Читать книгу The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery онлайн

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Gen. William Keys, USMC (ret.) has revitalized Colt’s commitment to the 1911 since he became CEO of the company.

Today, if the covers of gun magazines are any indication, the 1911 is the most popular handgun design of its time. A scan through the catalogue pages of Gun Digest shows it is also the most influential. It seems that every year brings at least another 1911 “clone” to the marketplace.

Little has changed in the pistol’s core design, but many subtle evolutions have taken place. The first wave came after WWI, when the American military began a study of how small arms had performed in the most recent conflict. The study was rather leisurely, it appears, as the list of complaints wasn’t announced until about 1923. About half of the doughboys thought the trigger of the 1911 was too long. Many said the grip tang bit their hands. Most found the front sight post and rear notch so tiny as to be useless. It was also noted that when soldiers missed with it, they generally hit low.

About 1927, answers to these concerns were implemented, creating the 1911-A1 model. The grip tang was lengthened to prevent bite to the web of the hand. The trigger was shortened dramatically, and the frame at the rear of the trigger guard was niched out on both sides to further enhance finger reach. Believing that the low hits were a function of the pistol “pointing low” as opposed to the operators jerking their triggers, the designers gave the A1 an arched mainspring housing that sort of levered the muzzle upward and made the gun “point higher.” Finally, a slightly better and more visible set of fixed sights was mounted to the pistol.