Gun Digest 2011. Dan Shideler
also decided to get into the 1911 business. SIG brought out its GSR (Granite State Revolution) line of 1911 pistols, which soon became known by “Revolution.”
In 2004, a bright spot appeared for firearms owners: the absurd “Assault Weapons Ban” was allowed to sunset. High-capacity pistols and magazines in all calibers could again be made. Of course, smaller calibers could be made with larger magazine capacities. New high-capacity 9mm pistols were offered. However, the popularity of the 1911 had grown to the point that it was not threatened by new designs.
After the AWB sunset, in the last half of the new century’s first decade, firearms developments continued. The pace of 1911 development was breathtaking.
The largest additional entry into the 1911 field was Taurus, in 2005. Billing itself as the “World’s Foremost Pistol Maker,” Taurus quickly marketed a full line of 1911 pistols. The Brazilian maker joined Smith & Wesson and SIG, all of which had just joined frontrunners Kimber, Springfield and Para as new major players in the 1911 world.
In 2006, the U. S. military called for tests of 45-caliber pistols due to questions of the 9mm’s efficacy during the Desert Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Exactly 100 years after calling for tests to consider a .45 in 1906, the military wanted to again consider a .45 in 2006. The traditional 1911 was not invited, however; .45s to be considered would be double-action, polymer-frame pistols. As before, the tests were postponed and at the time of this writing have not been resumed. The companies that had been preparing pistols instead offered them to the commercial market, in competition with the 1911.
The 1911 seemed not to notice the new competition. The 2005 introduction of the Taurus 1911 showed that major companies still saw potential in the design.
The Taurus was not the only new entry of this recent period. Just within the last few years, new 1911 pistols with new names were introduced by Double Star, Iver Johnson, Rock Island (RIA), U. S. Fire Arms (1911s with the wide grips of the 1905), Nighthawk, American Classic, Tisas (the first Turkish 1911), EMF (the Cowboy arms company, branching into 1911s), and Legacy Sports (offering their Citadel 1911). Dan Wesson was acquired by CZ-USA, giving the Czech company access to 1911 sales.
Colt remains a major player in the 1911 field, offering new variants as well as traditional models. In 2007, Colt introduced the Concealed Carry model, followed by the New Agent in 2008. Colt decided to cash in on the trend of accessory rails on the front of a 1911 frame, and came out with a gun for that niche in 2009. What to call it? Colt kept it simple: the Colt Rail Gun.
Colt, the original manufacturer, has made the 1911 continuously since its introduction in 1911. The amazing growing interest in the century-old pistol now has, quite literally, dozens of other companies simultaneously making their versions of the same design. These guns are being made in the United States and in a growing number of foreign countries. This situation is unprecedented in the world of firearms.
CONCLUSION
A complete description of every 1911 made by every maker would be a huge volume of information, beyond the scope of this presentation. What is here presented is the basic history of the development of the 1911 design, and the amazing growth in the popularity of the design with the passing of time.
Now, one hundred years from its beginning, we have no idea where we really are in the story of the 1911. Has the 1911 reached its peak, and will it start a decline? Or, is it about to begin a new phase of popularity?
What words can summarize the amazing story of the 1911 at the event of its centennial, its 100th year? We can try a few:
The Colt/Browning 1911 design has completed its first century. It has stood the test of time. It has proved itself in military combat, law-enforcement use, target competition of many types, personal protection and recreational shooting.
It has been scaled down, both in size (3-inch barrels) and in caliber (22-caliber). It has been scaled up, both in size (7-inch barrels) and in caliber (50-caliber). Millions upon millions have been made, many of them close to the original specifications, others gussied up with a number of modifications and accessories.
In its early days, the 1911 was so good that it discouraged competition. It was then considered the best pistol ever designed. One hundred years later, there are many who say that it still is.
The .38 S&W: THE LITTLE ROUND THAT REFUSES TO DIE
BY DAVID J. LAPELL
1942 Vintage Smith & Wesson .38-200 British Lend Lease revolver.
It has been known by many names throughout its long life: the .380/200, the .38 New Police, the Belgian 9mm revolver, but it first started off as the lowly .38 S&W.
In 1876 Smith & Wesson began producing their new First Model “Baby Russian” revolver chambered in a new cartridge, the .38 S&W. Given its nickname because of the resemblance to the larger Smith & Wesson No. 3 Russian, the First Model was a five-shot single action revolver that was offered with either a 3-1/2 inch or 4-inch barrel and was ideal for concealing in a vest or pants pocket. Both the revolver and the new .38 caliber cartridge proved to be an instant success. All of the small, concealable handguns prior to that were chambered mostly in .22 and .32 rimfire, leaving much to be desired in the realm of stopping power. The Smith & Wesson First Model and the .38 S&W bridged the gap between the little underpowered pocket guns and the larger, more powerful revolvers that were too difficult to conceal.
Originally loaded with just over 9 grains of black powder and a 146-grain lead bullet, the .38 S&W had an average muzzle velocity of 740 fps and a muzzle energy of around 175 ft. lbs. While not anything to write home about in this day and age, it was far superior to the ballistics of the .32 Long, which delivered a 90-grain bullet at a little over 900 fps.
With the popularity of the .38 S&W cartridge and the First Model, Smith & Wesson wasted no time in bringing out their Double Action First Model in 1880, which resulted in a whole series of small revolvers that in one form or another would be produced until 1940. These little pocket-sized guns proved so successful that their basic premise was copied by Iver Johnson, Hopkins & Allen, Harrington & Richardson, and a whole host of others in America and abroad. In fact, one such revolver was used in an attempt to cut short the life of one of America’s greatest Presidents.
On October 14, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, campaigning for a return to the White House after four years out of office. Teddy had just left his hotel when a bartender named John Schrank stepped out from his hiding place and fired a single shot from a .38 S&W revolver. Schrank later claimed that the ghost of President William McKinley told him to kill Roosevelt because no man should have more than two terms in office as President. (Roosevelt was trying for a third.)
Schrank was quickly tackled before he could get another shot off, and when Roosevelt’s aide asked if he had been hurt, Teddy replied, “He plinked me, Henry.” That single bullet had passed through Roosevelt’s overcoat, his folded speech that was in his pocket, and his metal eyeglass case before stopping three inches deep into his chest. True to form, the former Commander in Chief refused medical attention and delivered his speech despite the fact he was bleeding profusely. When he later went to the hospital doctors found that the bullet was too close to Roosevelt’s heart to remove. Despite his wound, the Bull Moose was back out on the campaign trail only six days later.
Smith & Wesson continued to make break open pocket revolvers in .38 S&W, and in 1917, began producing their .38 S&W Regulation Police, a five shot Hand Ejector built on their I-frame line. The I-frame revolvers were too small for the then fairly new .38 Special but were perfect for the shorter .38 S&W. The Regulation Police came with fixed sights and a 4-inch barrel.
In 1936, Smith & Wesson began making a 2-inch barreled version of the Regulation Police called the Terrier. These guns proved to be very popular for concealed carry, and are still quite popular to