The Development of the Model of 1911 Pistol

 I am a fan of the Model of 1911 pistols.  While I like 1911s, I don't disparage other pistols such as the Glocks or the HKs, Kel Tecs, or Kahrs.  My experience with the Kahr is that it is a good, and reliable weapon.  All that said, there is something about the design of the 1911 pistol, and its role in history that is attractive to me.  Anyway, while looking for something else on the interwebs, I found an interesting video on the development of the 1911 pistol. Not much about John Moses Browning (may he rest in peace), but some interesting Colt history. Go watch for a treat.

Some people believe that JMB came up with the 1911 through sheer genius.  I will admit that he was a brilliant designer, but as this video shows, there were a lot of automatic pistols and rifles in the works.  The Mauser broomhandle pistol was the first successful semiautomatic pistol that I am aware of (some may argue that Hugo Borchardt C93 was first). It appeared in 1896, and continued production through 1937.  It saw combat in a number of conflicts.  Churchill famously carried it during the Boer War.  It was, however, an unwieldy gun.  The genius of Browning, in my opinion, was to make the 1911 pistol safe, easy to take down without tools, and rugged enough to survive in actual combat in the field.  It conceals rather well for its size, and with modern manufacturing methods and materials, it still serves today.