When Singer Manufacturing Co. built the best .45-caliber pistol

The .45-caliber pistol, aka the M1911A1, is one of the most iconic handguns ever made. Perhaps the rarest of this common breed are those made by Singer Manufacturing Co. Best known for manufacturing sewing machines, Singer produced a handful of .45s on the eve of World War II. The guns were so good that the U.S. military asked the company to build more complicated equipment instead.