The Armory
God made man, Sam Colt made them equal.
U.S. Military Pistols
Colt Single Action Army
Caliber: .45LC
The Colt Single Action Army, more commonly called The Peacemaker, was first produced in 1873. It was quickly adopted by the military and served some Army units well into the 20th century. Gen. Custer was found with a pair after his death at Little Big Horn. Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders carried them during the charge on San Juan Hill in 1899. Wyatt Earp used one during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Bat Masterson carried a nickel-plated version with a 4-inch barrel and rubber grips. It saw action in conflicts to numerous to list during the great push west. Giving it it's reputation as the "Gun That Won the West". It was the first gun chambered for the hard-hitting .45 Long Colt. One .45LC round was more than enough to stop any man or beast in it's tracks and with it's capacity of 6 it was a very formidable weapon. Although most seasoned gunfighters carried it with the chamber the hammer was resting on empty for safty reasons, decreasing the capacity to 5. The model issued to the Army sported a case-hardened frame, walnut grips and a 7-inch barrel. Though it was manufactured in many, many different combinations of cosmetic features. Though production of this fine revolver has been stopped several times since 1873, today it continues.
Colt 1911A1
Caliber: .45ACP
The traditional "Colt .45" was produced exclusivly for the military in 1911. Developed by John Browning who worked on perfecting this type of pistol since about 1899, it is probably the finest pistol ever produced. The 1911 or similar model pistols have served the military since before World War I and even saw limited use during the Gulf War. The powerful .45ACP chambering has given many G.I.s the advantage over most enemies since outside of the U.S. military pistols are tradionaly chambered for the 9mm. It was replaced as the standard issue weapon of the military by the Beretta 92F but it still sees limited use with some Special Forces units. It is also used by most SWAT Teams and many civilians for personal defense.
Beretta Model 92FS
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
The Beretta 92F was adopted by the Army in 1985. A slight malfunction was corrected and the new model was designated the 92FS. One of the reasons the Army traded the powerful .45ACP cartridge of the 1911 for the weaker 9mm was the capacity of the Beretta 92. It has defeated all other pistols to date during Army testing. Another important feature is that it can easily be converted to acept a silencer, an important feature for Special Forces units. The original malfunction of the 92FS caused some predujeces to develop toward the pistol but any doubts soilders may have had were snuffed by the pistol's outstanding performance during the Gulf War. It is also a popular police and civilian weapon.
Heckler & Kotch MK23
Caliber: .45ACP
The Heckler & Kotch MK 23 was adopted for operations that required stopping power the 9mm dosen't provide, hence its .45ACP chambering. It is mainly used for covert operations, since it can outfitted with a supressor. The MK23 with laser sighting and a supressor is the standard issue sidarm of Army Special Forces (Green Berets). Little is known about it's performance in conflicts since most operations it has been used for are highly classified.
Pull pin and throw.
