M1911A1 pistol manufactured by Remington Rand
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Name | United States Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 | Place of origin | United States | In service | 1911 � present | Used by | 28 nations, see Users below for details | Wars | As standard US Service pistol: World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War In non-standard use: Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, and Iraq War | Designer | John Browning | Designed | 1911 & 1927 (A1) | Number built | Over 2 million | Variants | M1911A1, RIA Officers | Weight | 2.44 lb (1,105 g) empty, w/ magazine (FM 23 � 35, 1940) | Length | 5.03 in (127 mm), Government model;
4.25 in (108 mm), Commander model;
3.5 in (89 mm), Officer's ACP model | Barrel/Blade length | 5.03 in (127 mm), Government model;
4.25 in (108 mm), Commander model;
3.5 in (89 mm), Officer's ACP model | Cartridge | .45 ACP | Action | Short recoil operation | Muzzle velocity | 830 ft/s (253 m/s) | Feed system | 7-round standard detachable box magazine |
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The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S. forces. It was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era. In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during its service life.
The M1911 is the best-known of John Browning's designs to use the short recoil principle in its basic design. Besides the pistol being widely copied itself, this operating system rose to become the pre-eminent type of the 20th century and of nearly all modern centerfire pistols. It is popular with civilian shooters in competitive events such as USPSA, IDPA, International Practical Shooting Confederation, and Bullseye shooting. Compact variants are also popular civilian concealed carry weapons, because of the design's inherent slim width and the power of the .45ACP cartridge.
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