The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge.[1] Designed by John Browning, it served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986.[1]
Not counting companies producing the pistol during World War II (due to war-time demand being too much for the original company to fulfill on their own), the M1911 pistol and its variants have primarily been produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company. However, around late 1970s, other companies have started to produce their own pistols based on the 1911 platform.
Even though the design is over 110 years old, it remains popular as ever, particularly in United States where is it considered something of a cultural symbol.
The M1911 has seen extensive usage in the James Bond film franchise since the very first official movie, 1962's Dr. No; mainly in the hands of minor villains and law enforcement officers. Aside from the Eon films, a re-named Smith & Wesson variant was featured in the 2008 video game Quantum of Solace, and a Remington M1911 appeared as one of 007's temporary firearms in Anthony Horowitz's 2015 James Bond continuation novel Trigger Mortis.
Literary appearances[]
A Remington M1911 makes a literary appearance in Anthony Horowitz's 2015 James Bond continuation novel Trigger Mortis. Provided courtesy of the FBI upon his arrival in the United States, the Remington served as James Bond's sidearm during his investigation of the Vanguard space rocket. He used it to defend himself during an assassination attempt at the Starlite Motel, Virginia.[3]
Film appearances[]
James Bond with a M1911 drawn at Lachaise
The M1911A1 made its James Bond debut in the 1962 film Dr. No, where two of the "three blind mice" assassins use suppressed M1911A1s to murder John Strangways. Notably, Professor Dent's suppressed Smith & Wesson prop is actually a M1911A1.
During the 1964 film Goldfinger an M1911A1 is among the weapons visible in Q Branch.
For the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever, Las Vegas police and CIA are seen carrying M1911A1s in their holsters.
In 1979's Moonraker, one of Hugo Drax' men carries what is most likely a Colt M1911 during the chase along the River Tapirapé.
In the 1983 film Octopussy, Bond carries an M1911A1 pistols during his South American infiltration.
During the climax of A View to a Kill Scarpine chambers an Colt M1911A1 on Zorin's Blimp before he is knocked out with a fire extinguisher.
After several years of absence from the films, the M1911A1 reappears in 1999's The World Is Not Enough, used by Lachaise and Renard's men, Valentin Zukovsky, and (likely as a continuity error) 007 himself.
In 2002's Die Another Day, one of Mr. Krug's associates can be briefly seen with an M1911A1 pistol.
Video game appearances[]
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CR-1911, as seen in Quantum of Solace
The 2008 video game Quantum of Solace features Smith & Wesson's 2003 variation of the classic M1911, the SW1911. Likely for copyright reasons, the weapon is renamed the "CR-1911 .45"; its prefix being a reference to "Casino Royale". It is presented with a detachable suppressor and a magazine capacity of 8 rounds, with a maximum of 32 carriable by the player. The firearm is first encountered in the hands of Mr. White's men at his estate on Lake Como.
Gallery[]
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See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 (1964) Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911 Technical Manual TM 9-1005-211-34 1964 edition. Pentagon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60170-013-1.
- ↑ FM 23-35, 1940
- ↑ Horowitz, Anthony (2015). "Chapter 14: Dead of Night", Trigger Mortis (in English). Hachette UK, p.178. ISBN 9781409159155.