Also known as the .45ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), this cartridge was designed by John Moses Browning in 1905 for use in a locked-breech automatic pistol manufactured by Colt. The pistol is usually referred to as the Model 1911 or the Government model, and was the issue sidearm for U.S. forces for most of the 20th century. To see how this occurred, we have to go back to the late 1890’s.
The Cartridge Tests of 1904
In 1892, the U.S. Army adopted a Colt revolver chambered for the .38 Long Colt cartridge. Its less than stellar performance led to the purchase of some .38 Special revolvers from Smith & Wesson as an interim measure. Moves were made to determine the ideal cartridge from a military point of view, and whether an automatic pistol would be stand up to the rigours of combat use.
In 1904, the U.S. Army commissioned Captain John Thompson and Major Louis LaGarde to ascertain which cartridge would be suitable for service. Thompson was an ordnance officer; LaGarde was a surgeon with an interest in gunshot wounds. The tests were carried out in two stages. During the first stage, they used unclaimed cadavers. After testing, the cadavers were x-rayed, dissected and photographed. They second stage of the test was carried out on the killing floor of a Chicago stockyard. Cattle were shot at close range and the effects were noted. As a result of these tests, it was recommended that a .45 calibre handgun be adopted.
The Handgun Tests of 1907
The U.S. Army commenced testing to determine which handgun would be suitable for military use. A wide range of revolvers and automatic pistols were trialled. There were two automatics chambered for the .45 ACP that made it to the finals of the handgun trial. These were made by Colt and Savage. The Colt outperformed the Savage. The Colt fired 6,000 rounds without a stoppage. This led to the Colt being adopted in 1911. The Colt served as the issue handgun in the U.S. forces until being replaced by the Beretta in the 1990’s. As well as this, the Colt is still manufactured today, and has been widely copied all over the world. Interestingly, John Browning did not regard the Colt as his best design, as he felt the Browning Hi-Power was superior.
.45ACP Ballistics
The standard military load is a 230grain Full Metal Jacketed bullet. Ballistics for a couple of commercial rounds are:
Winchester 230 gr FMJ 880 fps MV 395 ft. /lb ME
Remington 230 gr FMJ 835 fps MV 356 ft. /lb ME
Having been in military and commercial production for so long, the .45 is available in a wide variety of configurations, such as blank, drill rounds, soft nose, etc. Some of these are shown below.
Half-Moon Clips
What is a half-moon clip and why was it necessary?
During World War 1, demand for handguns outstripped supplies of the Colt .45 automatic. The U.S. Army contracted Colt and Smith & Wesson to supply revolvers suitable for the .45ACP cartridge. As the .45 is a rimless cartridge, the revolver’s ejector star had nothing to grip onto. The problem was solved by the use of a half-moon clip (Fig. 3). Once the cartridges were inserted into the clip, the revolver could be loaded, fired and ejected in the normal manner.
Until next time, have a happy and safe shoot!
References:
Remington Ammunition Catalogue (Current)
Winchester Ammunition Catalogue (Current)
Cartridges of the World 13th Edition
Acknowledgement:
Thanks to Roy for the loan of his cartridge collection