M1911 Pistol

The M1911 is a semi-automatic pistol designed by American firearms designer John Browning and adopted by the United States military in 1911, chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge Browning developed alongside it, and served as the standard-issue sidearm of the U.S. armed forces for over seven decades until its official replacement by the Beretta M9 in 1985. The pistol's short-recoil operating system, in which the barrel and slide move together briefly before unlocking to cycle the action, became one of the most influential and widely copied mechanisms in firearms history, forming the mechanical basis for a large proportion of subsequent semi-automatic pistol designs worldwide. The M1911 saw extensive combat service through both World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and numerous other twentieth-century American military engagements, earning a reputation among soldiers for stopping power and reliability that sustained enormous civilian and law-enforcement popularity even after its military retirement. Modified and modernized versions of the original Browning design remain in production and active use by military, police and civilian shooters more than a century after its introduction.