NINETEEN ELEVEN HEAVEN

The water-cooled M1917 machine gun in .30 calibre. The air-cooled M1919. The Browning M2 .50 calibre heavy machine gun. And the Browning Automatic rifle.

These are just a few examples of the spectacular firearms that were designed by John Moses Browning, but the one he’s probably best remembered for is the 1911.

This iconic handgun has sparked both powder-burning and airgun replicas, like the CO2-powered BB blowback seen here from Lee Enfield (Guns).

Before we examine the Lee Enfield variant, let’s take a quick look at the original. The 1911 entered service with the US armed forces before the outbreak of the First World War, having been given the military designation Model 1911, or M1911.

As a result of soldier feedback, it was subjected to a number of improvements. Completed in 1924, the improved type was classified the M1911 A1 in 1926, and it’s this version on which