Colt Army Special

[AndyLate]

Is this what Ian Fleming was referring to in the James Bond books?

Bond keeps a "Colt Army Special Long Barrel .45" in his car.

It gets destroyed in a fire, M replaces it.

People debate whether Fleming is referring to a 1911 Browning or a revolver.

Heck, he could have just been referring to a Colt 1917 in .45 acp or .455 Webley.

I think Fleming uses the term "Long Barrel" to describe something full size unlike the Beretta 418 .25 acp Bond would carry at the time OR he meant a 5 inch 1911 or 4+ Barreled revolver as opposed to a snub barrel.

I think he meant a 1911 because Bond uses his car gun in "The Spy Who Loved Me", its described as a large pistol, (not the PPK IMO) and because Bond reloads it with magazines tells us it's an auto.

So, is there a .45 "Colt Army Special"?

The Colt Army Special was never produced in .45 caliber. The Colt New Service was, and was also the basis for Colt's 1917. Fleming was not a gun guy and he was British, so its pretty hard for an American to "decode" which gun he was talking about.

Andy