When was the 1st 1911 Colt Auto loader 1st sold to the Public??

I don't know, but the only significant thing I remember from the movie "Titanic" (other than the boat sank - but I knew that before sitting through the over 3 hour movie) was the civilian owned nickel plated 1911 on board a ship that sunk in 1912. That was unlikely.

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997)

Per Wikipedia:

The Director of Civilian Marksmanship began manufacture of M1911 pistols for members of the National Rifle Association in August 1912. Approximately 100 pistols stamped "N.R.A." below the serial number were manufactured at Springfield Armory and by Colt.[18]

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol

A list of serial numbers from Proof House by years for the commercial 1911's show production started in 1912.

http://proofhouse.com/colt/index.html

(you have to select commercial pistols for the list of semi-auto Colt firearms)

They might have gotten their facts a little twisted in the Wild Bunch but that was one heck of a movie. It is still my favorite "westerns" if you can call it that. What ever it is; it's a classic. In 2022 Mel Gibson is doing a remake. It will be tough to match the original but I am looking forward to seeing it.

As soon as the first batch reached the quartermasters at any given garrison...

HiDive said:

They might have gotten their facts a little twisted in the Wild Bunch but that was one heck of a movie. It is still my favorite "westerns" if you can call it that. What ever it is; it's a classic. In 2022 Mel Gibson is doing a remake. It will be tough to match the original but I am looking forward to seeing it.

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The older guy taking a Cr__ getting dynamite thrown at him as a practical joke was really wild.
Guns were mostly all wrong including springfields with aperture sights like below

RE: Titanic. One explanation given was that Hockley was an industrialist, specifically in the steel industry. He made have procured the 1911 for his body guard via contacts with Colt. He was vain and would want only the flashiest, most modern "things" around him.

That's only a movie. In real life there weren't a lot of legal restrictions on gun sales in 1912. Outside of contract and patent restrictions, a manufacturer could sell to whomever they wanted and paperwork would have been optional.

I find that most "westerns" play fast and loose with the firearms they use.

HiDive said:

They might have gotten their facts a little twisted in the Wild Bunch but that was one heck of a movie. It is still my favorite "westerns" if you can call it that. What ever it is; it's a classic. In 2022 Mel Gibson is doing a remake. It will be tough to match the original but I am looking forward to seeing it.

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I lost all respect for Mel Gibson. Enjoyed the original, would like to see a remake, but wouldn't enjoy a movie with him in it or knowing he might profit from my going.

Guess I'll have to wait for the second remake. lol

"I lost all respect for Mel Gibson."
I may regret asking,,why?

I respect him more all the time.

alfsauve said:

In real life there weren't a lot of legal restrictions on gun sales in 1912. Outside of contract and patent restrictions, a manufacturer could sell to whomever they wanted and paperwork would have been optional.

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That is right. It all went wrong in 1934, 1968 and again in 1986.

HisSoldier said:

"I lost all respect for Mel Gibson."
I may regret asking,,why?

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I think his drunken rant against "the Jews" when he was arrested for DUI really poisoned the well against him for lots of folks. I'm not really crazy about folks driving while plastered, either. No good ever comes of driving drunk.

indy1919a4 said:

Will not even bring up the 1917 Machine Gun.

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Maxim produced his guns 30 years prior. Unless your speaking about something more specific they were around.

HisSoldier said:

"I lost all respect for Mel Gibson."
I may regret asking,,why?

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His alcoholic fueled antisemitic and racist outbursts, and just poor judgement. Hollywood may have gotten over it, but I can't say I have.

From the Guardian:
"Certainly, his troubling transgressions – claiming, as he did to his arresting officer, that: “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” before asking her: “Are you a Jew?” – felt no less serious at the time. More menacing still was the tape of Gibson’s drunken fight with his partner Oksana Grigorieva in 2010, salted as it was with ugly, racist comments and threats."

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/23/mel-gibson-hollywood-road-rehabilitation

movies are never very accurate or at all. even ones based on true stories. they dont contain facts, historical accuracy, or anything else.....except for entertainment.