SERVICE: Marine Corps
DESCRIPTION: The M-1911A1 Colt .45 is arguably the most famous semiautomatic handgun in the world. As its name implies, it was adopted by the U.S. armed forces in 1911.
FEATURES:
The M-911A1 is a .45 caliber (11 mm) semiautomatic, recoil-operated, magazine-fed pistol. It fires one round each time the trigger is squeezed after the hammer has been cocked once. This design is referred to as "single action only". The M-1911A1 was widely respected for its reliability and lethality. However, its single action, cock-and-lock design requires the user to be well trained and very familiar with it to allow carrying the pistol in the "ready-to-fire" mode. M-1911A1s were often required to be carried without a round in the chamber. Even with this restriction, numerous unintentional discharges were documented yearly. The Marine Corps is replacing the M-1911A1 with the M-9 9mm pistol.BACKGROUND:
The M-1911A1 had been the standard handgun issued to Marines since its adoption before World War I.
