The Maligned Handgun and Cartridge that Spawned the .45 ACP Autopistol

For those of you not familiar with legendary M1911 single shot semi-automatic pistol and his .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge, it became the standard sidearm of the US armed forces after the failure of the military’s .38 Long Colt revolvers during the fight against the Moro warriors in the Philippine Uprising 1899-1902.

But is the .38 Long Colt really the resounding failure that conventional wisdom makes it out to be? Or is there actually a sufficient degree of exaggeration or misunderstanding to challenge this long-held ballistics paradigm?

As a temporary measure, US troops and Philippine police reverted to using the tried and true Colt Single Action Army “Peacemaker” .45 revolvers (often mistakenly called “.45 Long Colt”) and 12-gauge Winchester shotguns. These weapons were much better stopping power against the Moros, but they were not completely successful either.

The disputed cartridge in question: .38 Long Colt

The oh-so-maligned .38 Long Colt cartridge started her life like the black powder cartridge he introduced Colt’s manufacturing company 1875. After switching to smokeless powder, it fired a 150-grain lead bullet at a barrel velocity of 770 fps for a barrel energy of 195 ft.-lbs. That pales in comparison to the .45 Colt’s 400 ft.-lbs., but officials felt it was enough for the job.

Fast forward to today and the .38 Long Colt cartridge remains very popular for competitive shooting events such as Cowboy action shooting.

Colt New Army and Navy (A&N) Model 1892

This was a double action (DA) revolver that had a the then revolutionary rotary cylinder this facilitated reload speed compared to a single-action revolver; indeed, it became the first moving cylinder DA wheelgun to become a general weapon of the US Army.

The Colt A&N was initially well received by the military, according to Garry James of the Weapons and ammunition Pistols magazine. Indeed, during the first “bleeding” of the revolver during Spanish-American War from 1898, no less than Teddy Roosevelt— then lt. col. with legendary Rough riders— used a pistol A&N model 1892 (extracted from the sunken battleship USS Maine no less) with good effect. Several of Roosevelt’s comrades also received positive results on the battlefield with the prosecuting Colts.

And despite the stigma of the Philippine mutiny, the A&N remained in production until 1907, with more than a quarter of a million examples produced for the military and civilian markets, prompting James to remark, “Not a bad record for an arm that many consider a failure.”

Where are they now? Want yours?

The real value of the weapon states that “the COLT MODEL 1892 pistol currently has too few sales data to calculate an average price”; however, if you scroll down on that same hyperlinked page, you’ll see a total of seven recently sold examples (I’m only counting the ones that are actually chambered for the .38 Long Colt cartridge, not .32-20 Winchester Center Fire [WCF] caliber), in the price range from 245 to 880 dollars. Meanwhile, Guns.Com has one in “Excellent” condition with an asking price of $2,550.99.

As for the ammunition to feed these weapons, AmmoSec has several options listed, from a low of $46.49 for a box of fifty rounds of Black Hills brand 158 grain round nose to a high of $449.50 for a box of 500 rounds of the same brand/weight/configuration. Meanwhile, Choice of ammunition charges $37.99 for a fifty-round box of 105-grain TCFP Hi-Tec Coated Lead Bullet, $179.99 for a 250-round box, and $38.99/$189.99 for the same number of rounds in 125-grain bullet weight .

About the author: Christian D. Orr

Christian D. Orr is a senior defense editor for Journal of National Security (NSJ). He is a former Air Force security officer, federal law enforcement officer, and private military entrepreneur (with assignments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and a master’s degree in intelligence studies (concentration in terrorism studies) from the American Military University (AMU). It was also published in The Daily Torch, Journal of Intelligence and Cyber ​​Securityand Simple flying. Last but not least, he is a follower of the Order Naval Order of the United States (NOUS).