NAACO Brigadier
Encyclopedia
The North American Arms Corporation (NAACO) Brigadier 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 gr bullet, the .45 NAACO cartridge could produce muzzle velocities of up to 1600 feet per second (487.7 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.
in recent years, it may be that the Brigadier was simply before its time, and presented to the wrong market (besides, the heavy recoil would have made impractical as a military side arm).
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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
requirements for a service handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
in the aftermath of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was based largely on the FN
Fabrique Nationale de Herstal
Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal — self identified as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN — is a firearms manufacturer located in Herstal, Belgium....
GP35 Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
self-loading pistol of 1935, but scaled up significantly. Whereas the Hi-Power used the 9 mm Para
9 mm Luger Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was designed by Georg Luger and introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken for their Luger semi-automatic pistol...
cartridge, the NAACO Brigadier used a new long-case .45" round of much greater power than the then-standard .45 ACP
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
. With a standard 230 gr bullet, the .45 NAACO cartridge could produce muzzle velocities of up to 1600 feet per second (487.7 m/s), or almost twice as fast as the .45 ACP. In order to keep weight down, the pistol used an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
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.
Collapse and aftermath
In the end, the project fell victim to NATO standardization, and the company folded in 1952. Only prototypes were built, and the weapon never entered service; the Brigadier's rarity makes it pricey on the gun market. It is unlikely that it would have seen much success in any event, as military doctrine of the day would have roundly criticized the adoption of such a heavy service sidearm. However, given the success of the Desert EagleDesert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
in recent years, it may be that the Brigadier was simply before its time, and presented to the wrong market (besides, the heavy recoil would have made impractical as a military side arm).
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
.45 Winchester Magnum
The .45 Winchester Magnum is a .45 caliber rimless cartridge intended for use in semi-automatic pistols. The cartridge is a stretched version of the .45 ACP with additional strengthening in the web area to accommodate the higher operating pressure...
. It has since been used in a number of handguns.
Resources
- Hogg, Ian & John Weeks. Pistols of the World: The Definitive Illustrated Guide to the World's Pistols and Revolvers, 3rd Edition. DBI Books: Northbrook, IL, 1992. ISBN 0-87349-128-9.
- ".45 Winchester Magnum." Sierra Handloading Manual, 4th Edition. Sierra Bullets.