Maybe one with red grips for St. Valentine's Day.
Posted on 02/13/2026 9:24:28 PM PST by T.B. Yoits
It reads like an ordinary patent. A citizen of the United States, living in Weber County, Utah, has invented “certain new and useful improvements in firearms.” No fanfare. No grand claims. Just a statement of fact. Yet those lines would lead to a sidearm that rode in the holsters of American troops from the muddy trenches of World War I to the jungles of Vietnam, and into the hands of special operations units long after it was officially replaced.
On February 14, 1911, U.S. Patent No. 984,519 was issued to a quiet Ogden man: John Moses Browning. The document itself is dry and formal. But the words in its opening lines carry weight. That preamble marks the birth of the pistol that would become the Colt M1911.
The 1911 was carried by Marines on Pacific islands, paratroopers in Normandy, tunnel rats in Southeast Asia, and contractors on dusty roads half a century later. Steel, .45 caliber, and built to work when everything else had gone wrong.
Its entire history can be traced back to that one page, stamped and filed on a cold February day in 1911.
(Excerpt) Read more at sofmag.com ...
The 1911 is like a Glock, but for men.
versions out there....
Coonan Arms .357 magnum!
Yes, magnum, not sig
Over penetration is a real thing with it’s velocity.
“The best semi auto side arm ever made. With the possible exception of the high power.”
That’s a tough choice.
My heart is with the 1911. But my head?
L
Ha Ha
I do, but there are rules about posting titles as written. Soldier of Fortune needs to be corrected.
Well, yes and no. As you can see from the photo, there were several patents on it.
The beavertail was one that definitely needed to be improved to reduce the risk of hammer bite and slide bite.
The tapered magazine well opening was another.
BTWay, the caliber was designed to meet a specific goal — knock down any guy in one shot.
So, they shot cows. One bullet. If it knocked the cow down, that was it. 45 was the smallest that did the deed.
***It reads like an ordinary patent.***
I am reminded of an early REVOLVER patent. “A machine for throwing balls.”
My wife’s grandfather worked for the YMCA in the 1940s-1960s. When he retired they gave him, not a gold watch, but a brand new COLT .45 1911. Civilian model. I still have it.
Awesome
My dad has one, I love shooting it.
Ha Ha. Like a high velocity lead dispenser.
"I carry a gun for the same reason I wear a watch, in case someone needs to know what time it is." - Austin Grantham via X
Now I need one more.
Maybe one with red grips for St. Valentine's Day.
...true, but what most gun-lovers are not aware of is that that round and that gun were designed to kill a cavalryman’s horse; no horse, he just becomes another foot soldier.and, yes, the underpowered revolvers of that day were not stopping the natives in the Phillipines (? I believe), so that round was quite effective in stopping those warriors as well....
Just adding to the catalog. I'd ping the list, but under the circumstances it might sound like a ricochet.
Yep! The problem with the Browning Hi Power was its ammo. The 45 ACP had more knock down power. However, the new hot ammo the manufactures make today makes the Hi Power very potent and twice the magazine capacity. I have both and like both.
“Everyone should own a 1911.”
Everyone should own SEVERAL 1911s.
Very lucky not to have been killed by lead flung right back at her. A real dumb user of it.
When accurized.
“Everyone should own a 1911.”
Everyone should own SEVERAL 1911s.
***********************************
Got five. Is that enough?
(Me ducks....)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
