NAACO Brigadier

NAACO Brigadier
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin  Canada
Production history
Manufacturer North American Arms Corporation (NAACO)
Specifications
Weight
  • 1896 g (66.9 oz)
Length 245 mm (9.7 in)
Barrel length 140 mm (5.5 in)
Cartridge .45 NAACO (later renamed .45 Winchester Magnum)
Action mechanically locked, recoil operated (DA/SA)
Muzzle velocity 1600 ft/s (490 m/s)
Feed system 8-round detachable box magazine
Sights Iron sights

The North America Arms Corporation Limited, 8 Bermondsey Road and later at 1480 Birchmount Road, Toronto, Ontario (NAACO). The company began its pilot operations in January 1959. In September 1959 Major General Chris Vokes was elected to the Board of Directors of the new corporation. The Brigadier pistol was developed to meet Canadian requirements for a service handgun in the aftermath of World War II. It was based largely on the FN GP35 Hi-Power self-loading pistol of 1935, but scaled up significantly. Whereas the Hi-Power used the 9 mm Para cartridge, the NAACO Brigadier used a new long-case .45" round of much greater power than the then-standard .45 ACP. With a standard 230-grain (15 g) bullet, the .45 NAACO cartridge could produce muzzle velocities of up to 1,600 feet per second (490 m/s), or almost twice as fast as the .45 ACP. In order to keep weight down, the pistol used an aluminium slide, but still weighed more than four pounds, unloaded. Its box magazine could carry eight rounds of ammunition. A removable trigger module allowed for a fully automatic configuration, complete with an attachable butt-stock. This would produce a sub-machine gun configuration called the Borealis (never constructed). Gunsmith Robert Herman and Designer Russell Sutherland spent a year developing the prototype. The company also produced the .308 caliber Grizzly and Homestead rifles, along with 12 gauge pump action shotguns, the Mallard (Model 15M) and La Salle; and, a No. 10 Grizzly .22 (Also made Nos. 20, and 30) rimfire single-shot bolt-action rifle. The company also imported guns from Japan and Spain. NAACO's President was John R. Cavanagh. On December 18, 1962 the assets of the bankrupt company were sold at auction by J. Spadafora and Company on the Birchmount Road premises.

Collapse and aftermath

In the end, the Brigadier project fell victim to NATO standardization, and the company folded in 1962. Only one prototype was built, and the weapon never entered service; the Brigadier's rarity makes it pricey on the gun market.

The .45 NAACO cartridge sank into obscurity, but was revived in the 1970s by Winchester as a long-range target round. Ballistic performance was nearly identical to the original, and the cartridge was christened .45 Winchester Magnum. It has since been used in a number of handguns.

See also

Resources

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