Colt OHWS

Last updated
Colt OHWS
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of originUnited States
Production history
Manufacturer Colt
Specifications
Length249 mm
Barrel  length121 mm

Cartridge .45 ACP
Caliber 11.43 (.45 in)
Maximum firing range50 m
Feed system10-round detachable box magazine
Sights Fixed iron

The Colt OHWS (also known as Colt SOCOM) was a semi-automatic pistol created by Colt to compete for the United States Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) Offensive Handgun Weapon System (OHWS) tender. The winner of this competition would become the standard-issue handgun for most US special forces groups. The OHWS contract was awarded to Heckler & Koch for their MK23 Mod 0 pistol, and Colt scrapped the project.

Contents

The Colt OHWS was based on the M1911 frame and carried a single-stack 10-round magazine. The handgun was designed to carry a removable sound suppressor and a laser aiming module (LAM).

The handgun was chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge.

Colt developed their OHWS handgun during the early 1990s to compete for a contract under the US SOCOM Offensive Handgun Weapon System (OHWS) program. The Colt OHWS was produced to fire .45 ammunition, but was capable of firing most .45 ammunition designed, including SOCOMs intended primary round, .45 ACP +P. At the time Colt's pistols were not capable of handling +P ammunition consistently, Colt decided that instead of modifying the previous SOCOM weapon, the M1911A1, to meet SOCOM's current needs it would be more cost-effective to produce a brand new handgun.

The Colt OHWS was a compilation of combined top features from other Colt firearms including the M1911A1, Double Eagle and All American 2000. Colt used the rotating barrel locking system from the All American 2000—one of the strongest locking systems designed for handguns; a double-action trigger with de-cocker, and hammer from the Double Eagle; and the manual safety and firing mechanism from the M1911A1, though adjustable and producing much less recoil. The design was modified from the M1911A1, except mostly machined, and the slide was made of stainless steel. Colt added a slide lock, to stop cycling of the mechanism and slide in sound-sensitive cases. To promote reliability Colt decided to use a single-column 10-round magazine instead of a double-column. An interesting feature of the Colt OHWS was mounting muzzle attachments was done through the frame instead of moving barrel; they did this by adding an extension rail and toggle switch. The problem was the silencer could not be attached without the muzzle brake in proper place. Colt added in an additional rail under the dust cover to attach tactical lights or LAMs.

SOCOM found the Colt OHWS to be too bulky, not as durable as expected and the accessories to be too meticulous to use and fit, leading to a loss in the competition for SOCOM's contract to the Heckler & Koch Mark 23. [1] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine pistol</span> Fully automatic handgun

A machine pistol is a handgun that is capable of fully automatic fire, including stockless handgun-style submachine guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1911 pistol</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Colt M1911 is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original model adopted in March 1911, and Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the improved M1911A1 model which entered service in 1926. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam War era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-automatic pistol</span> Type of pistol

A semi-automatic pistol is a handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridges in its chamber after every shot fired. Only one round of ammunition is fired each time the trigger is pulled, as the pistol's fire control group disconnects the trigger mechanism from the firing pin/striker until the trigger has been released and reset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.45 ACP</span> Pistol cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

The .45 ACP, 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 successful military trials, it was adopted as the standard chambering for Colt's M1911 pistol. The round was developed due to a lack of stopping power experienced in the Moro Rebellion in places like Sulu. The issued ammunition, .38 Long Colt, had proved inadequate, motivating the search for a better cartridge. This experience and the Thompson–LaGarde Tests of 1904 led the Army and the Cavalry to decide that a minimum of .45 caliber was required in a new handgun cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch Mark 23</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Heckler & Koch MK 23, MK 23 MOD 0, Mark 23, or USSOCOM MARK 23 is a semi-automatic large-frame pistol chambered in .45 ACP, designed specifically to be an offensive pistol. The USSOCOM version of the MK23 came paired with a laser aiming module (LAM) and suppressor. The USSOCOM MK23 was adopted by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for special operations units, beating out the nearest competitor, Colt's OHWS. Development of the pistol began in 1991 as special operations representatives identified the need for an "Offensive Handgun Weapons System—Special Operations Peculiar", and delivery of the pistols began in May 1996 to the special operation units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIG Sauer P220</span> Swiss-German semi-automatic pistol

The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde. It is currently manufactured by both SIG Sauer companies: SIG Sauer GMBH, of Eckernförde, Germany; and SIG Sauer, Inc., of New Hampshire, United States.

Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gas created by the ignition of the propellant charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch USP</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The USP is a semi-automatic pistol developed in Germany by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) as a replacement for the P7 series of handguns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch P7</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Heckler & KochP7 is a German 9×19mm semi-automatic pistol designed by Helmut Weldle and produced from 1979 to 2008 by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K). The P7M13, a variant of the P7 with a double-stack magazine, was produced until 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocket pistol</span> Term for a small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol

In American English, a pocket pistol is any small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol, and is suitable for concealed carry in a pocket or a similar small space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Locked breech</span>

Locked breech is the design of a breech-reloading firearm's action. This is important in understanding how a self-reloading firearm works. In the simplest terms, the locked breech is one way to slow down the opening of the breech of a self-reloading firearm when fired. The source of power for the movement is recoil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star Bonifacio Echeverria</span> Spanish arms manufacturer

Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. was a manufacturer of small arms in the Basque region of Spain from about 1905 until 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Service Small Arms Program</span> American weapon standardization coordination program

The Joint Service Small Arms Program, abbreviated JSSAP, was created to coordinate weapon standardization between the various United States armed service branches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt M1900</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Colt Model 1900 is a short-recoil operated "self-loading", or semi-automatic .38 caliber handgun introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company at the turn of the 20th century. The M1900 was the first firearm to be chambered in .38 ACP and was the first handgun to utilize short-recoil operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi-Point Model JCP</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Hi-Point Model JCP is a blowback operated semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .40 S&W round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MEU(SOC) pistol</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The MEU(SOC) pistol, officially designated the M45 MEUSOC, is a magazine-fed, recoil-operated, single-action, semiautomatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It is a variant of the M1911 for use by the Force Recon Element of the United States Marine Corps' Marine Expeditionary Units from 1985 until 2022. It is assigned NATO Stock Number 1005-01-370-7353.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch HK45</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Heckler & Koch HK45 is a semi-automatic pistol designed by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handgun</span> Short-barreled firearm designed to be held and used with one hand

A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long barreled gun which needs to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols, the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, although other handguns such as derringers and machine pistols also see infrequent usage.

The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer was a short-recoil, semi-automatic pistol, designed by the American arms designer John Browning. It was a compact version of the Colt Model 1902 Sporting Model pistol derived from the original Colt M1900. The Colt M1902 Sporting Model and 1903 Pocket Hammer models differ significantly from the military-inspired Colt 1902 Military Model although they fire the same cartridge. Its design is in no way related to the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless or the FN Model 1903 pistol.

References

  1. "Best Handguns That Never Were".
  2. "Modern Firearms - Colt SOCOM pistol". Archived from the original on 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-14.