Service
In practice, the weapon was very sound with a manageable recoil, the slide quickly moving rearwards to allow ejection of the spent cartridge and introduction of a live one into the chamber. The "semi-automatic" nature of the weapon meant that there was one cartridge fired for every trigger press. The initial cocking of the weapon was handled by manually pulling the slide to the rear with the support hand - this introducing the initial live round into the chamber and setting the hammer. Of course the safety would have to be set off for active management of the mechanism. The semi-automatic short-recoil action allowed for all seven .45 ACP rounds to be fired as fast as the operator could press the trigger. As semi-automatic pistols proved more complex internally than revolver types, they required regular cleanings to keep an optimal action.
The Colt M1911 entered US Army service in 1911 and would be fielded as the standard-issue sidearm for both the United States Army and Navy from 1911 to 1992. British forces would also take the weapon into inventory for their Royal Navy and Royal Flying Corps ranks up until the end of World War 2. After its service in the preceding World War, the M1911 underwent some minor modifications during the post-war years which led up the new standardized designation of "M1911A1" appearing in 1926. From then on, the M1911 would undoubtedly solidify its place in the history of small arms.
Manufacture
Throughout its history, the Colt M1911 family has been produced through a variety of US and foreign sources. Some included the Ithaca Gun Company, the Union Switch & Signal Company, the Singer Sewing Machine Company and Remington Rand. The original Colt M1911 was produced by the Colt concern, Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Company and the Government Arsenal at Springfield. Over 2 million M1911s went on to be produced since inception in 1911. John Browning's lasting design no doubt inspired hundreds of similar models to appear over the last 100 years - many designs unashamed of borrowing the classic well-accepted Browning look. A plethora of civilian models have also been released by various parties.
Legacy
It is noteworthy that the M1911 has still been seen in combat zones like Afghanistan and Iraq. The formal US military designation for the M1911 was "Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911". It has since been replaced as the official sidearm of US forces by the Italian Beretta M92F (in the US inventory as the "M9"). The US special forces MEU(SOC) was developed from reworked M1911A1 pistols.
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