Wartime production World War I The need to greatly expand U.S. military forces and the resultant surge in demand for the firearm in
World War I saw the expansion of manufacture to other contractors besides Colt and Springfield Armory, including Remington-
UMC and
North American Arms Co. of Quebec. Several other manufacturers were awarded contracts to produce the M1911, including: •
National Cash Register Company •
Savage Arms • Caron Brothers Manufacturing of Montreal •
Burroughs Adding Machine Co. •
Winchester Repeating Arms Company •
Lanston Monotype Company However, the signing of the Armistice resulted in the cancellation of the contracts before any pistols had been produced.
World War II The M1911A1 pistol was produced in very large quantities during the war. About 1.9 million units were procured by the U.S. Government for all forces, production being undertaken by several manufacturers, including: M1911A1 pistols produced during WWII were given a
parkerized metal finish instead of bluing, and the wood grip panels were replaced with panels made of brown plastic. Among collectors today, the Singer-produced pistols in particular are highly prized, commanding high prices even in poor condition.
General Officer's Model M45 MEU(SOC) In 1986, the USMC Precision Weapon Section (PWS) at
Marine Corps Base Quantico began customizing M1911A1s for reconnaissance units. The units served in a new Marine Corps program
Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) (MEU(SOC)). The pistol was designated the M45 MEU(SOC). These hand-made pistols were tuned to specifications and preferences of end users. In the late 1980s, the Marines laid out a series of specifications and improvements to make Browning's design ready for 21st-century combat, many of which have been included in MEU(SOC) pistol designs, but design and supply time were limited. Kimber soon began producing a limited number of what would later be termed the Interim Close Quarters Battle pistol (
ICQB). Maintaining the simple recoil assembly, 5-inch barrel (though using a stainless-steel, match-grade barrel), and internal extractor, the ICQB is not much different from Browning's original design. The goal was to produce a minimum of seven variants with various sights, internal and external extractors, flat and arched mainspring housings, integral and add-on magazine wells, a variety of finishes, and other options, with the idea of providing the end-user a selection from which to select the features that best fit their missions. The Marine Corps issued the M45A1 to Force Reconnaissance companies,
Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) and
Special Reaction Teams from the Provost Marshal’s Office. The new 1911 was designated M45A1 or "Close Quarters Battle Pistol" (CQBP). The M45A1 features a dual-recoil spring assembly, Picatinny rails, and is cerakoted tan. In 2019, the USMC selected the
SIG Sauer M18 to replace the M45A1. The Marines began the roll out of the M18 in 2020. The replacement was completed by October 2022.
Colt-produced models Other models Working for the U.S. Ordnance Office,
David Marshall Williams developed a
.22 training version of the M1911 using a
floating chamber to give the .22 long rifle rimfire recoil similar to the .45 version. As the
Colt Service Ace, this was available both as a pistol and as a conversion kit for .45 M1911 pistols. These modifications can range from changing the external finish and checkering the frame to hand-fitting custom hammers, triggers, and sears. Some modifications include installing compensators and adding accessories such as
tactical lights and even scopes. A common modification of John Browning's design is to use a full-length guide rod that runs the full length of the recoil spring. This adds weight to the front of the pistol but does not increase accuracy and makes the pistol slightly more difficult to disassemble. As of 2002, custom guns could cost over and are built from scratch or on existing base models.
Rechambered versions M1911 pistols that were captured/taken from the Korean War were rechambered to use
7.62x25mm ammunition. Modern conversion kits are manufactured/sold to enable a user to convert an M1911-type pistol to fire 7.62x25mm from
9×19mm Parabellum and
.38 Super calibers.
International variants == Usage ==