Colt .45 Automatic Pistol

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the 6,000 rounds were fired, the gun was tested with deformed cartridges, some seated too deeply, and some not seated enough. The gun was then rusted in acid, submerged in sand, and some more tests were conducted. During the tests, several alterations were made to the original design, among them an improved manual safety and the addition of a grip safety and a slide stop. Another significant change was to the grips which were angled more acutely and lengthened slightly. Browning’s pistols passed the whole test with “flying colors.” On March 29, 1911, the Browning-designed Colt-produced .45 automatic pistol was chosen as the standard-issue sidearm for the U. S. Armed Forces and was named Model 1911. (Caradimas)
Colt's actual production of 1911s began on January 4, 1912. The original 1911 guns were produced until 1919, when all outstanding military contracts were cancelled due to the end of World War I. Civilian production resumed in 1919 and continued through 1924. In that same year, U. S. Army Ordnance ordered 10,000 new pistol...