Colt .45 Automatic Pistol

13 Pages 3283 Words

n Browning the time and resources to concentrate on inventing things, instead of building them. (Life)
John Browning designed several firearms. Their designs were ingenious and innovative; however, he wanted to invent an automatic shotgun that would use the expanding gases of a fired shell to recock the gun and make it ready for the next shot. He got this idea from watching a friend shoot one of the rifles that Browning had made. Browning noticed that a clump of weeds in front of the firing line bent over with the muzzle blast. This made Browning think that the gases could be used for something useful, like cocking a gun. Browning worked on this idea and proved the validity of his idea on long guns, which he carried over to pistols. He was the first to invent the slide, which encloses the barrel of a pistol and the firing mechanism.
In 1896, John and his brother Matthew approached the Colt Firearms Company. They came to an agreement for the Brownings to work with Colt as an independent designer of firearms. They developed probably the most enduring firearm in military history. The Government Automatic Pistol, which had a .45 caliber, was field tested by soldiers on active duty. There were also extensive tests that were conducted in the laboratory. Studies were made by firing into soft wood, clay, carcasses of animals, human cadavers, and live animals.
In 1906, after Browning‘s design was selected by the U. S. Army, they wanted more tests performed on the pistol because it had not reached the desired perfection that the Army wanted. Browning personally oversaw the production of his gun so that he could make sure the highest quality of parts was being used. Five years later, Browning conducted a torture test on his pistol. Each gun had 6,000 rounds fired through it. One hundred shots were fired and then the pistol was allowed to cool for 5 minutes. After every 1,000 rounds, the gun was cleaned and oiled. After ...