Colt design engineer Henry A. Into recalled that they wanted a selective-fire weapon as the basis of their replacement for the M1911A1. Colt designers looked at smallest submachine guns of the day (including the Czech Škorpion vz.
Henry A. Into, a Colt design engineer, recalled wanting a selective-fire weapon to replace the M1911A1. Colt designers considered the smallest submachine guns available at the time, such as the Czech Škorpion vz.