Notes: This is a highly modified M-1911A1, manufactured to strict tolerances and modified to fire .38 Casull ammunition. The design work was done by Dick Casull himself, and most of these weapons were built by his company. They are very rare, but accurate and sought after. They have a match barrel, adjustable front and rear sights, a match trigger, a beveled magazine well, and exotic wood grip panels.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Except in the machine shops of Dick Casull himself (after he relocated to Eastern Wyoming after the November Nuclear Strikes), this weapon was never built.

Notes: These are a series of 1911-type pistols which improve upon the original model. There are several types available for all sorts of users of .45 ACP pistols.

The Field FS (Full-Size) was introduced in 1998 and is basically a highly-improved M-1911A1. The pistol is finished in dark matte, and the slide has cocking grooves in the back and front. The safety catch is ambidextrous. The slide catch is extended. The grip safety is also extended into a beavertail, and the magazine well is beveled. The Field MS (Medium-Size) is compact version of the Field FS, with a shorter barrel. The Field PC is a "wide-body" 1911, with a double-stack magazine. The Superior MS is the same size as the Field MS, but has a combination matte stainless steel/carbon finish, grip plates of black plastic, a special combat trigger, and an enlarged ejection port. The Superior PC has a stainless steel slide and carbon frame (the opposite of the Superior MS); it is otherwise the same as the Superior MS, except for the barrel length.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These weapons do not exist.

Notes: This pistol, introduced in 2000, is a highly-accurized, compact model of the M-1911A1. It has a matte stainless steel finish, sights dovetailed into the slide (including an adjustable rear sight), a lengthened grip safety, and a beveled magazine well. The grips plates are of hardwood.

Notes: These are polymer-frame, heavy-caliber pistols with matte-finished carbon steel slides. The DDA is designed to be ergonomically correct and easy to hold, with natural pointing qualities. The magazine catch is normally on the left side of the frame behind the trigger guard, but may be moved to the right side. The magazine catch is enlarged, and the magazine well is beveled. The 10-round magazines were designed with the Brady Gun Bill in mind; high-capacity magazines are quite possible for the future.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist.

Notes: This is a highly modified M-1911-style pistol; the result ends looking very much like a Kimber Custom. It is a pistol designed for people with tight budgets, constructed mostly out of ordinary blued steel. It does have a few frills, however; the EFS-1911 comes with a snag-free, dovetailed Novak-style rear sight, and a dovetailed front sight. The trigger is a bit creepy, but it performs well with virtually any sort of ammunition. Note that while the EFS-1911 is sold almost entirely in the US by Charles Daly, they are actually manufactured by the Arms Corporation of the Philippines.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist.

Notes: This is basically a Browning HP-35 Hi-Power given the Charles Daly treatment. The primary visible differences are the fit and finish, which are much cleaner and crisper than the standard Hi-Power; however, Charles Daly has made a number of improvements and alterations to the basic design. The safety has a larger contact surface; this corrects the tendency of the HP-35 to difficult to thumb off safety, as well as correcting the flaw that will sometimes allow the HP-35 to fire when dropped or bumped. The Charles Daly Hi-Power is also more compact than the HP-35.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon does not exist.

Charter Arms Explorer II

Notes: An American sporting pistol, the Explorer is unusual in that the magazine feed is in front of the trigger guard. An extra magazine is carried in the grip and the barrels are interchangeable. This weapon was designed primarily for the survival market.

Notes: The M-40 is essentially a German Erma EP-452 pistol with its parts shipped to the US and assembled by Charter Arms, and modified slightly to accommodate the tastes of US buyers and satisfy US civilian weapon laws. It is a conventional single-action blowback pistol made to resemble the M-1911A1 in external appearance (though internally, the M-40 is very different and the M-40 is much smaller). The M-40 is finished in stainless steel with black plastic grip plates. The M-40 was sold until the late 1980s. A variant of the M-40, the M-42T, is designed for plinking and target shooting; it has an extended 6-inch barrel and adjustable sights. The finish of the M-42T was almost always blued, with grips of walnut. The M-42T was built only from 1984-85. The M-79K is a larger-caliber modification of the M-40, but shares the same general appearance, finish, and design features.

Notes: This is a conversion which is applicable to various full-sized 1911-type pistols, and is actually more common in kit form rather than as a complete pistol. It basically converts the 1911-type pistol into a .22 Long Rifle-firing target pistol. The kit improves the fit of the pistol, with closer tolerances of the slide and many of the working parts. The kit consists of a new aluminum-alloy slide, a new slide stop, a new barrel, new firing pin and associated parts, new extractor and associated parts, new ejector, new recoil spring, buffer and associated parts, and a new magazine. Adjustable Eliason rear sights are an option. The conversion requires no special skill; if you can disassemble and re-assemble your pistol, you can do this conversion. Regardless of which 1911-type pistol you use, the results are largely the same; there may be some slight weight differences, but all are basically the same after the conversion.

Notes: As the name suggests, Clark Custom Guns specializes in building and modifying existing weapons, often to individual requests and specifications. One of their products is a drop-in kit that converts a 1911-type pistol to fire the hot .460 Rowland cartridge, a "wildcat round gone straight" designed by Johnny Rowland. The kit consists of a barrel equipped with a muzzle brake, a replacement bushing and link, a heavier slide and firing pin springs, a two-piece guide rod, and a heavier recoil spring. The kit fits right into most .45 ACP 1911-types without any sort of machining or other modifications, and the kit even includes an Allen wrench to tighten the new parts. The result is a pistol with better punch than the .45 ACP, but heavier and larger (and reputedly very fun to shoot).

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

Notes: These pocket pistols use essentially the same basic design, but different barrel lengths, different grip lengths, and in some cases different grip plate materials. All are made virtually entirely of steel, finished in bright chrome, black powder coat or satin nickel. Though the FS-32 and FS-380 have generally more rounded surfaces, the internal mechanisms are basically the same, and sights are fixed, low profile notch-and-blade sights. Both use shrouded hammers.

The CA-32 and CA-380 use a 2.8-inch barrel. Grip plates are made of black molded plastic on the CA-380, or laminated wood on the CA-32. The butt has a removable lanyard ring. Case ejection is almost straight up, and the ejection port is offset only slightly to the right side.

The FS-32 and FS-380 use a 3.5-inch barrel with ribbed, black molded plastic grip plates. The ejection port is conventional, with an external extractor. The magazines include a finger stop.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These pistols do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: Cobra Enterprises of Utah entered the firearms game in 2002, and is therefore a relative newcomer. Nonetheless, they have established a good reputation for firearms, and particularly their line of compact pistols, including the Patriot. (It should also be noted that when Davis Industries, Republic Arms, and Talon Industries went out of business in late 2002, Cobra bought those three companies and now makes most of their former products.)

The Patriot is typical for Cobra pistols: it has a polymer frame with rubber grips, a steel slide which may be finished in stainless steel or Black Melonite, a locked breech, and a chamber loaded indicator atop the slide with visual and tactile indication. Most Cobra pistols also have several passive safeties as well as a manual safety and in many cases, a slide lock.

The Patriot comes in three flavors, the Patriot-380, Patriot-9, and Patriot-45. The Patriot-380 and Patriot-9 are essentially identical, having checkered rubber grip insets and overall compact dimensions, and both use a 3.3-inch barrel. Sights on both consist of a non-adjustable low-profile rear notch and a front, low-profile blade.

The Patriot-45, on the other hand, is externally almost a different weapon. In addition to being physically larger due to its chambering (though the barrel length is still 3.3 inches), the grip has a more ergonomic design, with a finger swell on the frontstrap, a larger grip with checkered sides that extend almost to the slide, and a ribbed backstrap. The slide catch is also moved somewhat forward from its position on the Cobra-380 and Cobra-9. Though it is in fact larger, it is not really that much larger than the Patriot-380 or Patriot-9, and is still a sub-compact pistol.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Patriot does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This is a new plinking pistol introduced in 1994 at the SHOT show. It is a stainless steel weapon with a sighting rib down the barrel in addition to regular sights. This weapon was known as the Colt Cadet. This pistol was later refined into the Colt 22 Target; the Target has a longer barrel, and a micrometer rear sight. Production of both models stopped in 2000.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Cadet is a very rare weapon, and the Colt 22 Target virtually nonexistent.

Colt 2000

Notes: The Colt Model 2000 (also called the All American) was one of Colt’s first attempts to enter the market for high-capacity 9mm Parabellum pistols, which had seen a dramatic upswing since the late 1980s. However, the Model 2000 was not actually a Colt design; it was bought from Knight Armament Company (KAC), and was actually designed by Reed Knight and Eugene Stoner. The Model 2000 was introduced in 1991, but Colt, for some reason, ramped up production of the Model 2000 very slowly, and it was a limited-production pistol until the mid-1990s.

The Model 2000 uses DAO operation; DAO was not unusual on European pistol designs at the time, but it was almost heard of in a US pistol design in the early 1990s. Another unusual feature was its method of breech locking – a barrel that rotates using a cam that fits into a block in the frame. Though not unheard of, this method of breech locking was quite unusual at the time, and had almost never been successfully employed in a pistol at that point.

The Model 2000 also used a polymer frame as standard (though a frame of light alloy was also available), another unusual feature in a US-designed pistol at that time. Polymer-framed versions typically have an all-over matte blue finish, while the alloy-framed versions usually have a matte blue frame and a polished-blue slide. Sights are of the 3-dot type. There is no manual safety, but there are three passive safeties as well slide lock. This leads to a very slim and ergonomically-sound design, even for those with small hands. The side plates are of checkered polymer, and both the backstrap and frontstrap are checkered as well. Trigger pull is a bit long (like most DAO pistols). Early Model 2000s had strange problems with accuracy that were quickly corrected, and the Model 2000 also seems to have a big problem with one specific brand and type of ammunition: Cor-Bon +P jacked hollowpoints when loaded with a Sierra bullet. (Many other pistols also have some feed problems with that specific type of ammunition, but it seems to have been particularly acute in the Model 2000.) The Model 2000 was almost exclusively found with a 4.5-inch barrel, but for a short period Colt also tried to sell the Model 2000 in a special package which had an exchangeable 5-inch and 3.75-inch barrel as well. (This kit is close to impossible to find today.)

The Colt 2000, unfortunately, sold poorly and production stopped in 1993. It is possible that the Model 2000 was literally "too innovative" for Americans at the time; in addition, the 9mm Parabellum round wasn’t anywhere as ubiquitous in the in the early 1990s in the United States as it is now. Most firearms experts agree, however, that the failure was not the fault of the pistol design itself, but marketing forces instead.

Twilight 2000 Notes: There are virtually no copies of the Colt 2000 in circulation in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This modification of the Colt Commander comes in an all-black version and a version with a stainless steel slide (identical for game purposes). The pistol has been smoothed as much as possible, including low-profile sights (adjustable in the rear), a smooth, short trigger, and dehorning. The slide has grasping serrations on the front and rear. The mechanism is simple, more reminiscent of early M-1911A1s than present-day 1911 clones. The grip is short, but just enough to wrap one’s fingers around; however, reloading can be a problem because of that short grip and the grasping hand getting in the way of the magazine falling free and inserting a fresh one. The frame of the Gunsite Commander is aluminum alloy, but it is stronger alloy than that of the Lightweight Commander (which often cracked). Grip plates are of polymer, and the slide is of steel. A major problem of the Gunsite Commander is the grip safety; the weapon can often actually fire without the grip safety being held down, by pulling hard on the trigger. Though this will definitely throw off one’s aim, it is a safety problem.

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

Colt Combat Commander

Notes: Considered by many to be the definitive version of the M1911A1, the Combat Commander is a slightly shorter version of that classic handgun. It is often carried by US Army officers in place of the M-1911A1. The Combat Commander is also available in 9mmP and .38Super, but these versions are rarely found. The Lightweight Commander is the same weapon, but uses a lightweight aluminum frame and comes in only one caliber.

Notes: The Pocket Nine (also called the CP-9000) was introduced in 1999. It has a stainless steel slide and a light alloy frame, and it is a very small and light weapon. The pistol can be difficult to shoot due to the small grip; there is no place for even a small-handed person to put the little finger of the firing hand, and this is exacerbated by the 9mm Parabellum cartridge and light weight of the weapon. A variant of the Pocket Nine, the TAC Nine, had a matte black finish (oxidized on the slide and anodized on the frame) and tritium inserts for the for the sights, but was otherwise identical to the Pocket Nine. In 2000, Colt went through reorganization, and the Pocket Nine and TAC Nine were dropped from production.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These weapons do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Notes: This compact pistol was introduced in 1997. It is basically a very small 1911-type pistol, about the same size as the Officers’ ACP, with a 3-inch barrel. The slide is of brush-finished stainless steel, and the frame is of light aluminum alloy. The trigger is skeletonized, as is the hammer, and the grips are of ergonomically-shaped rubber. The safety is enlarged, and the grips are of wrap-around rubber. The sights are of the 3-dot type and are also luminous. In 2000, the .40 Smith & Wesson chambering was dropped, but the .45 ACP version gained a beveled magazine well and an extended beavertail grip safety.

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

Merc 2000 Notes: This weapon is slowly replacing the M-15 General Officers’ Pistol and the Officers’ ACP in the Merc 2000 timeline.

Colt Delta Elite

Notes: The Delta Elite was a civilian pistol introduced in the late 1980s. It was introduced when the 10mm Colt Auto was a new and unproven round, and sales of the Delta Elite did not pick up for nearly 10 years; it was never really a big seller, as its real-life price was quite expensive. It was later tested by the FBI and Secret Service, though both those agencies eventually had pistols built especially for them.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Soldiers often acquired the Delta Elite since its 10mm Colt Auto round was superior in performance to the 9mm Parabellum round of the M-9.

Merc 2000 Notes: Many US civilians have equipped themselves with this weapon or weapons of the same caliber; unfortunately, so have criminals, and police have done the same in response.