Notes: The Bauer Firearms Company existed from 1972-84, and had one product: the Bauer Automatic, a high-quality clone of the Browning "Baby" .25 ACP pistol. Two versions were available: the SS (Satin Stainless) and the SB (Stainless Blued). Both versions could have fine walnut or simulated pearl grip plates. Though not well known, the Bauer is regarded as one of the best Browning Baby clones ever built. Unfortunately, Bauer’s business failed in 1984; though the design was later bought and sold by RB Industries under the brand name of Fraser, production of this design stopped entirely in 1990.

Notes: The competition for the pistol that became the M-9 began in earnest in 1977, when the US Air Force began a search for a replacement for their badly-worn M-1911A1s and the revolvers (mostly Smith & Wesson Model 15s) in use by their aircrews and security police. However, since about 1955, the Pentagon had been investigating the adoption of a 9mm Parabellum-firing pistol, since the 9mm Parabellum round was the de facto NATO service pistol round. (Though the pistols that were tested between 1955 and the adoption of the Beretta M-92SB-F as the M-9 were judged unsatisfactory, most of them became popular civilian and/or police weapons in the United States and Europe.) Tests done by engineers and scientists seemed to show that the 9mm Parabellum round could be just as effective as the .45 ACP round, with proper marksmanship training – something that flew in the face of the actual experience of US soldiers and Marines. The Army and Marines did know that their M-1911s were requiring increasingly more maintenance and even rebuilding to keep them in action, and were willing to replace them – but they didn’t want a 9mm Parabellum-firing pistol. Unfortunately, the JSSAP committee (Joint Services Small Arms Program) decided to find a new pistol anyway – one that fired the 9mm Parabellum round. The US Air Force was given the task of testing and selection.

The JSSAP pistol tested 8 pistol designs from US and European companies. The eventual winner was a modification of the Beretta M-92S (first designated the M-92S-1, later the M-92SB-F, and then the M-92F when it was placed on the civilian market). Modifications made to the M-92S included squaring off of the front of the trigger guard, an optional magazine with an extended base, grip plates made of stronger and more durable plastic, and a lanyard ring to allow the attachment of a retention cord (generally called a "dummy cord" in the US military). The barrel is of a slightly different length, 4.94 inches. The finish of the M-9 is a proprietary Beretta finish called Bruniton, which is a derivative of Teflon. Later versions of the M-9 are based on the M-92FS; these versions of the M-9 do not have a different designation, but use a more reliable safety and include a decocker. Some strengthening was also made to the slide and frame, as hairline cracking was a frequent complaint about the M-9. Another modification is very recent; in Iraq, the use of old and commercially-bought magazines with the M-9 (due to shortages of magazine in US military supply systems) led to frequent stoppages, as the old magazines were worn out and the commercial magazines (even when bought from Beretta) did not work well in the M-9. Modifications were made to allow the M-9 greater flexibility in the magazines it would accept. (All three of these versions of the M-9 are identical for game purposes).

The newest iteration of the M-9, the M-9A1, has a number of changes from the late-model M-9s. The most noticeable difference is the addition of an integral MIL-STD-1913 rail under the dust cover for use with accessories. The magazine well is flared to allow for quicker reloading, and magazines issued with the M-9A1 (which will also fit into other M-9s) have protective anticorrosion finish of PVD. In addition, the magazine release is reversible. (For game purposes, the M-9A1 shoots identically to the M-9).

So whether the troops are happy with the M-9 or not, it has become the US military’s service pistol. Many special ops units are using .45 ACP-firing pistols, and there is a growing movement in the US Army and Marines to ditch the M-9 in favor of a new .45 ACP-firing pistol. Oh well.

Notes: Briley Arms manufactures custom-made, match-quality weapons, as well as modifying other weapons to customer request. One of their pistols is the Advantage, a 1911-type weapon that has a Commander hammer, a Bo-Mar micrometer rear sight, and a match-quality barrel with a special Briley barel bushing to increase accuracy and resist muzzle wear. The ejection port is enlarged for more positive extraction, and the safety catch is enlarged. The grip safety is enlarged to the beavertail. The grip plates are walnut, and the finish is an unusual bluish-purple.

Notes: Similar in form to the Platemaster, this pistol has a polymer frame, four-chamber compensator, and comes with an optical sight designed by Briley. The slide is also partly open to save weight. It is a huge weapon in size, but is light for that size.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This pistol has a light alloy Caspian frame and a steel slide. Both the front and the back of the slide has grooves for grasping when coking the weapon. The top of the slide is flat, but the sights are fixed. The barrel is match-quality, but short; the trigger, hammer, and sear are also match-quality. The safety catch is ambidextrous and the grip safety is extended into the beavertail. The ejection port and extractor are enlarged. The Fantom has the characteristic Briley bluish-purple finish.

Also available is the "C" model; this version has a compensator with a single chamber to reduce recoil.

Notes: This pistol can come in with a black polymer frame or in virtually any color the buyer wishes. It has a Briley micrometer sight, a match barrel with Briley barrel bushing, and enlarged ejection port and extractor. The safety catch is ambidextrous and enlarged. The grip safety is enlarged; the grip has a thumb rest and the magazines have an extension for large hands and easy gripping when reloading. The steel slide has the characteristic Briley bluish-purple finish.

Notes: This pistol was designed specifically for falling plate competitions, in which the competitors shoot at 48-inch steel plates that drop when hit. The Platemaster is of all-steel construction, with cocking gooves on the front and back of the slide. The Platemaster has a two-chamber TC II titanium compensator. It is equipped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail mounting a Briley combat rear sight. It has a special Briley trigger, hammer, and sear. The safety catch is enlarged and the grip safety is extended. The grip plates are of walnut and the pistol has the bluish-purple finish.

Notes: This is one of the more "normal" Briley pistols. However, it still has a number of enhancements, such as a B-Mar micrometer sight, the Briley barrel bushing, cocking grooves on the front and rear of the slide, an enlarged ejection port and extractor, match trigger, match hammer, match sear, and an enlarged safety. It also has the standard Briley bluish-purple finish and a polymer frame.

Notes: This pistol comes in a variety of calibers and can have a polymer or light alloy frame. It has a match barrel with the Briley bushing as well as a titanium inner bushing. The Ejection port and extractor are enlarged for more positive extraction. The Versatility Plus has a match trigger, sear, and hammer. The safety is ambidextrous and enlarged, and the grip safety is extended.

Notes: Brolin Arms originally operated from 1995-99; however, they now have a new web site and appear to have re-incorporated under the name Brolin Industries. Their primary focus was 1911 clones, and though they still produce some pistols, their main focus now appears to be expert modification and acurizing of pistols and shotguns.

The Legend is one of the designs produced by the old Brolin Arms. Also known as the L-45, this is essentially a 1911 clone, with fixed sights, an enlarged ejection port, a funnel-type magazine well for quicker reloads, a throated match barrel, a hand-finished and polished feed ramp, and a skeletonized trigger. Finish was generally matte blue, and grip plates were of wood, though Brolin had a number of customized available at request. Several variants were available: the L-45 Standard (or simply L-45) was a full-sized version using a 5-inch barrel and a standard 1911-type 7-round magazine; the L-45 Compact (or L-45C) used a 4.5-inch barrel and an abbreviated grip with a reduced-size magazine; and the L-45T, which used the shortened barrel and slide of the L-45C on the full-sized frame of the L-45 Standard. (The L-45T was not introduced until 1997, and is therefore relatively rare.

The Patriot series were deluxe versions of the Legend. In addition to the Legend’s features, the Patriots had compensated barrels, extended beavertail grip safeties, a flat-top slide, and adjustable triggers. Finishes could be matte blued like the Legend, but most were produced with satin-nickel finishes on the frame and a blued slide. Another finish available was all-nickel plated.

The P-45 Comp (also known as the P-45 Standard Carry Comp), used a 4-inch barrel. (The barrel length was reduced in order to make it the same length as the L-45 even though a compensator was fitted.) The P-45C Comp (also known as the P-45 Compact Carry Comp) was likewise made to match the dimensions of the L-45 Compact, reducing the barrel length to 3.25 inches. As with the Legend, a P-45T Comp version was also built, with the P-45C Comp’s barrel, slide, and compensator atop the P-45 Comp’s frame.

The last member of the Legend family is the Pro-Series. The Pro-Series, designed for competition, adds features such as a full-length guide rod, a "bump" on the grip safety for more positive engagement, checkering on the frontstrap and backstrap, an ambidextrous thumb safety, and an adjustable target-type rear sight. Two models are available: the Pro-Stock, essentially as described above, and the Pro-Comp, with an integral muzzle compensator. The Pro-Stock uses a 5-inch barrel and the Pro-Comp a 4-inch barrel; both barrels are made to very high standards.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Legend and Patriot are rare in the Twilight 2000 timeline, with the L-45T, P-45T Comp, and Pro-Series versions being especially rare.

Notes: The Tactical Series was based on the tried-and-true Colt-Browning operation, and also on the Legend series. Produced from 1997-99, the Tactical Series had all of the standard features of the L-45, and in addition used a coned match barrel somewhat heavier than that of the L-45, Novak Low-Profile sights (with night inserts being an option), an improved extractor (called an "Iron Claw" extractor by Brolin), and a slightly-larger magazine capacity. Most members of the Tactical Series are virtually identical except for caliber and magazine capacity.

The "core" pistol of the series was the M-45. The M-45 used double-action and the sights were of the 3-dot type (though they were still Novak Low-Profile sights), with a barrel 5 inches long. Most were finished in matte blue, but a polished blue version was also available. The MS-45 was identical except for a 6-inch barrel. The M-40 is identical to the M-45 except for its chambering; the MC-40 is a compact version with a 3.5-inch barrel atop the full-size Tactical Series frame; and the MB-40 (also known as the Bantam) uses the 3.5-inch barrel on a smaller frame. The M-90 series are essentially identical to the M-40 series, except for their 9mm Parabellum chamberings.

The Tactical 1911 (more commonly known as the TAC-11), is also similar to the M-45 in many ways, but is more highly accurized and fitted, with many more options available. The TAC-11 also uses a strengthened frame, heavier barrel, single-action operation, contoured wrap-around black rubber grips, a full-length sighting rib atop the slide, and many other improved components, leading to the TAC-11 being considerably heavier than the M-45.

Of all of these Brolin pistols (including the Legend Series), the MB-40 and MB-90 are the only "old" Brolin designs now being produced under the re-incorporated Brolin Industries.

Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the Tactical Series are some of the rarest Brolin designs.

Notes: The Bryco 38 (actually distributed by Jennings Firearms) is a pocket pistol that is one of the smallest ever built. It is a lightweight steel pistol finished in satin nickel, chrome, or black Teflon, with polished ribbed wooden grip plates. It is a single-action weapon. The Bryco 48 is a somewhat larger version of this pistol, but is otherwise identical.