The Colt Double Eagle is a double-action / single action, semi-automatic

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...

manufactured by

Colt's Manufacturing Company Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC (CMC, formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company) is an American firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt and is now a subsidiary of Czech holding company Colt CZ Group. It is the suc ...

between 1989 and 1997. It was available in standard full-size, as well as in more compact versions. It featured a decocking lever, and was chambered for several

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore matc ...

s. The family of models was known as the Series 90. The design of the Double Eagle was based on the Colt

M1911 pistol The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) 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 t ...

. Magazines are single stack and are identical to magazines shipped with the M1911. Most of the Double Eagle models were available in stainless steel only, however the "Lightweight" Officer's had an alloy frame and blued slide. Ron Smith of

Smith Enterprise, Inc. Smith Enterprise Inc. (SEI) is a firearm and accessory manufacturing facility based in Tempe, Arizona that is known for making flash suppressors, muzzle brakes, sound suppressors, M14 rifles and accessories for M14 rifles. Smith Enterprise play ...

was the main designer of the double action mechanism. The slide used a version of Colt's series 80 locking firing pin safety, but unlike Colt's series 80 pistols, the Double Eagle Officer's model in

.45 ACP The .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) or .45 Auto (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 ...

held an 8-round magazine.

Variations

The Double Eagle was chambered for several calibers; among the more common are

and

10mm Auto The 10mm Auto (10×25mm, official C.I.P. nomenclature: 10 mm Auto, official SAAMI nomenclature: 10mm Automatic) is a semi-automatic pistol cartridge introduced in 1983. Its design was adopted and later produced by ammunition manufacturer ...

. Occasionally, one will see a copy in .40 S&W,

9×19mm Parabellum The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger or simply 9mm) is a rimless, tapered firearms cartridge. Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer Georg Luger in 1901, it is widely considered the most popular handgun ...

, and

.38 Super The .38 Super, also known as .38 Super +P, .38 Super Auto, .38 Super Automatic, .38 Super Automatic +P, or 9×23mmSR, is a pistol cartridge that fires a bullet. It was introduced in the late 1920s as a higher pressure loading of the .38 ACP, a ...

. Similar to the M1911, Colt offered, in addition to the full-sized version, the more compact

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

and

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

versions. The full-sized version was chambered for .45 ACP and 10mm Auto, as well as in 9mm and .38 Super for a time in 1992. The Commander was chambered for .45 ACP, along with a somewhat rare .40 S&W version in 1992. The Officer's model was available in .45 ACP and rarely .40 S&W, again only in 1992. Colt eventually redesigned the trigger mechanism and added a retaining plate due to some shooters having problems with skin being pinched by the top part of the trigger, as well as some springs only being retained by the grip panel. The result was the Double Eagle Mark II.

References

External links

Official Safety and Instruction Manual (registration required)
(.pdf)
Safety and Instruction Manual (copy)
(.pdf) {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 .40 S&W semi-automatic pistols .45 ACP semi-automatic pistols 9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols 10mm Auto semi-automatic pistols 1911 platform

Double Eagle A double eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. (Its gold content of 0.9675 troy oz (30.0926 grams) was worth $20 at the 1849 official price of $20.67/oz.) The coins are 34 mm x 2 mm and are made from ...

Semi-automatic pistols of the United States