US Army Colt M1909 DA .45 Revolver

Barrel Length: 5½"
Action: Double Action
Weight: 2.3 lbs
Cartridge Caliber: .45 Long Colt (255 grain) Smokeless
Muzzle Velocity: 830 fps
Service: 1909–1913

Due to the slow going and drawn out Service Pistol Trials(1906-1910) by the Ordnance Board, the War Department would place an order with Colt for 6,000 revolvers in caliber .45 on December 17, 1908. These revolvers were to be an intermediate solution to the requests for more .45 pistols in the Philippine islands from the results of insufficient stopping power of the issued Colt .38 revolvers, as well as replacement to the dated and aged 1873 SAA Colt .45 revolvers that were put back in to service during the Philippine campaigns(1899-1913). These newer issued revolvers were adopted and issued as Model 1909[M1909] US Army .45 Revolvers. They would be marked with serial numbers 30001 to 49503; a grand total of 19,502 pistols. Springfield Armory would receive the other 350 remaining pistols. All-in-all 19,152 revolvers were received at the Manila Ordnance Depot[MOD] located in Intrumurous Manila, Philippines, and would be issued out to all service men through out the islands.

By the adoption of the M1911 auto pistol in March 1911, the Model 1909 .45 revolver would be retired.
 



Heal marked US Army Model 1909. Serial Number 38021.



Colt M1911 .45ACP Pistol

• Action: Single Action Self-Loading Auto
• Barrel Length: 5"
• Weight: 2.4lbs
• Cartridge: .45 ACP(Automatic Colt Pistol)
• Muzzle Velocity: 835ft/s
• Effective Range: 50 yds
• Capacity: 7 round box magazine
• US Service: 1911-1985

At the turn of the 20th century, plans began for the US Army to update their current service pistol issued to their troops. The Colt DA .38 revolvers were becoming outdated, as well as performing miserably since the campaigns of the Philippine islands started in 1899. During that time, and up to the pacification of the south islands of the Philippines, US soldiers, Philippine Scouts, and Philippine constabulary officers contended with natives who were religiously charged and enraged against foreign authority. Most particularly the Pulajane group of Samar/Leyte and the Moros. Unlike the more open territory of Luzon during the Philippine American War(1899-1902) with entrenched opposition and hunting down retreating forces; the southern half of the islands proved to be a different beast. Dense jungle terrain inlaid with swamps, over-vegetated valleys, and mountainous terrains made up most of the interior. Resulting in most conflicts being within a much closer proximity than previously encountered. The dense terrain allowed for greater cover and put soldiers in a more vulnerable position for surprise attacks during patrols and expeditions. These fanatical natives mostly armed with nothing more than a short sword, proved to be hard pressed in stopping once rushing conflicts ensued. Rifles also became obsolete in close quarter encounters due to the slowness of fixing ones aim with a lengthy firearm, as well as working the actioned bolt to reload another round. Even more susceptible were the Philippine Constabulary and Native Scouts, who were originally armed with old single-shot Springfield rifles. Many soldiers and officers ended up resorting primarily to their sidearms. Reports began to pour in on the sever lack of firepower the .38 caliber round packed in stopping an oncoming combatant. The US government answered by reissuing old Colt SAA .45 service revolvers to Philippine Constabulary officers and US soldiers serving in the southern half of the Philippines. The Pulajane Campaign lasted up to 1910, with the Moro Rebellion lasting up to 1913.

Either way, with the advent of the new auto loading pistols coming on to the market, the old revolvers were now being viewed as obsolete and a thing of the past; and plans for a new service pistol for the US military began. General William Crozier, then Chief of Ordnance of the Army, established a commission board and assigned Colonel John T. Thompson and Colonel John T. Thompson to conduct testing to determine the best fit caliber to be used in the new soon to be military sidearm. The caliber trials would be know as the "1904 Thompson-LaGarde Tests". Tests on different size calibers were performed on live animals as well as human cadaverous. In the end, both Thompson and LaGarde both concluded, "the Board was of the opinion that a bullet, which will have the shock effect and stopping effect at short ranges necessary for a military pistol or revolver, should have a caliber not less than .45." It is believed both Thompson and LaGarde were already in favor of the .45 caliber even prior to the caliber testing. Both Thompson and LaGarde were of the Medical Corps in the military. With LaGarde spending his earlier career in the Philippines addressing and examining gun shot wounds suffered during the early Philippine conflicts.

Soon after caliber selection were made, the "1906 Pistol Trials" began. Initially six firearm manufactures entered their pistols in to the trial. Three were eliminated early; with Savage, Colt, and DWM contending. But DWM would later withdraw from the trial believing the trials and the military were already strongly in favor of the Colt. In 1910 the pistol trials ended with the Colt auto pistol running near flawless compared to the Savage which still suffered many issues even after several modifications were made through out the years of testing. The Colt would be adopted by the US Army on March 29, 1911, designating it the M1911(Model 1911). It would take another year for Colt to produce the M1911s. On July 25, 1913, the US Navy and Marine Corps accepted the first batches of M1911s.

The M1911 would serve the US Military through two world wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, and countless other engagements in between. In 1986 the M1911 was officially retired, replaced by the Beretta M9 in 9mm. Although, some special units of the military are still issued the M1911 today, the pistol is not completely phased out of service.

The Colt 1911 is considered by many to be an engineering masterpiece. Nearly nothing has changed in design of the pistol for the past 100 years, with nearly 90% of the original pistol parts from 1913 still being compatible with 1911s rolled off the factory line today. The 1911 has stood the test of time, and still is being manufactured by many companies around the world. Interestingly enough, it is more popular today then ever before. Firearm manufactures like Sig Sauer, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Taurus are just now getting in to the market of producing 1911s. Remington as well has now got back in to manufacturing 1911s. It is a piece of American history and is by far the most copied gun in the world today. This past March 29, 2011 marked the 100 year anniversary of the Colt M1911 .45ACP.


Conclusion:
So... Was the M1911 purpose built to kill Filipinos? The answer plain and simple...NO.

The conflicts that occurred against the Moros, the Pulajanes, and other religious fanatical groups only showed the ineffectiveness the current .38 caliber cartridge were. As a result of these conflicts, "Knock Down Power" and "Stopping Power" became a major factor and priority to firearm and caliber efficiency and effectiveness. The M1911 was an "end product" of these events and of that era, with the purpose of replacing an old obsolete revolver. The last revolt of the time being the Moro Rebellion ending in 1913. With the first batch of M1911s being shipped on July 25, 1913 that went to the US Navy ship yard in New York, the M1911 pistol never truly saw any action during the early major Philippine conflicts.

BUT, it also must be noted, M1911 made their way to the Philippines by WWI(1918). And on the other side of the coin, Juramentados, amuck runners, and these other radical Tad-Tad religious groups still ran rampant long after 1913 all the way up to WWII and even present day; so it would be safe to say, at one time or another an M1911 more than likely were used to stop and kill a fanatical native running wild within the century. But if any gun were to be pin-pointed and specifically labeled as a true Filipino stopper, I would have to say the US military .45 revolvers should be accredited and recognized; particularly the Colt SAA, the Colt M1902 Philippine Model, and the Colt 1909. These revolvers exclusively because they were specifically called for and "re-issued" to the Philippines for the one sole purpose of stopping a Filipino in his tracks.

Spanish Lefaucheux Model 1863 Pinfire Revolver

• Manufacture - Fabrica de Armas Oviedo
• Design - French Revolver
• Barrel Length: 6"
• Cartridge Caliber: 11mm
• Action - Pinfire Single Action
• Service: 1860s–1888 Continental Spanish Army; 1888-1898 Spanish Colonial force; 1896-1902 Philippine Revolutionary Force

Made at the firearms factory in Oviedo Spain. Several different models and variants were made through out their manufacture.The Spanish Lefaucheux followed the typical European French revolver design widely used during the mid-1800s; which was known as the Lefaucheux Pinfire revolver. The Spanish revolvers are distinctive for copying the French style 1858 Lefaucheux along with the Belgian Lefaucheux style frame and pistol grip. Originally these revolvers were issued to Spanish soldiers in Spain. Years later after being out-dated by 1888, they were transferred over to soldiers and police forces in Spanish Colonial territories. Many of these old Spanish revolvers were carried by the Spanish forces in Cuba and the Philippines all the way up to the Span-Am War. The Philippine revolutionary force would also capture and use these revolvers during the 1896 Revolution and against the Americans in the Philippine-American War. US soldiers would keep these as war trophys for their service in Cuba and the Philippines. In US war reports they are noted down as French style pinfire revolvers.

Interestingly enough, the French 1858 Lefaucheux Revolvers were also bought and issued during the American Civil War(1861-1865) to soldiers under the US Federal Government.

Spanish Smith & Wesson M1884 ONÁ Revolver .44

 

 

 

• Also known as the Spanish S&W Model 7
• Manufacture: Orbea Hermanos in Spain
• Action: Double Action
• Capacity: 6 round cylinder top break design
• Barrel Length: 5½"
• Weight: 2lbs
• Cartridge Caliber: .44 Russian (11mm)
• Spanish Military Service: 1884 - 1903

 

In 1884 the Spanish S&W ONÁ revolver became the recommended service sidearm of the Spanish army. Like the Model 3, Spanish officers and soldiers had the option to purchase and carry. These revolvers were manufactured in Spain, unlike the original Model 3's manufactured at the S&W factory in the United States. The updated Spanish version would be named Model 7 ONÁ, which had few aesthetic differences, equipped with double action, and a shorter barrel. Once the 1896 Revolution broke out, Spanish soldiers from Spain were shipped off to the islands. Many of these S&W revolvers were captured by Filipino revolutionaries. And after the Span-Am War, many Spanish soldiers joined the Philippine revolutionary government against the United States; taking along with them stock piles of Spanish weapons. The S&W revolver would be one of the many handguns scattered through out the Philippine Islands.

 

The Spanish copied Smith and Wesson revolver became very popular even after the turn of the century. This same exact model revolver would be contracted out to the British Military during World War I. They would continue manufacturing other S&W firearms up to the Second World War.

 

Spanish Merwin, Hulbert & Co. Revolver .44

• Manufacture: Anitúa y Charola, in Eibar Espana
• Action: Double Action
• Capacity: 6 round cylinder
• Barrel Length: 5"
• Cartridge Caliber: .44 Russian (11mm)
• Spanish Military Service: 1887 - 1903

In 1887 the Spanish Merwin Hulbert Revolver became another pistol out of several recommended as a service sidearm for Spanish army soldiers and police officers. The Merwin, Hulbert & Co. was an American based firearms manufacture and at one time was the 4th largest gun supplier in America. But their name is now long forgotten due to bankruptcy during the early 1890s. The company went out of business, and their firearms went along with it. Many of these firearm companys of the era lived and died by military contracts. Merwin, Hulbert & Co. designs were considered far advanced for it's time, but through bad dealings, it became short-lived and unsuccessful. Their major contract coming from Russia. Nearly all the major companies were greatly successful during the 1870-1880s. But by the late 1800s many countries began to establish their own factories. There they would purchase the patents and licensing from firearms companies based in the United States to reproduce their firearms. This drastically killed the sales for most US firearm companies. Many would tank because of these outside manufactures. Even Smith & Wesson would come close to being run to the ground. Anitúa y Charola, in Eibar Spain became one of those outside companies to produce well made copied US revolvers. Their version of the Merwin, Hulbert revolver were then allowed to be used by military and police officers of Spain. As with the Spanish S&W, the Spanish Merwin Hulbert Revolver would find their way in to Spanish colonies. Like all other firearms of the Spanish military, many would eventually end up in the hands of a Filipino fighting in the revolution.

The entire history of the Merwin, Hulbert & Co. is very vague. Due to the bankruptcy their entire records were lost. Their subsidiary company, Hopkins & Allen, also burnt down in the 1900, taking along with it much of the records with Merwin, Hulbert & Co. As well as the manufacturing of the Merwin Hulbert revolver in Spain, records and documents are also scarce. Finding a photograph of the Spanish Merwin Hulbert revolver used by their military was also a tedious task(which is why the photo above is not a great shot of one). Many do not even know that this particular revolver even existed in Spain.

Colt Model 1892 US Army DA .38

• Action: Double Action Only
• Swing out 6 round cylinder
• Barrel Length: 6"
• Weight: 2lbs
• Cartridge Caliber: .38 Long Colt Black-powder (146 grain lead bullet)
• Muzzle Velocity: 750 fps
• Service: 1892 - 1908

Side arm issued to nearly all US military branches in 1892 in order to replace the .45 S&W Schofield revolver as well as the Colt 1873 SAA .45 revolvers. The double action was considered to be a break through in firearm technology and an improvment to single action handguns. It is important to note, many old .45 revolvers were still kept in service up to the issue of the Colt M1911 auto pistol. The smaller .38 caliber performed miserably once it saw action during the Philippine Campaign; failing to adequately stop/drop an assailant from charging. Namely the Pulajanes of the Visayas region and the Juramentado Moros. Officers serving in the Philippines would issue a recall and send requests for the old issued .45 revolvers. The .38s were soon replaced by old service revolvers like the 1878 Alaskan Colt. Colt would later manufacture an updated .45 revolver in 1909; and a few years later, the ever popular M1911 Colt .45ACP auto pistol.




US Cavalry Soldiers posing with Colt .38 revolvers and Krag Carbines.

Colt 1902 Philippine Model Double Action .45LC

• Barrel length: 6"
• Capacity: 6 round cylinder
• Cartridge Caliber: .45 LC(Long Colt)
• Weight: 2 lbs
• Service: 1878-1892; 1902-1908

 Originally issued as: 1878 Colt Alaskan Revolver

Adopted earlier in 1878 by US soldiers serving in Alaska, the pistol was nearly phased out by the new issued .38 revolvers. At the end of the Philippine-American War the Philippine Scouts, along with US military units, and the Philippine Constabulary(Native Police force) began expeditions and patrolling through Moroland and Visayan territory. There they found new adversaries waiting and lurking in the dense terrain of both regions, namely the Tad-Tad/Pulajanes of Samar/Leyte and the Juramentado Moros. The native police force were poorly equipped with Springfield Trapdoor "single shot" rifles, and a ill performing .38 Colt revolver side arm. Both proved to have insufficient stopping power of a hard charging swarm of combatants. A shot assailant does not necessarily make them incapacitated. Sword welding Moros and Filipinos were known to charge through heavy gun fire and still be capable of slashing and killing. Requests were quickly made for older issued .45 Colt revolvers, and the US government answered by reissuing out the older 1878 Alaskan Colt Revolvers to the Philippine Constabulary, re-designating them the 1902 Philippine Model. The .45 revolvers performed up to standard and as expected. The stopping power of the .45 cartridge against Filipinos during this era would result in the US government requesting their newly manufactured and issued sidearm to be chambered in .45. The end result is the M1911 Colt automatic pistol chambered in the newly engineered .45ACP cartridge.

The Model 1902 revolver is unique by the enlarged trigger guard. At the time the new smokeless powder cartridges also required new primers, which took more effort to ignite; and with it required a stronger trigger spring. The trigger pull became immense. Colt modified the trigger group by use of the enlarged trigger guard, which gave more leverage to pull the trigger.

Smith & Wesson 1870 Model 3 Revolver

  

Smith & Wesson Russian Model 3

 

 

• Also known as "Smith & Wesson Russian Model" and the "Schofield Revolver".
• Action: Single Action
• Capacity: 6 round cylinder top break design
• Barrel Length: 7"
• Weight: 2lbs
• Cartridge Caliber: .44 Russian (11mm) and .45 S&W(.45 Schofield)
• Spanish Military Service: 1874 - 1903
• US Military Service: 1870 - 1899

 

 

The Smith and Wesson Model 3 was used by both the US Army and the Spanish Military, as well as the Philippine revolutionary government.

 

The American S&W Model 3 Schofield were issued to the US Military in the early 1870s at the same time as the Colt Single Action Army .45. However, US Army Major George W. Schofield also asked their military version to be chambered in .45 caliber. S&W obliged but made their own .45 cartridge which they dubbed the ".45 S&W". These cartridges were shorter then the .45Colt but can be shot in the Colt SAA Revolver; however, the .45Colt cartridge could not be fired in the Schofield revolvers. Many soldier became confused between the two. Thus the US military created the monikers, ".45 Long Colt"(.45Colt) and .45 "Short"(.45S&W). The .45 S&W cartridge would also be known as the .45 Schofield cartridge. And because the request came in by Major Schofield, these particular Model 3 revolvers chambered in .45 became known as the "Schofield revolver". The US Army variant also excluded the spur guard underneath the trigger. The S&W revolver went mainly to US cavalrymen due to the top break design, which made loading and reloading on horseback easier than the Colt SAA. In 1898 during the outbreak of the Span-Am War, just like the Colt SAA, the S&W Schofield was nearly completely phased out of service by the Colt .38. There were less S&W Schofield revolvers out in the field then the Colt SAA .45. Very few would reach the Philippines and a smaller number would be captured and used by Filipinos. Due to the rarity of the cartridge, I would surmise the revolver was more likely useless for the opposing force. After the Span-Am and Phil-Am War, the US Military completely retired the Schofield .45 revolver for good, selling their entire surplus stock back to S&W and other gundealers around the US.

 

The Spanish counter-part Smith and Wesson Model 3 was not a standard issue for the Spanish, but was the "recommended" side-arm for the Spanish Military. Recommended meaning they had the choice to purchase and carry the revolver. The much older Lefaucheaux pinfire design revolvers became extremely outdated compared to the newly designed revolvers like the S&W Model 3. The Russian Military ordered these revolvers from S&W for their military. They would later see action during the Russo-Turkish War. Many of these revolvers were later sold off to Spain; which is why they were chambered in .44 Russian. Spain would later produce their own copy of the S&W Model 3 with improvements. But these original models would find their way to the Philippines and end up in the hands of some Filipinos of revolutionary force.

 

Colt Artillery Model 1873 Single Action Army(SAA) .45

• Barrel Length: 7" and 5½"
• Weight: 2.3 lbs
• Cartridge Caliber: .45 Long Colt (255 grain)
• Muzzle Velocity: 830 fps
• US Service: 1873– 1893; 1899-1909(reissued during the Philippine Campaigns)

 The Colt SAA .45 became the side arm issued to US Army in 1873. The Colt .45 revolver was considered cutting edge technology at the time. The large caliber was believed to quell conflicts and bring peace. It became known as the "Peacemaker". It would be the most popular revolver of the old west. Today it remains synonymous with the Cowboys of the western frontier.

The original Colt SAA issued to troops had the 7" barrel. By early 1890s the US Army decided to downsize their force as well as find ways to save on spending. By 1893 many of the Colt SAA revolvers were replaced by the Colt DA .38. It should be noted the phasing out of the Colt SAA .45 was a long process and many still found use as the side arm of select few units. By 1898 the Colt revolvers were modified with a shorter 5½" and issued first to Artillery units. The altered Colts with 5½" barrels would be known and later called the "Artillery Model". The most popular unit to carry the old Colt .45 SAA would be Teddy Roosevelts Rough Riders during the Cuban Campaign. The Colt SAA .45 would truly shine just as the the Philippine-American War was coming to a close and the beginning of the pacification through out the Philippines; most particularly during patrols and expeditions in the Visayan and Moroland(Mindanao) regions. The Colt .38 revolvers provided to be insufficient in stopping and dropping frantically charged assailants. Few regulars and volunteers still carried the older Colt SAA .45 and noted the significant stopping and knock-down power the revolver had over the newer .38s. Officers soon requested an immediate re-issue of old Colt SAA .45s to the Philippine Islands. Because the Colt SAA .45 would still be used in service all the way up to the end of the Philippine-American War, it would be safe to say the Colt .45 was never truly retired in 1893.

Colt SAA overhauled and refurbished to Artillery Model at their Hartford Connecticut manufacturing facility and shipped to the Philippines for the US Army. Lower right heel stamped 1903.

By the end of 1902 the Philippine-American War closed and the US volunteers began mustering out of service. As US troop presence began to drop in the Philippines, Tafts Philippine Commission would establish a native police force known as the Philippine Constabulary to fill the roll of bring law and order through out the islands. The Philippine Constabulary would be issued the old 1878 Colt Alaskan .45 revolver, which would be re-designated the Colt 1902 Philippine Model. Resulting from the effective use of the Colt Single Action Army .45. The SAA revolver would see its last action with the adoption of Colts new commercial .45 revolver dubbed the M1909.