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Both Colt and S&W designed pistols, the Commander and the Model 39 respectively, to vie for a possible U.S. military contract for a 9mm. replacement for the M1911A1. Supposedly the Army wanted a pistol not more than 7" in length, 25 oz. in weight, possibly a DA trigger, and in a caliber more like the 9mm. Parabellum. This was in 1947, and by 1948, Colt had their Commander up and running, so that they had it on the market by 1949. Later the next year, a newly formed NATO had sent out word that some of the member countries were looking for a NATO spec pistol, and that is what S&W designed their Model 39 for. Since lightweight was a plus in the minds of the military, both companies turned to aluminum as their choice for frame material. And while the tests for a NATO spec pistol never amounted to anything, we still enjoyed the benefit of having two lightweight 9mm. pistols on the commercial market.