Quote:
Originally Posted by wtfd661  From my understanding they were first designed by Ruger for the Military to compete in the tryouts (when the military MISTAKENLY decide to go away from the 1911 models  ). Not sure but I believe Ruger didn't get done with them in time (someone chime in if I'm mistaken about this) |
From Wikipedia:
The P85 was developed in 1985 but did not reach the market until 1987. This pistol used an investment cast aluminum frame and made extensive use of investment-cast parts and proprietary Ruger alloys. Nearly all internal parts, including the barrel, were stainless steel, while the slide and ejector were carbon steel. Disassembly was simple and the P85 was originally intended to compete as a 9mm replacement for the US Army's Model 1911A1. Unfortunately, development had not progressed significantly and the Army chose the Beretta M9. The P85 met the basic requirements being chambered for the NATO standard 9x19mm and was designed to handle high velocity ammunition commonly used by the military.
IIRC, the P85 did compete in the M11 trials, which were won by the SIG P228.