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Colt .45 Gov't AutoThe Colt .45 Government Auto is officially designated the M1911 automatic pistol. The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine fed, recoil operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The Colt .45 served as the standard issue sidearm for the US Armed Forces from 1911 to 1985. It was widely used in the first and second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and is still carried by some US and international forces. All told, the US purchased more than 2.7 million M1911 pistols (including the M1911A1 version of the pistol). The M1911 was finally replaced by the M9 pistol as the standard U.S. sidearm in the early 1990s, but due to its popularity among users, it has not been completely phased out. Modern M1911 variants are still in use by some units within the U.S.
Army Special Forces, the US Navy, and the US Marine Corps. The adoption of the 1911 pistol by the military and the incredible demand for them during the first World War led to the development of the first ever .45 ACP Revolver, the Smith & Wesson model 1917 which was a civilian firearm that was modified to accept a .45 ACP cylinder by adding "half moon" clips that temporarily modified the rim of the cartridge for use in those revolvers. Franzite GripsFranzite Grips for the Colt .45 Govt Auto were designed to fit the standard Colt .45 model 1911 as well as the .38 Super Auto and .22 Caliber Ace. Franzite made numerous pistol grips for the 1911 Colt Government 45 including faux ivory, walnut, and staghorn grips. Shown below are the ivory target model grips.
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