Inventing the Model of 1911: Need and Innovation Combine to Create a Legendary Combat Pistol

by B.Z. Kelly

The Army's An automatic pistol with the stopping power of the .45 caliber Colt Single Action Army revolver. Colt and John Browning collaborated to meet the Army's need. The result was the greatest combat pistol ever designed. This book examines why the Army insisted on .45 caliber, the innovation required to meet that requirement and how the Model of 1911 beat the competition in reliability, function and feel. The Model 1911 is compared to earlier Colt design iterations and pistols from other manufacturers through military reports, newspaper articles and patent records. Also included is a recoil analysis conducted by the author using slow motion video. A unique perspective on an American icon told with 16,400 words, twenty illustrations and twenty-one photographs.

110 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2016