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{{distinguish|Colt Commando}}
{{Infobox weapon
| is_ranged = yes
| image = Flickr - ~Steve Z~ - Colt Combat Commander MKIV .45 ACP.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption = A MK IV .45 ACP Colt Combat Commander.
| name = Colt Commander
| type = [[Semi-automatic pistol]]
| origin =
| design_date = 1949
| production_date = 1950–present
| serv_design_date =
| used_by =
| spec_type =
| part_length = * 4.25 in (107.95 mm)
| cartridge = * [[9×19mm Parabellum]]▼
▲* [[9×19mm Parabellum]]
* [[.38 Super]]
* [[.45 ACP]]
| feed = [[box magazine]]
* 7-round or 8-round (.45 ACP)
* 9-round (9 mm and .38 Super)
| action = [[Recoil operation|Short recoil operation]]
| velocity =
| weight =
| length =
| variants = * Lightweight Commander
* Combat Commander
* Commander Gold Cup Colt
* Combat Elite
* Concealed Carry Officer's pistol
| number =
| range =
}}
The '''Colt Commander''' is a [[Trigger (firearms)#Single-action|single-action]], [[semi-automatic pistol|semi-automatic]], magazine-fed, and recoil-operated [[handgun]] based on the [[John Browning|John M. Browning]]–designed [[M1911]].
Colt made several variations of the Commander and offered it in [[.45 ACP]] and [[.38 Super]] chamberings. Other variants followed with different degrees of factory accurizing and materials.▼
==History==
The pistol that would eventually be named the Colt Commander was [[Colt's Manufacturing Company]]'s candidate in a U.S. government post–[[World War II]] trial to find a lighter replacement for the [[M1911 pistol]] that would be issued to officers.
Requirements were issued in 1949 that the pistol had to be chambered for 9 mm Parabellum and could not exceed 7 inches in length or weigh more than 25 ounces.<ref name="Ayoob2010">{{cite book |last=Ayoob |first=Massad |title=Massad Ayoob's Greatest Handguns of the World |authorlink=Massad Ayoob |publisher=Gun Digest Books|year= 2010 |ISBN=978-1-4402-0825-6 |pages=33–44}}</ref>
Candidates included [[Browning Hi-Power]] variants by Canada's [[John Inglis and Company|Inglis]] and Belgium's [[Fabrique Nationale]], and [[Smith & Wesson]]'s [[Smith & Wesson Model 39|S&W Model 39]]. Colt entered a modified version of their [[M1911 pistol]] that was chambered for 9 mm Parabellum, had an aluminum alloy frame, a short 4.25-inch barrel, and a 9-round magazine. In 1950, Colt moved their candidate into regular production. It was the first aluminum-framed large frame pistol in major production and the first Colt pistol to be originally chambered in 9 mm Parabellum. The first year's production included .45 ACP and .38 Super chamberings.<ref name= Ayoob2010/>▼
▲Candidates included [[Browning Hi-Power]] variants by Canada's [[John Inglis and Company|Inglis]] and Belgium's [[Fabrique Nationale]], and [[Smith & Wesson]]'s [[Smith & Wesson Model 39|S&W Model 39]]. Colt entered a modified version of their [[M1911 pistol]] that was chambered for 9 mm Parabellum, had an aluminum alloy frame, a short 4.25-inch barrel, and a 9-round magazine.
In 1970, Colt introduced the all-steel "Colt Combat Commander", with an optional model in satin nickel. To differentiate between the two models, the aluminum-framed model was renamed the "Lightweight Commander".<ref name= Ayoob2010/>▼
In 1950, Colt moved their candidate into regular production. It was the first aluminum-framed large frame pistol in major production and the first Colt pistol to be originally chambered in 9 mm Parabellum.
The first year's production included .45 ACP and .38 Super chamberings.<ref name="Ayoob2010" />
▲In 1970, Colt introduced the all-steel "Colt Combat Commander", with an optional model in satin nickel. To differentiate between the two models, the aluminum-framed model was renamed the "Lightweight Commander".<ref name=
▲Colt made several variations of the Commander and offered it in [[.45 ACP]] and [[.38 Super]] chamberings. Other variants followed with different degrees of factory accurizing and materials.
▲===Variants===
The .45 ACP "Colt Commander Gold Cup" was designed to offer competition-ready out-of-the-box performance in National Match competition. It came with one 8-round magazine plus a separate recoil spring and one 7-round magazine for wadcutter ammunition.<ref name= gd2011>{{cite book|last =Malloy|first =John|title=Gun Digest 2011|editor= Dan Shiedler|publisher = Krause|year= 2011 |chapter= The Colt 1911: The First Century|ISBN = 978-1-4402-1337-3|pages=108–117}}</ref>
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A limited run of the Colt Commander in [[7.65×21mm Parabellum|7.65mm Luger]] was made for export in the early 1970s.
== Legacy ==
It was the first mass-produced American pistol with an aluminium alloy frame and the first Colt pistol to be chambered in [[9mm Parabellum]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ayoob |first=Massad |title=The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery |publisher=Gun Digest Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-89689-525-6 |page=7 |authorlink=Massad Ayoob}}</ref>
==References==
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