt Model 1911 designed for the potent .45 ACP cartridge.

You’ve seen the 1911 before, by the way. In fact, whether you know it or not, you’ve seen it literally thousands of times over the years. And, as a purveyor of fiction, I simply must note that you’ve seen it mentioned in countless novels as well — Even agent 007 used it in Ian Fleming‘s novel Moonraker and in the short story From a View to a Kill in the For Your Eyes Only collection of works. You simply cannot escape it’s ubiquitous presence in television, movies, literature, and any serious history on the U.S. military over the past 100+ years.

For instance it was Thomas Sullivan Magnum’s favorite weapon.

Tom Magnum on the case with his trusty Series 70 M1911— Image from Internet Movie Firearms Database (www.imfdb.org)

Mike Hammer called his 1911 “Betsy.”

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (Stacy Keach) with “Betsy”

And even John Shaft used one.

John Shaft’s M1911 — For those times when his Colt Detective Special just wasn’t enough firepower

Indeed, you’ll see an M1911 used by either the hero or a bad guy in almost any film or television show in which firearms play a prominent roll in the storyline. In real life the M1911 was used by various law enforcement agencies (and still in use by some, including certain FBI units), mobsters, gangsters, and spies.

M1911 “Government Model”

But the Model 1911 (M1911 for short) gained its fame on the battlefields of World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korea, etc., etc., etc. Indeed the M1911 was first adopted by the U.S. Army in early 1911 — hence the name — and was the primary sidearm of the U.S. military until it was replaced by the vastly inferior 9mm Beretta M9 (military version of the Beretta 92) in 1985.

9mm Beretta M9 — The Army’s idea of a “replacement” for the M1911

The M1911’s story with the U.S. military did not end there, however. It continues in service to this day with U.S. Marine Expeditionary Units under its new designation as the M45 MEU(SOC) pistol. More recently the USMC has acquired directly from Colt a railed version of the 1911 designated the M45A1 CQBP — Close Quarter Battle Pistol — for use by both the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC).

M45A1 CQBP — Made by Colt and equipped with an accessory rail

Between the original M1911 and the M1911A1 version that succeeded it in 1924, the U.S. military acquired an astounding 2.7 million copies made by Colt, Springfield Armory (the former U.S. government arsenal, and not the current company using that name), Remington, North American Arms, Ithaca Gun Company (known for shotguns), Remington Rand (the typewriter/computer company), Singer (another typewriter manufacturer), and even a maker of railroad signalling gear — Union Switch & Signal.

M1911 “Government Model”

After World War II the U.S. military had enough M1911s on hand to last until their ultimate replacement some forty years later by the aforementioned M9 Beretta. These M1911s were refurbished as needed at the Rock Island Arsenal (not to be confused with Armscor’s Rock Island Armory brand name), the U.S. Government Springfield Armory, and other military depots and arsenals.

In other words, if you’ve seen a war movie involving U.S. troops set in time from 1911 until at least 1986, chances are you saw an M1911 in the picture. And if you’ve watched a movie concerning the U.S. Marine Corps after 1985, there’s still a good chance you’ve seen a version of the M1911.

Today everybody and his fourth cousin twice removed make some version of the M1911 — Colt (the true original), Springfield Armory (the company, not the original U.S. government armory), SIG, Kimber, Wilson Combat, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Remington, Para Ordinance, Taurus (Brazil), Rock Island Armory (the Armscor Filipino subsidiary), and even a .22 version marked under the Walther banner but made in Turkey for parent company Umarex. That’s just a partial list, by the way. Past and present there have been well over 100 companies that have made versions of the M1911 in some form or another, and in calibers ranging from the original .45 ACP to at least ten other calibers from the diminutive (.22) to the ridiculous (.460 Rowland).

And who came up with this still popular design? Why, John Moses Browning, of course. You’ll recall that name from my series on Winchester lever-action rifles (see: Winchester Rifles — Part 1; and Winchester Rifles — Part 2), another iconic series of historic firearms. But to make a semiautomatic pistol that was still somewhat compact and relatively light, yet would stand up to the power of the .45 ACP cartridge, John Browning would have to invent an entirely new recoil mechanism. Existing locked breech mechanisms of the era were complex, costly to manufacture, and unreliable. So, what Browning came up with was a short-recoil, tilting barrel, locked breech design. A simplified form of that Browning invention is still used to this day in nearly every semiautomatic handgun made for powerful calibers beginning with the 9mm Parabellum. This short-recoil locked-breech mechanism works by briefly locking the barrel and slide together as a unit after the firing of the bullet. The slide and barrel recoil back a short distance until the barrel tilts and disengages from the “locking” mechanism affixing it to the slide. The slide continues reward, opening the breech, at which time the spent cartridge is extracted from the chamber and ejected through the now exposed port at the top of the pistol. The slide then reverses, strips a fresh round from the magazine, and forces it into the chamber before reengaging the barrel and returning to battery (meaning the slide and barrel seated fully forward into firing position atop the frame of the weapon).

Here’s a demonstration to put all that mumbo-jumbo together for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frv7IUm1A3c

As the M1911 was originally developed by John Browning under contract to Colt, I’ll now stick specifically to Colt civilian models rather that even thinking of touching upon the 100+ other manufacturers and their variants. The most common Colt civilian variants of the full-size M1911 (not Commander nor Officer models with reduced length barrels and slides) are:

Colt Government Mk. IV Series 70 (1970 to 1983) — Revised “Collet” barrel bushing that supposedly increased accuracy, but was also prone to breakage thus reducing reliability.
Colt Government Mk. IV Series 80 (two basic versions)
1. 1983 to 1988 — New internal firing pin block for additional safety against accidental discharges resulting from dropping the weapon; retained the Series 70 Collet barrel bushing.
2. 1988 to present — same internal firing pin block; return to the solid bushing pre-Series 70.
Colt Government Mk. IV Series 70 (2001 to present) — A return to the original design that drops the internal firing pin safety of the Series 80; earlier 70 Series Collet bushing replaced with original-style solid bushing
Note: The return to the Series 70 firing system without the internal firing pin block was in response to criticism that it was more difficult to perform a trigger job on the Series 80.
Colt GovernmentM1991A1 (two basic versions)
1. “Old Roll Mark” (ORM) version 1991 to 2001 — Series 80 firing pin block and original, pre-Series 70 barrel bushing; plastic trigger; cheap Parkerized finish; large and, to some, ugly “COLT M1991A” roll mark on slide.
2. “New Roll Mark” (NRM) version 2001 to present — As with ORM above except an anodized aluminum trigger; much more attractive brushed-blue finish (stainless steel version also available); smaller, more sedate “COLT’S GOVERNMENT MODEL .45 AUTOMATIC CALIBER” slide roll mark.

Here’s a link list to the current Colt models mentioned immediately above as well as other variations I’ve not mentioned (including the .380 ACP variant known as the Colt Mustang):

Colt M1991A1
Colt XSE (a high-end Series 80 derivative)
Colt Combat Elite (tactical version of the Series 80 also available in 10mm)
Colt Rail Gun (Series 80 version with Picatinny accessory rail)
Colt Gold Cup (Series 80 target model with match-grade barrel, adjustable sights, and other enhancements)
Colt Series 70
Colt Defender (short-barrel Series 80 version optimized for concealed carry)
Colt New Agent (another short-barrel Series 80 version)
Colt Special Combat Government (larger, long-barrel Series 80 variant for open carry, law enforcement, and home defense)
Colt CQBP (current railed military version of the Series 80)
Colt .380 Mustang (extremely compact pocket pistol chambered for the .380 ACP/9mm kurz and using a Series 80 firing system and about ⅓ the weight of a typical M1911 pistol)

Remember to return next Monday to find out what it’s like to operate an M1911 (specifically an M1991A1 version) at the range, and find out why this firearm is still so popular over 100 years after its development.

Bibliography:

.45 ACP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_ACP
Blowback versus Locked Breech: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-automatic_pistol#Actions:_blowback_versus_locked_breech
Colt’s Manufacturing Company: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt%27s_Manufacturing_Company
John Browning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Browning
M1911: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol
Short recoil operation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recoil_operation#Short_recoil_operation

3 Comments

Filed under Firearms, R. Doug Wicker

Tagged as Colt, handguns, historic firearms, John Browning, M1991A1, Model 1911, R. Doug Wicker

August 3, 2014 · 5:35 am

Winchester Rifles — Part 2

Winchester Model 1894 Rifles

John Moses Browning is the most famous gun designer in history. His accomplishments include:

The Colt Model 1911, a pistol that has endured in the U.S. military for over 100 years, and the design basis for nearly every locked-breech handgun made to this day.
The Browning Hi-Power (completed nine years after Mr. Browning’s death in 1926), the first truly successful double-stacked magazine handgun — a weapon that would later go on to serve in the military of over 50 nations
The world’s first gas-operated machine gun, which in turn led to the incredible Browning .50-caliber Machine Gun and the equally famous Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) of World War II fame
And, of course, the later much-improved versions of the Winchester lever-action rifles.

Browning’s first design for the Winchester Company was the Model 1886, designed for the most powerful rifle cartridges of that era. The Model 1886 would later form the basis for the Winchester Model 71, which was made for 23 years beginning in 1935.

But by the early 1890s the Winchester Model 1873, last of the true pistol caliber Winchester rifles up to that point, was showing its age. Winchester once again turned to Mr. Browning for a replacement. The story goes that Winchester Company President Thomas Gray Bennett offered Mr. Browning a bonus of $10,000 if Browning could design the replacement for the Model 1873 in 90 days, and a $15,000 bonus if he could do it in just sixty. Mr. Browning countered with an offer to produce the new design in less than a month if Mr. Bennett would increase that offered bonus. Mr. Bennett agreed, and less than thirty days later the genius John Moses Browning walked off with $20,000 dollars after dropping off the Model 1892 design.

Winchester Model 1894 Rifles

It is most often this rifle you see, the Model 1892, whenever you watch John Wayne spin-cock a loop-lever rifle in Westerns from El Dorado to True Grit. And, as previously mentioned, it is the Model 1892 that somehow found its way back in time and into the hands of New Mexico Rancher Lucas McCain almost a dozen years before its introduction.

What is spin-cocking, by the way? It’s a Hollywood invention, but it’s neat-looking as all get-out:

It’s also impractical as all get-out. The rifle shown had to be specially modified to keep the cartridge blank from falling out of the chamber as the rifle is twirled. It’s also dangerous as all get-out, in that you’re more likely to shoot yourself trying this than you are to bring the weapon to bear on a man wearing a black hat.

Ready for Inspection

Which brings us to the rifles shown in this weekend’s mini-blog series, the Winchester Model 1894. The Model 1894 is again a John Browning design, but unlike his pistol-caliber Model 1892 this rifle has more in common with his Model 1886 — it’s chambered for rifle rounds. Indeed, the .30-30 was invented with this rifle in mind, and the Model 1894 in that cartridge was for over 100 years the hunting rifle of choice for many deer hunters in the U.S.

Winchester Model 1894 Rifles

I hope you enjoyed this bit of Western firearm history. Tomorrow we’ll return to our tour of Québec from the MS Maasdam.

Bibliography links to today’s blog topics:

John Moses Browning
Colt Model 1911
Browning Hi-Power
Browning 50-Caliber Machine Gun
Browning Automatic Rifle
Browning Short Recoil “Locked Breech” Design
Winchester Model 1873
Winchester Model 1886
Winchester Model 1892
Winchester Model 1894
Winchester .30-30 Cartridge (formerly the .30 WCF)
Winchester Repeating Arms (current makers of Winchester-branded Model ’73, Model ’86, and Model ’92 rifles)

5 Comments

Filed under Firearms, R. Doug Wicker

Tagged as firearm review, firearms, historic firearms, John Browning, Model 1894, Old West, R. Doug Wicker, Winchester rifles

August 2, 2014 · 5:35 am

Winchester Rifles — Part 1

A Pair to Draw to — Winchester Model 1894 Rifles

Today begins Part 1 of a two-part special weekend blog on post-Civil War Wild West rifles in general, and Winchester lever-action rifles in particular. This will not be a shooting review, for the weapons depicted here are twenty years old and still unfired outside of the original proofing before leaving the now defunct Winchester plant in New Haven, Connecticut back in 1994.

Centennial Version of the Model 1894

Yes, that means these particular rifles are centennial editions. The receivers are stamped “1894-1994.” That doesn’t really increase the value much, as post-1964 Winchester Model 1894 rifles are not as in demand as those that stuck to the original design and manufacturing techniques dating back to the 19^th Century.

And It’s Matched Partner

But the story doesn’t end with the demise of Winchester or Winchester’s Connecticut facility. The Winchester brand is still alive, and new Winchester-branded lever-action rifles are being made in Japan courtesy of our Belgian friends at FNH (see my review here of their exquisite FNX-45). But be prepared to spend upwards of $1,200 for one of these new versions.

Not only can you still obtain a Winchester-branded Model 1894 and other lever-action rifles, you can also acquire off-brand examples of some of Winchester’s earlier rifles, such the pistol-caliber Model 1892 favored by John Wayne and used in equally anachronistic fashion by Lucas McCain (played by the late Chuck Connors) in The Rifleman (1958 to 1963). I say “anachronistic” because the Model 1892 was used in many Westerns set in years far earlier than 1892 — the year it was first produced. Indeed, the Rifleman was set in the New Mexico Territory in the early 1880s, so his rifle should have been the Winchester Model 1873!

By the way, check out the bibliography links below to see how to purchase a version of Lucas McCain’s Winchester ’92. Or, click on this link:

However, lest you think you’re getting a true Winchester when you get a new Model 1873, 1886, or 1892, think again. These copies are made by several companies totally unrelated to the original Winchester Company — Rossi of Brazil and Chiappa of Italy to name a couple.

What you see here are two Winchester Model 1894 Trapper carbines with 16-inch barrels. The Model 1894 produced by Winchester from 1894 through 2006 has sold more copies than any other sport hunting rifle ever produced — over 7,000,000 copies. One rifle is chambered in .30-30 (originally called .30 WCF for Winchester Center Fire). This cartridge was specifically designed for the Model 1894, and arrived on the scene in 1895. The other example shown is not nearly as common. That one is chambered in the .44 Magnum handgun cartridge.

.30-30 (.30 WCF)

.44 Magnum

Now for a little lever-action history lesson: The first lever-action design dates back to the mid-1850s and inventor Walter Hunt, who briefly tried to develop his “Volition Repeating Rifle” in a joint venture with famed gun makers Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson.

The first truly successful lever-action rifles would come about in 1860, with the introduction of the Spencer Repeating Rifle and the much more famous Henry Repeating Rifle invented by Benjamin Tyler Henry for his employer Oliver Winchester. It is this rifle that spawned Winchester’s dominance in the lever-action rifle market for decades to come.

Which brings us to the line of rifles that tamed the Wild West. The title “The Rifle that Won the West” rightly belongs to the Winchester Model 1873, the first Winchester lever-action rifle to chamber much more reliable center-fire cartridges rather than the rim-fire ammunition used by its predecessor, the Winchester Model 1866. The Winchester 1873 would become one of the most successful Winchester products of all time and would even star in its own movie — Winchester ’73, co-starring Jimmy Stewart.

The Winchester Model 1873 was designed for pistol ammunition — .32-20, .38-40, and the famous .44-40 rounds. There was a huge advantage to having a rifle chambered in the same round as was used in your handgun, and that was the need to only purchase and carry one type of ammunition for both your short-range and long-range weapons.

The first true rifle cartridge lever-action would have to wait until the Winchester Model 1876 some three years later, and it was a hearty beast indeed. The Winchester Model 1876 could be had in the awesome (for its day) .50-95 buffalo cartridge.

Links to people, companies, and weapons mentioned in this article are produced below the closeup photos below.

Tomorrow: The inimitable John Moses Browning graces Winchester with his brilliance.