Colt Model 1905
Colt's Manufacturing Company · Pistol · Discontinued · 1905
Also known as: Colt 1905 Military, Colt Model 1905 .45 Automatic
Overview
The Colt Model 1905 is an American single-action, recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by John Moses Browning and built by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was the first handgun chambered for the new .45 ACP cartridge, which Browning developed alongside it, and it used a tilting barrel locked by two swinging links, one at the muzzle and one at the breech. Fed from a seven-round detachable box magazine with a heel release and fired by an exposed hammer, the Model 1905 was submitted to the U.S. Army handgun trials of 1907 and served as the direct ancestor of the legendary Colt Model 1911.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 921 g (32.5 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 1080 g (38.1 oz) |
| Overall Length | 203 mm (7.99") |
| Barrel Length | 127 mm (5.00") |
| Height | 140 mm (5.51") |
| Width | 30 mm (1.18") |
| Action Type | Short Recoil |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 260 m/s (853 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 477 J (352 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Charcoal Blue |
Calibers
- .45 ACP · primary — also known as .45 Auto, 45 ACP, 11.43x23mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Tilting Barrel Dual Links, Exposed Hammer, Heel Magazine Release, Checkered Walnut Grips, Fixed Sights
Variants
- Colt Model 1907 — Military Trials
Service history
Operators
- United States Army
Production
Estimated total produced: 6,210 · Production years: 1905-1911
Approximately 6,210 Model 1905 military pistols were produced between December 1905 and March 1911; Colt continued assembling pistols from existing parts until around 1917.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Moses Browning
Discontinued: 1911
Notes
Early examples used a rounded hammer; a spur hammer was adopted in 1908. The pistol had no manual safety, relying instead on a half-cock notch. A 1907 trials variant added a grip safety and loaded-chamber indicator; 50 examples fitted with lanyard loops were shipped to Britain in 1907, and roughly 440 carbine versions with detachable shoulder-stock holsters were produced.
Background
Marketed by Colt as 'The Most Powerful Small Arm Ever Invented,' the Model 1905 paired the punch of the new .45 ACP cartridge with semi-automatic operation. Its performance in the 1907 Army trials, where it ran 900 rounds with relatively few stoppages for an early autoloader, set Browning and Colt on the path that culminated in the Model 1911.