History of the 1911 Pistol

With a long history and a storied past, the M1911 pistol is arguably the most influential handgun in the modern era of firearms. Designed by John Browning and developed by Colt, the M1911 was the self-loading answer to multiple requirements for a modern sidearm by the U.S. military at the turn of the century.

A Design Driven by Need

As the 19^th century was drawing to a close, the U.S. military found itself involved in a number of conflicts – first the Spanish American War and, as a result, the Philippine-American War. As the U.S. military engaged with the Moro guerrillas, they found that the M1892 revolver didn’t have the stopping power needed for the close warfare of a jungle campaign.

The U.S. military set out to find a new standard issue pistol, one that was self-loading, reliable, and be a minimum .45 caliber. In 1906, six designs were submitted for consideration and three were eliminated quickly. Re-designs of the remaining three pistols, from Savage, Colt, and DMW, were requested, but only Savage and Colt submitted new weapons for consideration.

Testing and refinement of the weapons continued from 1907 to 1911. The most telling success was a test conducted at the end of 1910, in which 6,000 rounds were put through a single pistol. A widely acknowledge story from that test was when the Colt firearm became hot during the tests, it was simply immersed in water to cool. The Savage was reported to have 37 defects coming out of the firing test. The M1911 had none.

The Beginning of the 1911 in Combat

On March 29, 1911, the Colt design was adopted by the U.S. Army as its service weapon, and in 1913 the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps followed suit.

The timing of adoption couldn’t have been better, providing military troops with a self-loading and reliable sidearm just in time for two important conflicts – the Punitive Expedition to capture Pancho Villa in 1916, and U.S.’s entry into World War I.

While the Punitive Expedition failed in its task of catching Villa, it did introduce many future military leaders, such as George S. Patton, to the use of the M1911 in combat. But the irrefutable proof of the pistol’s success in what it was designed for – short range stopping power – was shown in the trenches of WWI.

Manufacturing of the pistol was expanded from Colt’s factory and the U.S. government’s Springfield Armory to include contracts to Remington and North American Arms Company.

Following WWI, the firearm saw additional improvements to the design. An arched mainspring housing, ergonomic improvements, a shorter trigger, and improved sights were added and became the M1911A1.

Following its success in these military campaigns, many law enforcement officers began to adopt the M1911. The U.S. Border patrol, FBI, the Prohibition Service, and the Texas Rangers were among the most well known of the agencies who began using the pistol.

The 1911 in Modern Wars

As the U.S join World War II in late 1941, the standard firearm for the service men and women in the military was the M1911. During this time, nearly 3 million pistols were produced. The weapon continued to play an important role in additional conflicts of the 20^th century, including the Korean War and Vietnam.

In 1985, the U.S. military replaced the M1911 with the M9 9mm pistol as the standard sidearm, but the same challenges experienced with the smaller caliber in 1902 remained, and the military once again turned to the M1911 as a service arm.

In the post-war United States, the M1911 became the practice and competition firearm of choice for many recreational shooters. As the popularity of the 1911 increased for competition shooting and personal safety, so did the market for accessories and custom gunsmithing. Several recent trends, including concealed carry, have rekindled interest in the M1911.

With over 100 years under its belt, it is undeniable that the M1911 has cemented its place in history. From military usage to modern competition and concealed carry, Browning’s design remains a reliable choice.

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The article History of the 1911 Pistol originally appeared on Clipdraw

History of the Glock

Many of today’s most popular pistol companies have long histories. Glock is one of the exceptions to that rule. A relative newcomer to the space, Glock combined new ideas with the staples of engineering knowledge to produce a pistol that would impact the entire handgun industry.

A Beginning Without Guns

Glock KG was founded in 1963 by Austrian engineer Gaston Glock. Glock at this point was already a successful businessman with experience in injection molding.

Within only a few short years, in the early 1970s, Glock was manufacturing military equipment, including grenade casings, machine gun belt links, and field knives. Gaston Glock was also asking his military contacts what they wanted most from a firearm.

The list was daunting. They wanted a pistol that was reliable and durable. They wanted something that would be easy to learn. They also wanted something that was simple to fire. And they were looking for a weapon that would have a larger ammunition capacity than current options.

A Military Request

In 1980, Glock received a formal invitation to create a new service pistol. Taking the requests of his contacts into consideration, the G17 was developed. The sidearm used a new 3-party internal safety system that was revolutionary to the industry and included the trigger, drop safeties, and firing pin.

Understanding that simplicity is key to reliability, Glock developed the pistol with, on average, only 35 parts. With fewer parts to clean or wear, the gun was durable and easy to maintain.

Other requirements from the Austrian government included being lightweight with a hammer-forged barrel. To address this, Glock designed the handgun with a polymer frame. The weapon also offered a 17-round capacity.

Thanks to these innovations, the Glock pistol was adopted as the Austrian Army’s standard service pistol in 1983.

Global Adoption

Shortly after it’s incorporation into the Austrian military’s usage, the G17 went through NATO durability testing and passed with flying colors. This set the stage for it to become the preferred pistol of international law enforcement agencies.

It was also at this time and because of its proven durability that the Norwegian Army accepted the Glock as the sidearm of choice for its service men and women.

The Move to the United States

Following its successes in Europe, Glock made the move to the United States in 1986. The features which made the G17 attractive to European military and international law enforcement caught the eye of U.S. police departments.

The gun came to the U.S. at exactly the right time. Law enforcement across the U.S. was feeling the pressures of addressing an increasing and aggressive drug trade in the 80s, and the pistol gave police an advantage that they were missing. Not only did it have a larger capacity than their standard sidearm, but the ease of use, consistent trigger action, and light weight resulted in officers finding the weapon easy to learn while also increasing their marksmanship.

With law enforcement in the U.S. switching to Glock pistols, the gun became a well-known, and therefore, attractive option for the civilian market.

The late 80s also saw more improvements to the pistol. The second generation of the Glock was released in 1988, with more calibers being added to the lineup. The G19 Compact and the G17L Competition pistols were also introduced that year.

A Boost from Popular Culture

As the Glock became popular with seasoned professionals, the entertainment industry began to feature the pistol in films. The year 1990 was a big year for the Glock in popular culture. First, the pistol appeared in on the TV Show Law and Order. Later that same year, Bruce Willis’s character, John McClain, used the weapon in Die Hard 2, cementing the pistol as a fixture in popular culture.

As the 1990s progressed, Glock added additional pistols to their line. Additional models were introduced throughout the 90s, expanding the caliber and capacity of the Glock pistols to answer the demands of a wider audience. The Glock 17T is also introduced during these years, providing law enforcement the equipment it needed to safely train.

The third generation of Glock pistols was introduced in 1998, with a rail for adding accessories such as tactical lights and lasers. Advancements continued on the pistols, including the addition of the G36 Slimline in 1999, and safety and regulatory additions like integrated key locks in 2001.

By 2007, less than 40 years after being adopted as the Austrian Army’s service weapon, Glock had sold more than 5 million pistols worldwide, and today, Glock continues to improve and evolve their pistols.

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The article History of the Glock originally appeared on Clipdraw