This Military Firearm Introduced Before WWI Still Sees Everyday Use

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The Colt M1911 is one of the most iconic firearms of the modern era. This service pistol has been in use by the U.S. military for more than a century. It was officially introduced to service in 1911, hence its name, and it was designed by renowned gunsmith John Browning who would also go on to design the iconic M2 machine gun.

Overall, this gun was developed to address the problems with revolvers of the time. Browning's design used a short recoil firing mechanism and was one of the earliest service pistols to feature a detachable box magazine, which would revolutionize and popularize the technology. The design would influence pistols, and other firearms, for decades to come. ( From flintlocks to future weapons, the evolution of firearms throughout history. )

Although the M1911 was officially replaced by the Beretta M9 in 1985 as the standard U.S. military sidearm, it still sees service in various capacities. A handful of Special Forces units and some civilian law enforcement prefer this pistol for its stopping power and ergonomics. However, there are a number of other guns that see everyday use as well in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at guns used by the U.S. Army. To identify the most commonly used U.S. Army guns, 24/7 Wall St. referenced data from a range of sources, including military handbooks, government press releases, and firearms publications, including the Army’s Weapon Systems Handbook to identify every standard-issue gun in the U.S. Army. These guns were ranked chronologically. We included supplemental information regarding the type of firearm, range, caliber, and manufacturer from the Military Factory.

The Colt M1911 is one of many guns used by the U.S military and its enduring popularity has earned it over decades of service. (This is every gun used by the U.S. Marines. )

Here is a look at the most common guns in the U.S. Army: Why Are We Covering This?

The global arms manufacturing sector is truly massive — in 2022, the most recent year with available data, the top 100 manufacturers alone recorded almost $600 billion in weapons sales. The industry’s giants like Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Raytheon, now called RTX Corp. (NYSE: RTX), and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) each account for billions in sales each year, in no small part because of their long history of lucrative weapons contracts for the U.S. military, with its $800 billion+ annual budget. Some of the gun manufacturers on this list are major non-American companies like Sig Sauer and Heckler & Koch, but each is required by law to manufacture its U.S. military-bound weapons at factories in the United States.

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