The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986. It was first used in later stages of the Philippine–American War, and was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The pistol's formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era.
In total, the U.S. procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during its service life. The M1911 was replaced by the 9mm Beretta M9 pistol as the standard U.S. sidearm in October 1986, but due to its popularity among users, it has not been completely phased out. Modernized derivative variants of the M1911 are still in use by some units of the U.S. Army Special Forces, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
The Solid Concepts 1911 DMLS is a 3D-printed version of the M1911 pistol. It was made public around November 2013 and was printed via the Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) method. It was created by Solid Concepts. The Solid Concepts Browning M1911 replica fired more than 600 rounds without any damage to the gun. The metal printer used to create the weapon cost between $500,000 to $1,000,000 at the time the gun was created as of November 2013. The first gun, version 1.0, is made up of 34 3D-printed 17-4 stainless steel components.
It weighs 2.25 pounds (1.02 kg) when it is empty i.e is not filled with a magazine and the trigger pull weighs 5 pounds-force (22 N). The width is 1.3 inches (33 mm) wide. The sight radius is 6.4 inches (160 mm) and consists of a standard GI with a square notch rear. The ratio of the twist is 1:15.8; at 6=Lands 6=Grooves. The gun used Inconel 625 (a nickel-chromium alloy) material and stainless steel via the Direct Metal Laser Sintering method.