Legacy of Freedom: Col. North Colt Commander .45 1911 Pistol

by
posted on March 1, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
north_gun_22.jpg

When NRA President Lt. Col. Oliver North’s Winchester Model 12 shotgun became disabled by shrapnel during battle in Vietnam, it was his .45-cal. Colt 1911 pistol he turned to in order to save his life. “I used the .45 as it was advertised to be used, and I’m alive to tell the story,” he said.

Now Lt. Col. North has lent his signature for use on a Limited Edition run of 100 Colt Commander pistols in .45 caliber, his name engraved in 24k gold on the slide. The pistol will be available to the first 100 people who select it when they sign up for a Friends of NRA Sponsorship at the “Legacy of Freedom” level ($3,500).  

All proceeds will benefit The NRA Foundation which, to date, has awarded more than 45,000 grants to local, state and national programs through funds raised by the Friends of NRA program, totaling more than $369 million. Programs benefiting from these grants include Eddie Eagle GunSafe, Youth Shooting Sports, Women On Target, National School Shield, Youth Education Summit, Refuse To Be A Victim, Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Adaptive Shooting and Law Enforcement Training and more. This Oliver North Colt Commander pistol, Model 04940XE, features a blued finish, brushed-finish polish, and bonded-ivory grips with the NRA Eagle logo lasered on both left and right panels. Factory grips will be placed in each case. 

“[A Commander model], it’s a little lighter than what I carried, but it’s a historic firearm made by a great company … ,” North said. “The great thing about this is it’s made by the same company that saved my life in Vietnam.”

For more information about becoming a Friends of NRA Sponsor and owning this pistol, please visit FriendsOfNRA.org.

Latest

Woman covering rifle target
Woman covering rifle target

Why This DOJ Opinion on Handgun Ownership Matters

The DOJ Office of Legal Counsel recently released an opinion concluding that the federal ban on licensed firearms dealers selling handguns to 18-20-year-old U.S. citizens is unconstitutional.

I Have This Old Gun: Czech vz.27

Following World War I, Czechoslovakia needed to equip its new army, and one of its priorities was to select a service sidearm, which ultimately became the vz.27.

Rimfire M1 Refined: The Chiappa Bushranger

Italian manufacturer Chiappa is not afraid to take an original design and give it a modern twist. New for 2026, the company is taking its rimfire M1 carbine design one step further with the Bushranger.

TriStar Arms Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Established in 1996 by the father-and-son team of Gus and Ryan Bader, TriStar Arms has grown into one of the firearm industry’s most respected names in value-driven products.

Optic on an Optic: Why You Should Add a Red-Dot to Your LPVO

Why is it that, suddenly, it seems like everyone is running around with little red-dot sights mounted on top of low-power, variable optics? Well, it turns out there are reasons for that.

How Accurate are Today’s Rifles?

In just the last few decades, rifle accuracy has improved an astonishing amount, and our expectations have risen accordingly.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.