Colt M1911 Pistol Country USA Type Pistol Manufacturer Browning Introduction 1911 Specifications Weight 2.437 lb (1,105 g) empty, w/ magazine (FM 23–35, 1940) Length 8.25 in (210 mm) Barrel 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 800 ft/s (244 m/s) Effective range 75 yd (62 m) (FM 23–35 of 1940) Feed system 7 rounds (standard-capacity magazine), +1 in chamber

The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol (handgun) chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It was designed by John M. Browning, and was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985, and 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 during its service life.

The M1911 is the most well-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.

Following its success in trials, the Colt pistol was formally adopted by the Army on March 29, 1911, thus gaining its designation, M1911 (Model of 1911). It was adopted by the Navy and Marine Corps in 1913. Originally manufactured only by Colt, demand for the firearm in World War I saw the expansion of manufacture to the government-owned Springfield Armory. During World War II, and the years leading up to it, about 1.9 million units were procured by the US Government for all forces. After the Second World War, the M1911 continued to be a mainstay of the United States Armed Forces in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and was even used during Desert Storm in some U.S. Army units.