How to Speak 1911: Holding Class on the Evolutionary Differences

By Chris Eger

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In the past 118 years, there has been lots of development in the basic concept of an M1911 pistol. With that in mind, we are here to help break it down.
John Moses Browning’s original Colt pistol, which was adopted in 1911 by the U.S. Army after extensive testing, was a single-action .45ACP with a 5-inch barrel, 8.5-inch overall length and a weight of about 2.5-pounds. The semi-auto used a 7-shot magazine, had negligible sights, and two frame-mounted safeties. A lanyard ring was standard to help keep the pistol attached to the user should it bounce out of the hand, say while on horseback in a cavalry charge.
In short, the first production type of these M1911 pistols looked much like this:
This Colt 1911 100th Anniversary was a limited production run marking “a century of excellence” in the model. It includes checkered double-diamond walnut grips and the early profile that included a flat mainspring housing. This example, in the Guns.com Vault, has its original centenary box and comes with two seven round-magazines.
The guns proved a hit with the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines who adopted it to replace older revolver models. Starting in 1912, Colt

Source: Guns.com