In August of 1991, two developmental contracts were awarded for a new pistol that would be designed specifically for the Special Operation Command (SOCOM). The contracts were awarded to Colt’s Manufacturing Company and Heckler & Koch. This new pistol was to be the most advanced handgun that the world has ever known.
The OHWS (Offensive Handgun Weapon System) was to perform a very different role than that of the standard M9 or the plethora of M1911 variations or Sig Sauer pistols currently in inventory. Those handguns were designed specifically for a defensive role and they did what the were designed for. Although, the problem always came down to the size of the hole they make. Most of the sidearms were 9x19mm caliber.
The SOCOM mission is quite different from the military at large. As a rule, in the U.S. military, sidearms are not in common usage among regular troops. They are reserved for officers or troops that carry crew served weapons. They are not primary weapons but secondary. SOCOM, on the other hand, uses handguns as both primary and secondary weapons. When engaged in a firefight and their Colt M4A1 runs out of ammunition, then they will immediately transfer to their handgun and that will become their primary weapon.
The OHWS was to be an offensive weapon system. The system was to be comprised of a handgun, silencer and a laser aiming module. The silencer provided sentry incapacitation capability, amongst other clandestine purposes. The laser aiming module would provide a white light source, along with a visible laser and an IR laser.
Once the decision was made to move forward with the OHWS program, the first issue was what caliber it was to be. Right off the bat the 9x19mm NATO cartridge was ruled out. The lack of stopping power has been demonstrated since its inception, especially when you are required to use ball ammunition. The next caliber looked at was the 10mm automatic caliber. However, this did not last long due to the excessive recoil and the short service life of any of the pistols that fired it. At that time, the only pistols chambered for it were the Bren Ten, Colt Delta Elite, Smith & Wesson and Glock. Glock was the only pistol that had any longevity as to service life, but that design would not meet the requirements. The battle proven 45 Auto was the only logical choice. It had an excellent combat record, plus the ability to use a silencer due to its sub-sonic speed, made it the perfect choice. However, SOCOM was not happy with the status quo, they felt there was still room for improvement in the cartridge itself. So, a +P cartridge was designed for their needs. This would be their primary round. The standard ball ammunition would be used for the application of the silencer and maritime operations.
After the decision was made on ammunition, the next step was to explore the options on a gun. First, was to take the M1911, which SOCOM has had great success with, and modify it to fit the requirements. The problem was that the M1911 would have to be totally overhauled. The M1911 is not designed to take a steady diet of +P ammunition. Also, an issue was its inability to put a silencer on an M1911 without compromising reliability. In the end, it was determined that it would cost more to overhaul the M1911 than it would to procure an entirely new handgun. The right decision was made to go with an entirely new weapon that would be made to their specifications.
The OHWS (Offensive Handgun Weapon System) was to perform a very different role than that of the standard M9 or the plethora of M1911 variations or Sig Sauer pistols currently in inventory. Those handguns were designed specifically for a defensive role and they did what the were designed for. Although, the problem always came down to the size of the hole they make. Most of the sidearms were 9x19mm caliber.
The SOCOM mission is quite different from the military at large. As a rule, in the U.S. military, sidearms are not in common usage among regular troops. They are reserved for officers or troops that carry crew served weapons. They are not primary weapons but secondary. SOCOM, on the other hand, uses handguns as both primary and secondary weapons. When engaged in a firefight and their Colt M4A1 runs out of ammunition, then they will immediately transfer to their handgun and that will become their primary weapon.
The OHWS was to be an offensive weapon system. The system was to be comprised of a handgun, silencer and a laser aiming module. The silencer provided sentry incapacitation capability, amongst other clandestine purposes. The laser aiming module would provide a white light source, along with a visible laser and an IR laser.
Once the decision was made to move forward with the OHWS program, the first issue was what caliber it was to be. Right off the bat the 9x19mm NATO cartridge was ruled out. The lack of stopping power has been demonstrated since its inception, especially when you are required to use ball ammunition. The next caliber looked at was the 10mm automatic caliber. However, this did not last long due to the excessive recoil and the short service life of any of the pistols that fired it. At that time, the only pistols chambered for it were the Bren Ten, Colt Delta Elite, Smith & Wesson and Glock. Glock was the only pistol that had any longevity as to service life, but that design would not meet the requirements. The battle proven 45 Auto was the only logical choice. It had an excellent combat record, plus the ability to use a silencer due to its sub-sonic speed, made it the perfect choice. However, SOCOM was not happy with the status quo, they felt there was still room for improvement in the cartridge itself. So, a +P cartridge was designed for their needs. This would be their primary round. The standard ball ammunition would be used for the application of the silencer and maritime operations.
After the decision was made on ammunition, the next step was to explore the options on a gun. First, was to take the M1911, which SOCOM has had great success with, and modify it to fit the requirements. The problem was that the M1911 would have to be totally overhauled. The M1911 is not designed to take a steady diet of +P ammunition. Also, an issue was its inability to put a silencer on an M1911 without compromising reliability. In the end, it was determined that it would cost more to overhaul the M1911 than it would to procure an entirely new handgun. The right decision was made to go with an entirely new weapon that would be made to their specifications.
The Colt entry would be eliminated in Phase 1 of testing and the contract would go on to be awarded to Heckler & Koch. On June 28, 1995 the Heckler & Koch OHWS would be adopted by SOCOM as their Mk23 ModO. This was only a year developmental contract. A year is a very unrealistic time period to design a new firearm from the ground up, especially since the service life of the OHWS was three times more than any pistol Colt had ever produced.
At the time the requirement for the OHWS was made, H&K was already in the development of their advanced USP (Universal Self Loading Pistol). This highly advanced design incorporated many of the design requirements put forth by SOCOM. Testing had already been underway on their advanced polymer frames, recoil reduction methods as well as durability and reliability testing.
The pistol that Colt would enter into the competition would be based on three of their previous designs: the M1911, the Colt All American 2000 and the Colt Double Eagle. Many of the requirements set forth by SOCOM had already been present in all three of these previous designs and the trick was to bring the desired characteristics from each of these guns and put them into one.
The locking system was based off of Colt’s All American 2000 pistol. The rotating barrel is the strongest locking system of any type for a handgun available. The disadvantage is it generally requires a wider slide. Also, to achieve the accuracy potential of the rotating barrel, all the tolerances would have to be tightened up. Now with the tolerances this tight, combat reliability would be compromised. Another benefit to the rotating barrel locking system is recoil. The pistol produced more of a push than a snap when fired.
Colt’s design team designed the rotating barrel locking mechanism used on their Offensive Handgun. This was not the same as the All American 2000. The prototype gun, which took approximately three months to develop, was made from a 1911 frame. The frame rails were welded on due to their need to be wider for the new slide with the rotating barrel. It was machined into the barrel with a locating pin for use with the cam track on the frame. The cam track for rotating and unlocking the barrel was then machined into the frame of the pistol. There are five separate locking lugs on the barrel itself that lock into channels cut in the slide. The recoil spring is captive.
The slide of the OHWS was made of stainless steel. The firing pin mechanism is identical to that of a Series 80 Colt M1911. The OHWS has a firing pin block. Angled cuts were made in both the front and rear of the ejection for reliability to minimize failures to eject. The slide has a fixed Trijicon Tritium night sight on the rear of the slide. The pistol was marked on the left side of the slide “Colt Offensive Handgun” and on the right side of the slide was marked “-45 ACP-”.
The Colt OHWS went with the ambidextrous M1911-style safety that enabled it to be carried cocked and locked, if desired. Like the M1911, the hammer would have to be cocked in order to engage the safety. The grip was narrow like the M1911 and utilized a single column 10 round magazine. Colt went with a single column magazine over a higher capacity double column magazine, due to the thought, by some, that the single column magazine would be more reliable feeding in desert environments. The magazine that was used was a modified commercial 10 round magazine. The magazine release was reversible.
Colt’s design team designed the rotating barrel locking mechanism used on their Offensive Handgun. This was not the same as the All American 2000. The prototype gun, which took approximately three months to develop, was made from a 1911 frame. The frame rails were welded on due to their need to be wider for the new slide with the rotating barrel. It was machined into the barrel with a locating pin for use with the cam track on the frame. The cam track for rotating and unlocking the barrel was then machined into the frame of the pistol. There are five separate locking lugs on the barrel itself that lock into channels cut in the slide. The recoil spring is captive.
The slide of the OHWS was made of stainless steel. The firing pin mechanism is identical to that of a Series 80 Colt M1911. The OHWS has a firing pin block. Angled cuts were made in both the front and rear of the ejection for reliability to minimize failures to eject. The slide has a fixed Trijicon Tritium night sight on the rear of the slide. The pistol was marked on the left side of the slide “Colt Offensive Handgun” and on the right side of the slide was marked “-45 ACP-”.
The Colt OHWS went with the ambidextrous M1911-style safety that enabled it to be carried cocked and locked, if desired. Like the M1911, the hammer would have to be cocked in order to engage the safety. The grip was narrow like the M1911 and utilized a single column 10 round magazine. Colt went with a single column magazine over a higher capacity double column magazine, due to the thought, by some, that the single column magazine would be more reliable feeding in desert environments. The magazine that was used was a modified commercial 10 round magazine. The magazine release was reversible.
The pistol had an oversized trigger guard and the frame was made of stainless steel with black plastic grip panels. The pistol has an oversized magazine release button and a lanyard ring. A mount was attached to the front of the frame for installing the laser aiming module. The requirement for a double action trigger with a decocker took Colt engineers right to their Colt Double Eagle pistols. The Double Eagle did not have any manual safety but had the Series-80 firing pin block, as does the Colt OHWS. The OHWS uses a Commander-type hammer.
Due to the barrel rotating, you could not screw the silencer onto the barrel. The weight would for sure cause malfunctions and accuracy problems. In a meeting with Colt engineers, along with Reed Knight and Gene Stoner, Stoner recommended the use of a muzzle brake that would attach to the frame and made a rough sketch of a design. The solution was the addition of a muzzle break/silencer attachment device to the frame. This attachment was held onto the frame by a rail and two toggle switches. The front sight is also in the attachment. The silencer would have a quick detachable mount where a locking gate would slide down and engaged the notches on both sides of the muzzle break.
An additional feature on the Colt pistol, which was later eliminated from the final design (and was bought from H&K) was the slide lock. To eliminate the slide chatter, thus reducing dB from firing the pistol with the silencer, a mechanical lever was placed in the frame that locked the slide into battery. So, the pistol would become a single shot. Once the round was fired, the lock would have to be disengaged and the slide retracted. This was originally to kill two birds with one stone. First, to eliminate the slide chatter/reduce noise. And the second, was to keep the fired cartridge case in the pistol and not left for an enemy intelligence to find and track down the producer of the ammunition. Colt testing found that the pistol was just as quiet with the slide unlocked as it was locked. Interesting to note is that in the final requirement, SOCOM felt this feature was putting the operator’s life in danger by not having the follow-up shot.
With the project completion date moving closer, Colt engineers conducted accuracy and service life testing. Endurance trials were conducted by Colt technicians in excess of 20,000 rounds. This life testing was comprised of both ball and the new +P cartridges. Colt found no reliability issues.
An additional feature on the Colt pistol, which was later eliminated from the final design (and was bought from H&K) was the slide lock. To eliminate the slide chatter, thus reducing dB from firing the pistol with the silencer, a mechanical lever was placed in the frame that locked the slide into battery. So, the pistol would become a single shot. Once the round was fired, the lock would have to be disengaged and the slide retracted. This was originally to kill two birds with one stone. First, to eliminate the slide chatter/reduce noise. And the second, was to keep the fired cartridge case in the pistol and not left for an enemy intelligence to find and track down the producer of the ammunition. Colt testing found that the pistol was just as quiet with the slide unlocked as it was locked. Interesting to note is that in the final requirement, SOCOM felt this feature was putting the operator’s life in danger by not having the follow-up shot.
With the project completion date moving closer, Colt engineers conducted accuracy and service life testing. Endurance trials were conducted by Colt technicians in excess of 20,000 rounds. This life testing was comprised of both ball and the new +P cartridges. Colt found no reliability issues.
The silencer was designed by Doug Olsen at Knight’s Armament Company. This included the actual silencer internals and testing. Primarily, Colt gave the specifications on length of the silencer, as well as, the overall length of the weapon system. Colt and Knight worked together on the attachment of the silencer to the muzzle brake. Heckler & Koch originally tried to design their own silencer but wound up going to Knight’s to develop the final silencer for the Mk23.
The silencer attaches to the muzzle brake of the pistol. The muzzle brake is attached to the frame of the pistol, not the barrel. Due to the rotating barrel locking system, the traditional threaded barrel could not be used. The suppressor is attached by pressing a thumb latch upward and placing it over the muzzle brake, ensuring the front sight enters and stops against the slot in the rear-top surface of the suppressor. Releasing the thumb latch then allows the pins to interlock with the frame mounted muzzle brake
The Colt OHWS’s fate lied in several areas. Some of these reasons include the pistol was too tall due to the use of the single column magazine, the pistol was too heavy, as well as, problems with the Laser Aiming Module. Colt’s financial status at the time of these trials was not good to say the least. Political issues could have arisen if Colt was chosen by SOCOM and they went Chapter 11 or 7 during the procurement.
The silencer attaches to the muzzle brake of the pistol. The muzzle brake is attached to the frame of the pistol, not the barrel. Due to the rotating barrel locking system, the traditional threaded barrel could not be used. The suppressor is attached by pressing a thumb latch upward and placing it over the muzzle brake, ensuring the front sight enters and stops against the slot in the rear-top surface of the suppressor. Releasing the thumb latch then allows the pins to interlock with the frame mounted muzzle brake
The Colt OHWS’s fate lied in several areas. Some of these reasons include the pistol was too tall due to the use of the single column magazine, the pistol was too heavy, as well as, problems with the Laser Aiming Module. Colt’s financial status at the time of these trials was not good to say the least. Political issues could have arisen if Colt was chosen by SOCOM and they went Chapter 11 or 7 during the procurement.
During SOCOM testing it would be the failure of the durability of the barrel which influenced the elimination of the Colt candidate from the competition. The barrel failures were caused by an undercut in front of the locking lugs that was machined in by the barrel vendor slightly too deep. The vendor also left a sharp corner in the barrel between this undercut, and the front of the locking lugs where a fillet radius was supposed to be. The combination of a too deep undercut in the barrel in this area, and the sharp corner, allowed the barrel to start to crack in this area after extremely high round counts during SOCOM endurance testing. The pistols would continue to fire with a cracked barrel until eventually the crack grew to a point where the barrel broke in half in front of the locking lugs during SOCOM endurance testing.
At that point, the shooter immediately became aware that something was wrong because even though the gun fired - the recoil didn't feel right and the sound the gun made was markedly different than normal. Due to the way the barrel was supported in front (by the slide and muzzle brake) and in back (by the slide and top of the receiver), even though the barrel had now broken in half, the two pieces were still more-or-less lined up enough to allow the bullet to pass through without a catastrophic event. And it was mentioned by SOCOM that the first time this happened, a few rounds were inadvertently put through the gun with a two piece barrel before the gun was finally disassembled to find out what was wrong.
At that point, the shooter immediately became aware that something was wrong because even though the gun fired - the recoil didn't feel right and the sound the gun made was markedly different than normal. Due to the way the barrel was supported in front (by the slide and muzzle brake) and in back (by the slide and top of the receiver), even though the barrel had now broken in half, the two pieces were still more-or-less lined up enough to allow the bullet to pass through without a catastrophic event. And it was mentioned by SOCOM that the first time this happened, a few rounds were inadvertently put through the gun with a two piece barrel before the gun was finally disassembled to find out what was wrong.
RSS Feed