by While some know today as St. Valentine’s Day or just Valentine’s Day, it is also the 112th anniversary of the patenting of one of the most significant firearms in history. For it was on this day in 1911 that John Moses Browning was awarded Patent No. 984,519 for what became known as the Colt Model 1911.
The United States Army would adopt this pistol, with a few modifications, the next month on March 29th. The official designation was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911. The Navy and Marine Corps would adopt it as their service pistol in 1913. The US military procured approximately 2.7 million of these pistols including in the M1911A1 version over its service life. I know my father was issued one when he served in South Vietnam as I have his issued equipment inventory.
In civilian life, the 1911, in its multitude of forms, would be used by law enforcement, competitors, and shooters of all ages and all sorts. It would come in different sizes from large to small. It would be chambered in everything from .45 ACP to 10mm to .22LR. Even today, new models are being released such as the recent offerings from Savage Arms.
I doubt that even such a forward thinker as Browning could have envisioned just how popular his invention would become. You can read the full patent application here. Unfortunately, it was too large to embed.
I too was issued a 1911, along with an M-14. They were my first two service weapons, and also my first two semi-automatic firearms of any kind. Before that as a kid it was all revolvers, lever-actions, bolt actions, and hinge action shotguns.