You may or may not agree with my choices, and that’s fine. So what are some practical 1911 upgrades to consider? For this article, I’m going to take a look at the top five enhancements that I feel are the most important to upgrading a stock 1911. The list of available 1911 upgrades runs from the desirable to the practical to the questionable. Other enhancements come from military, law enforcement and civilian self-defense arenas. For example, John Browning couldn’t have foreseen the rise of pistol competitions, which have spawned an entire cottage industry to provide parts to enhance the 1911 platform. The gun is an excellent platform right out of the box for a variety of tasks, including self-defense, plinking and competition because of its inherent accuracy, ergonomics and short, crisp trigger.īut as good as the pistol is, anything created that long ago can be enhanced and redesigned, especially when used in ways other than its original purpose. The War Department got its handguns, serial number series S800001-S800500, but the company was unable to live up to the pace of 100 guns a day.John Browning’s iconic 1911 is one of the most popular and modified handguns ever designed. The contract, Educational Order W-ORD-396, was a test to see if Singer could produce 100 guns a day, a number it thought was doable.

War Department contracted the Singer Sewing Machine Company to build 500 1911A1s.

So did the typewriter manufacturer Remington Rand. The Union Switch and Signal company, maker of railroad equipment, made the firearm. During World War I and World War II, companies that produced civilian machinery retooled to produce weapons, including the 1911. military from World War I to the 1980s, a remarkable longevity. 45 ACP ammunition and was the standard sidearm of the U.S. The slab-sided semi-automatic handgun holds seven rounds of.

The M1911A1 handgun was designed by prolific arms developer John Moses Browning. Military asked the company to build more complicated equipment instead. 45s on the eve of World War II, and their guns were so good the U.S. Perhaps the rarest of this common breed are those made by the Singer Corporation.īest known for manufacturing sewing machines, Singer produced a handful of. 45 caliber pistol, also known as the M1911A1, is one of the most iconic handguns ever made.

Building a colt 1911 a1