Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! In the 1980s, LAR Manufacturing’s brawny LAR Grizzly unleashed magnum revolver cartridges in a semi-automatic pistol platform. This supersized 1911 fired heavy hitters like the .45 Winchester Magnum and .44 Magnum. Originally conceived by inventor Perry Arnett, the LAR Grizzly extensively modified Browning’s Government Model to withstand levels of power that would cripple standard 1911s. An overbuilt frame, beefy slide, and 27 lb recoil spring allowed the Grizzly to digest potent rounds generating over 20,000 psi breech pressures. The first 1983 LAR Grizzly Mark I models centered on the .45 Win Mag – driving 230 grain bullets to a blistering 1450 fps. Conversion kits provided caliber swaps between .357 Mag, 10mm, and eventually .50 AE. Stretching over 10 inches, the ported 6.5″ barrel helped moderate recoil from this thunderous semi-auto magnum. Until ending production in 1999, around 15,000 LAR Grizzlies were produced across the Mark I-V models.
“Manufacturer: Lar Mfg Co
Model: Grizzly Mark I
Type: Pistol
Gauge: 45 Win Mag
Barrel: 6 1/4 inch round
Finish: blue
Grip: rubber”
Lot 16: LAR Grizzly .45 Win Mag Mark I Semi-Automatic Pistol. (n.d.-a). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved May 13, 2024, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2075/16/lar-grizzly-45-win-mag-mark-i-semiautomatic-pistol.
