The Colt .45 does not represent just a firearm but has been etched in today’s popular culture. From the formation of the American West to current media, this caliber has left its stamp on history. This article covers the development of the Colt .45, outlining its very humble beginnings and some of the most influential firearms ever produced for this celebrated cartridge.
The birth of the Colt .45 dates back to 1872 when the very famous Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company introduced the .45 Colt cartridge. This very powerful round was first made for use in revolvers and was readily adapted as a standard sidearm by the U.S. Army. It gained its spurs during the Indian Wars and in the American Frontier era; as one historian wrote, “It was the gun that won the West.”
One of the most iconic firearms chambered for the .45 Colt is the Colt Single Action Army, famously known as the “Peacemaker.” This iconic revolver served as the official sidearm of the U.S. Army from 1873 to 1892, solidifying its place in history. John “Black Jack” Pershing Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916, where General George S. Patton famously carried ivory-handled Peacemakers, further cemented its legendary status. As John Taffin of American Handgunner Magazine started, “The Peacemaker gained even more immortality when it was selected by General George S. Patton as one of his two ivory-handled revolvers.”
Another famous gun in the .45 Colt line would be the Colt New Service, a double-action revolver that was constructed from 1898 to 1941. Gun enthusiast Winston Wolfe referred to the gun as being “built like a tank.” It became quite a versatile gun for military use, self-defense, and hunting due to its inherent high accuracy and low recoil. Taffin added, “It was also the model that Fitzgerald himself preferred.”
Introduced in 1990, the Colt Anaconda represented a first for Colt with their very first double-action revolver chambered for the powerful .44 Magnum. Although best known for its .45 Colt chambering, the Anaconda is available in .44 Magnum, and, according to Taffin, “the largest, and probably the best, .45 Colt DA ever produced by Colt.”
Then, stepping outside Colt’s camp, it was the classic Smith & Wesson Model 25 that helped cement the .45 Colt heritage from this distinguished N-frame series. John Taffin went so far as to label it “as fine a shooting DA .45 Colt as can be found,” a testament to the caliber’s persistence in being a favorite among firearms enthusiasts and manufacturers alike.
The Colt .45 made some very significant impacts on American history and popular culture that cannot be underestimated. From taming the Wild West to featuring in myriad movies and songs, this caliber has all but become the symbol of rugged individualism and the pioneering spirit that shaped the nation. If firearms continue to evolve, this will leave indelible marks of the Colt .45 in history as a proof of ingenuity and craftsmanship so distinctive of the era.