The Colt Ace or Colt Service Model Ace is a Colt

Model 1911 The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge. History Early hist ...

-derived semi-automatic firearm chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge instead of

.45 ACP The .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol), also known as .45 Auto, .45 Automatic, or 11.43×23mm is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After su ...

. It was created in 1931 and produced through 1947 to allow inexpensive and low-recoil

sub-caliber training Sub-caliber training is used to save wear and expense when training with a larger gun by use of smaller weapons (sometimes, but not always, with very similar ballistic characteristics). The smaller weapons could be inserted into the larger weapo ...

while maintaining the feel of the military Model 1911 pistol.

History

The

sub-caliber Sub-caliber ammunition (also spelled subcaliber) is firearm ammunition where the projectile has a smaller diameter than the bore of the gun barrel from which it is fired. Firing sub-caliber ammunition has several potential benefits compared to ful ...

Colt Ace was derived from the powerful

chambered

Colt 1911 The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge. History Early hist ...

to allow military, police, or civilian shooters to train with the Ace without the recoil and expense of the 1911, but with similar ergonomics and sighting. Chambered for the far less powerful .22 LR cartridge, its barrel was constructed (on all but the earliest models) with a hinged floating rear chamber that amplifies the recoil when cycling the heavy slide, giving it more of the feel of the larger, heavier weapon.

Users

* **

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

: Used as a training pistol, designated the ''Pistol, Caliber .22, Colt, Service Ace'' (1950) and ''Pistol, Caliber .22 Colt, Ace'' (1960).

References

{{Colt's Manufacturing Company

External links

* http://www.thedailytop.com/look-floating-chamber-recoil-booster-colt-ace-fascinating Colt semi-automatic pistols .22 LR pistols Semi-automatic pistols of the United States