Designed by one of the most revered firearms designers of all time, John Browning. The original 1911 was adopted by the U.S. Army in May of 1911. In 1924 after several changes were adopted the pistol's designation was changed to the Model 1911 A1. The .45 ACP pistol served the U.S. Military through WWI, WWII, Korean and Vietnam until the M9 (Beretta 9mm) was adopted in 1985.
The proverbial "Government Model .45 Automatic Pistol" has gone on to be one of the most enduring designs and most widely manufactured auto-loading pistol of all time. The testimonial to the success of this design is the number of manufacturers today that produce a reproduction of the 1911 pistol. There are currently hundreds of large to small companies offering a version of the 1911. Recently there has even been a resurgence of mil-spec models available to satisfy the kid in all of us.
