A Rich Piece of History: Model of 1910

[Sakobav]

Clipped from Americal rifleman magazine - one of the very first samples made by John Browning
http://www.americanrifleman.org/Article ... 384&cid=19
A Rich Piece of History: Model of 1910
Browning’s Model of 1910 eventually became the everlasting Colt 1911.
By Cameron Hopkins

Unquestionably the rarest of John Moses Browning’s four models of .45-cal. semi-automatic pistols that the gifted designer made for Colt, the Model of 1910 won the famous military pistol trial of 1911 and resulted in the immortal Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911. Colt made only about a dozen (some say 13) of the 1910 model; the ones submitted for the trial were designated Special Army Model 1910.
The immaculate specimen shown here is serial number 2 of the 12 made. Actually, it’s one of two serial numbers 2s. For unknown reasons, Colt did not number the dozen guns sequentially and stamped two guns with the number 2. (There were three guns with the number 6, two with the number 8 and one each of 1, 3, 7 and 12. A rumored number 13 was allegedly given to Colt president Albert Foster, Jr., in 1911, and another serial number may be unaccounted for.)
The owner of number 2 shown here has documentation showing that this particular pistol once belonged to Browning himself. It is estimated to be worth in excess of $1 million.
The Model of 1910 was a work in progress. Some pistols came with a thumb safety while others did not. It’s clear Browning was using the pistol to tweak his final design to meet the Ordnance Board’s requirements.
Browning’s first big-bore pistol chambered for what was then called the .45 U.S.A. Experimental Cartridge (later the .45 ACP) was the Model of 1905. Next came the Model of 1907, then the short-lived Model of 1910 and finally the glorious Model of 1911.

[Vikram]

Thanks for posting that.Navi.Very interesting.Never got to shoot a .45ACP.


Best-
Vikram

[nagarifle]

Browning was a good inventor as he also first took his idea to USA who turned him down and the Russian paid him, thus we have the TT33 as well,

at one million bucks am sure someone in idea would buy it.

[brijendra]

wow !!!!

[TwoRivers]

Browning was a good inventor as he also first took his idea to USA who turned him down and the Russian paid him, thus we have the TT33 as well,

at one million bucks am sure someone in idea would buy it.

Don't think so! By the time Tokarev copied the basic design, Browning's patent had long expired; and the US had adopted the M1911 some 19 years before. Nor were the Soviets ever known for getting a license before copying anything.