After the first tests, the Ordnance Department concluded that the Luger, Colt, and Savage pistols merited further testing. The newcomer, Savage, had acquitted itself well and remained in the running for a sizable military contract, but this success presented fresh difficulties.
After each round of tests, the Ordnance Department requested design improvements. An early competitor in the process, Colt, blessed with deep pockets, continually incorporated the changes into its evolving design. The Ordnance Department informed Savage that it wanted the front sight moved rearward, the ejection port relocated, and a grip safety added. The Army offered contracts to Luger, Colt, and Savage for of the improved pistols to undergo field trials with active-duty units.
Colt quickly agreed to fill the contract at that price. Georg Luger apparently suspected that the U. Army had little interest in a European design for its next sidearm, and politely declined the offer. Savage may have committed to the next phase of the competition because a military contract would help the company retrieve expenses it incurred tooling up to produce its Commercial.
Unlike Savage, Colt made the military contract its top priority. By March , the Army received sample Colts. Savage produced its first sample. The sample s did not arrive until November, and then the shipment fell short by five handguns that had mysteriously disappeared in transit.
Within a month, Savage replaced the five missing pistols. The trial pistols received mixed reviews. Captain James A. Soldiers complained of malfunctions and said the Savage recoiled excessively.
Such an omission would have created dangerous problems with troopers unaccustomed to semiautomatic handguns. In March , the Army finally received Savage s modified according to its specifications. Field trials of both the Colt and the Savage began shortly thereafter. The new weapons appeared radically different from their familiar old revolvers, and breakages and parts failures in the Savages did nothing to inspire their enthusiasm.
The field trials did not satisfy the Army, which brought both competitors back to trials at Springfield in November Testers complained that the Savage imparted much heavier recoil than the Colt did. Savage addressed these issues by modifying the design, improving its sights, ejector, slide, and grips. Both companies added grip safeties, making accidental discharges of weapons unlikely. The significance of these changes would soon become apparent.
On March 15, , the Savage faced the Colt in a marathon endurance test at the Springfield Armory. A large crowd of onlookers including Elbert Searle, John Browning, and the presidents of Savage and Colt watched as each pistol fired 6, rounds. The suffered 31 failures and five part breakages.
The Colt performed without failures or breakages of any kind. Savage expert Bailey Brower, Jr. As historian Daniel K. Without the stiff competition it offered Colt, the armed services would not have had as fine a gun as they eventually got, and this is a fact that is often overlooked.
Savage managed to salvage some of its investment in the military competition. The outbreak of World War I finally resulted in military contracts for the Savage, but not for the U. The French military purchased approximately 40, Savage s chambered for. The Portuguese Army procured an additional 1, Ironically, the Savage, a weapon that grew out of the need to give American soldiers more firepower, found favor with European militaries in part because of its small size and diminutive cartridge.
In the end, these pint-sized Savages did go to war—just not in the hands of Americans. Click here to cancel reply. There are moments in military history that forever alter the flow of human events. Times when the very landscape appears to shift. The designs caught the attention of various militaries, each of which began programs to find a suitable one for their forces. In the U.
M designer, John Browning. During the end of and start of , a test of self-loading pistols was conducted, which included entries from Mauser the C96 "Broomhandle" , Mannlicher the Steyr Mannlicher M , and Colt the Colt M This led to a purchase of 1, DWM Luger pistols , chambered in 7.
During field trials these ran into some problems, especially with stopping power. Other governments had made similar complaints. Fifty of these were tested as well by the U. Army in American units fighting Moro guerrillas during the Philippine-American War using the then-standard Colt M revolver, in. Army briefly reverted to using the M single-action revolver in. Thompson stated that the new pistol "should not be of less than. Of the six designs submitted, three were eliminated early on, leaving only the Savage , Colt, and DWM designs chambered in the new.
There is some debate over the reasons for DWM's withdrawal—some say they felt there was bias and that the DWM design was being used primarily as a "whipping boy" for the Savage and Colt pistols, [11] though this does not fit well with the earlier purchase of the DWM design over the Colt and Steyr entries. In any case, a series of field tests from to were held to decide between the Savage and Colt designs. Among the areas of success for the Colt was a test at the end of attended by its designer, John Browning.
Six thousand rounds were fired from a single pistol over the course of two days. When the gun began to grow hot, it was simply immersed in water to cool it. The Colt gun passed with no reported malfunctions, while the Savage designs had M15 General Officers adopted by the U.
Army in the s for issue to Generals. Following its success in trials, the Colt pistol was formally adopted by the Army on March 29, , thus gaining its designation, M Model It was adopted by the Navy and Marine Corps in Originally manufactured only by Colt, demand for the firearm in World War I saw the expansion of manufacture to the government-owned Springfield Armory.
Approximately pistols stamped "N. Battlefield experience in the First World War led to some more small external changes, completed in The new version received a modified type classification, MA1, in with a stipulation that MA1s should have serial numbers higher than , with lower serial numbers designated M No significant internal changes were made, and parts remained interchangeable between the two.
Working for the U. Ordnance Office, David Marshall Williams developed a. Diagram from the Soldier's Handbook —41 , showing the various components of the pistol. World War II and the years leading up to it created a great demand. During the war, about 1. So many were produced that after the government did not order any new pistols, and simply used existing parts inventories to "arsenal refinish" guns when necessary.
This pistol was favored by US military personnel. During the German occupation of Norway the production continued. Norway never updated the design to the MA1 standard. These pistols are highly regarded by modern collectors, with the examples stamped with Nazi Waffenamt codes and the unknown number of unmarked examples assembled by the Norwegian resistance movement the "Matpakke-Colt" or "Lunch Box Colt" being the most sought after.
German forces also used captured MA1 pistols, using the designation "Pistole a ". From to a fine-grade russet-leather M pistol belt set was issued to some generals in the US Army. It was composed of a leather belt, leather enclosed flap-holster with braided leather tie-down leg strap, leather two-pocket magazine pouch, and a rope neck lanyard. The metal buckle and fittings were in gilded brass. The buckle had the seal of the United States on the center or "male" piece and a laurel wreath on the circular or "female" piece.
The pistol was a standard-issue MA1 that came with a cleaning kit and three magazines. From to the regular MA1 was issued. Both came with a black leather belt, open holster with retaining strap, and a two-pocket magazine pouch.
The metal buckle and fittings were similar to the M General Officer's Model except it came in gold metal for the Army and in silver metal for the Air Force. It was used during Desert Storm in specialized U. Army units and U. However, by the late s the MA1 was acknowledged to be showing its age. Under political pressure from Congress to standardize on a single modern pistol design, the U. After trials, the Beretta 92S-1 was chosen. The Army contested this result and subsequently ran its own competition in , the XM9 trials, eventually leading to the official adoption of the Beretta 92 F on January 14, By the later s production was ramping up despite a controversial XM9 retrial and a separate XM10 reconfirmation that was boycotted by some entrants of the original trials, cracks in the frames of some pre-M9 Beretta-produced pistols, and despite a problem with slide separation using higher-than-specified-pressure rounds that resulted in injuries to some U.
Navy special operations operatives. This last issue resulted in an updated model that includes additional protection for the user, the 92FS, and updates to the ammunition used. By the early s, most MA1s had been replaced by the M9 , though a limited number remain in use by special units. The U. Dissatisfaction with the stopping power of the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge used in the Beretta M9 has actually promoted re-adoption of pistols based on the. M by Springfield Armory, Inc.
Model, parkerized. The MA1 is popular among the general public in the United States for practical and recreational purposes. The pistol is commonly used for concealed carry thanks in part to a single-stack magazine which makes for a thinner pistol that is therefore easier to conceal , personal defense, target shooting, and competition.
Numerous aftermarket accessories allow users to customize the pistol to their liking. In the first thousand, the Colt had 5 malfunctions, three of which were due to lack of adequate oiling. The Savage had 4 malfunctions; its sear had broken off and the right grip piece split and came off.
In the second thousand, the Colt had 4 malfunctions; toward the end of that run, the barrel split and had to be replaced. In the third thousand, the Colt had 2 malfunctions; the mechanical safety broke, but this did not disable the pistol.
The Savage had 7 malfunctions; grip pieces split and the bolt stop broke. In the fourth thousand, the Colt had no malfunctions, but the slide lock failed to act properly and the grip piece screws came loose on several occasions, several jams were caused by incorrect feeding, the extractor broke, and the magazine floor plate broke.
Upon examination after firing, the Savage was found to have a broken barrel lug and bolt lock spring. A new barrel and spring were installed.
In the fifth thousand, the Colt had one malfunction. The Savage had five malfunctions and a broken sear lock. In the sixth thousand, the Colt had no malfunctions but the grip piece screws continued to work loose. The Savage had 5 malfunctions resulting from a faulty magazine. It is interesting to note the performance of a. The revolver had 2 malfunctions during rounds; the first was due to the absence of powder in a cartridge, the second was due to a sticking latch. A summary of broken parts in both automatic pistols revealed that the Colt automatic pistol required 4 replacements; the Savage On March 15, the trials were reconvened after both companies had made improvements to their weapons.
Between series , the pistols were allowed to cool for five minutes. The pistols were to be examined, cleaned, and oiled after every rounds. In the 1st thousand rounds, both pistols worked perfectly, without malfunctions. In the 2nd thousand rounds, the Colt functioned perfectly. The Savage had 4 malfunctions. In the 3rd thousand rounds, the Colt functioned perfectly. The Savage suffered a broken bolt stop which was replaced. In the 4th thousand rounds the Colt functioned perfectly.
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