| NAACO Brigadier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin |  Canada |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Russell Sutherland |
| Manufacturer | North American Arms Corporation (NAACO) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 245 mm (9.7 in) |
| Barrel length | 140 mm (5.5 in) |
| Cartridge | .45 NAACO (later renamed .45 Winchester Magnum) |
| Action | mechanically locked, recoil operated (DA/SA) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1600 ft/s (490 m/s) |
| Feed system | 8-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The Brigadier is a pistol developed by the North America Arms Corporation (NAACO) 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 9×19mm cartridge, the NAACO Brigadier used a new long-case .45 inch round of greater length and much greater power than the then-standard .45 ACP. With a standard 230-grain (15 g) bullet, the .45 NAACO cartridge could produce muzzle velocities of up to 1,600 feet per second (490 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.[citation needed] 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 (never constructed). Gunsmith Robert Herman and Designer Russell Sutherland spent a year developing the prototype.