Pre WWII full size domestic semi-autos

[TEDDY]

auto

the common autos were lugers,broomhandle both in 30cal and 9mm.also colt
1903 and 5s.the 1911s were scarce.and were in 45 and 38 super.
what was very common were many revolvers in the $1.00 class.many Iver Johnson and H&R both solid and break action.1911s were about $ 30.and wages in early 40s were 35 cents an hour.very little discresonary money after expenses.I know as my first job was in National Radio in the machine shop at 35 cents hr. what you have now is so much more you cant conceave of the early times.

 

[Scorch]

The early 1900s were the heyday of the large-framed double-action revolvers. Colt New Service, Colt Official Police, S&W Hand Ejector and N Frames pretty much dominated the market. Colt was extremely agressive in marketing their pistols (often selling the pistols for cost just to hold onto trained workers after the end of WWI) and defending against patent infringement. Also, most police departments did not allow semi-auto pistols until well into the 1950 or early 1960s. Even in the 1980s, a S&W K Frame or Colt Trooper were standard in most places.

 

[T. O'Heir]

American made movies tend to use American rented props. Dillinger used a Colt .380 among other firearms. http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/dillinger/dillinger.htm

 

[johnwilliamson062]

The 38 super is just the chambering, the Colt pistol it was used in were 1911s, right?

 

[Mike Irwin]

"The 38 super is just the chambering, the Colt pistol it was used in were 1911s, right?"

Yes.

 

[Jmarshall]

Weren't Bonny and Clyde running around with BARs in the same era has these guys?

 

[johnwilliamson062]

I guess I did not explicitly say it, but I was thinking more pistols. There were a number of semi-automatic and automatic rifles at the time.

 

[James K]

Prior to 1934, auto weapons could be purchased with no problem, just like ordinary rifles. But they were expensive and, while Capone and others bought them from crooked dealers, small time punks stole them, mainly, as I noted, from NG armories, along with .45 pistols and revolvers.

A nitpick and losing battle: Model 1911 and Model 1911A1 are the military nomenclature. There is no such thing as a Model 1911 in .38 Super, since the military never used that caliber. The Colt Government Model (its commercial name) was made in both .45 ACP and .38 Super (as well as 9mm P later), and Colt made Government Models for foreign governments, but the Model 1911 and Model 1911A1 were made by or for the U.S. Government only.

If folks want to describe similar guns, how about calling them "1911 types" rather than Model 1911's.

Jim