Back in 1895, the US Army made the decision to retire its collection of Colt and Smith & Wesson .45 revolvers, most of these weapons dated back to 1873 and there was a lot of intrest in the new smokeless powder cartridges. So Colt sold the Army on what became the M1895 .38-caliber revolver. It was a smaller caliber, it was double-action and it was easier to shoot than the old thumb-buster single action revolvers. Looked like a great weapon.
Until the Spanish American War.
In the aftermath of the SAW, the US came into possession of the Phillippine Islands, and soon found themselves involved in putting down the local resistance. It was quickly discovered that the .38-caliber round just didn't have the same knock-down effect as the old .45 and the US Army scrambled to refurbish and reissue as many of the "old" revolvers as possible. It also spurred Colt to develop the M-1911 pistol, one of the longest serving, and most reliable, hard-hitting weapons of the 20th Century.
Even though the M1895 emerged with its reputation in tatters, it did see a second chance during World War One, when cases of the pistol were brought out of storage and issued as training weapons for the Doughboys.
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