The Colt M45A1 is the new USMC service pistol. As much as its dress may change, this is still John Moses Browning's old reliable battlehorse. In an effort to makegunsthat are traditionally built with steel more affordable, gunmanufacturers have created a process to mold low impact gunparts rather than forge or mill each one. purchased pistol for combat use by its Special Operations units, including Force Recon. How did the pistols get to market? The Colt incorporates the dual recoil spring assembly of the firms recent commercial models, which seemed to dampen recoil somewhat. The trigger was eminently usable and a good match for a combat pistol intended for highly trained special operations forces. You may have read our first reviewhere, or our second here. About that time, the Custom Shop was downsized and no more of the Custom Shop M45A1s were made. Fit and finish were OK, but the Marines use it, so that is worth the premium. While the Colt Model 601 was the first AR-15 to be mass-produced, there were several design variations that came before during the platform's development. I was able to lay my hands on one of the decommissioned M45A1s to examine and evaluate it. I went through the boxes with the armorers, examining a few random Colts to get a sense of the pistols. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. THE GUN IS MATHCHING, IN 90% ORIGINAL CONDITION, WE HAVE A VERY RARE AND HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER POLICE EAGLE F MARKED WALTHER PPK WITH, IN 96% ORIGINAL UNMESSED WITH CONDITION, WE HAVE A VERY NICE EXAMPLE OF A 1944 PROUDCTION FN HIGH POWER PROUDCUED, IN 90% CONDITION, NICE BLUE BUT ALOT OF PITTING, WE HAVE A FANTASTICALLY RARE WALTHER MODEL 6 PISTOL IN 9MM, Colt General Officer & Rare US Property Pistols, SOLD GERMAN G43 ORIGINAL MOUNT AND ZF4 SCOPE EARLY DUV CODE, SOLD RARE ORIGINAL SIMSON EAGLE 6 LUGER TOOL, sold 1913 DWM LUGER VERY NICE AND HARD TO FIND, Sold RUSSIAN TT 33 TOKAREV 1942 WITH MATCHING MAG. There is slight movement and a feel of roll through the break, but I wouldnt necessarily call it creep in a negative sense. [9], However, as the U.S. Marine Corps began its process of hand selecting members from its Force Recon to be submitted to USSOCOM as Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Detachment One (MCSOCOM Det-1), the selection of a .45 ACP M1911A1-based pistol meant roughly 150 units would be needed, more quickly than the PWS could produce them, as PWS were already backlogged with producing DMRs, USMC SAM-Rs, and updating M40A1s to M40A3s, so DET-1 began the search for COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) surrogates to use. Unique and very rare COLT 1911 USMC ROLLMARK COLT 1911 USMC ROLLMARK U.S. MARINES M45A1 SEMPER FI FDE, Colt M45A1 USMC Close Quarter Battle Pistol, Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum Model 29 S&W CLASSICS 6 1/2 Blue Revolver, Colt AR-15 A2 HBAR Gov Model in .223 Z-COTE Limited Edition of 250 Pre-ban. While the Colt Model 601 was the first AR-15 to be mass-produced, there were several design variations that came before during the platform's development. Change). The Marine Corps had chosen the tan Colts, official designation M45A1, as a commercial replacement for the legendary, custom, Quantico-built M1911s issued to U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Marine Raiders and the Corps Force Reconnaissance Marines. (LogOut/ News, Handguns, Semi-Auto Handguns. Dave I use a Galco Model Number FL212. Apparently it wasnt staked right at the factory. A case of 230 grain Winchester ball, and a few cardboard targets and I was ready. The ejection port was modified by widening it and flaring it out. Two Wilson Combat magazines. This sample proved that sentiment. Nearly every time weve shot together, he has had some sort of issue that he usually attributes to ammunition, the gun, recoil spring weight, the magazine, the chamber, extractor fit, lubrication, or maintenance. SWC 1.49" Hornady 200-gr. In the mid 1990s he was the go-to 1911 gunsmith and made the best combat style sights around. Back in March 2016, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, openly declared to be eyeing the Glock 19 as the next standard service pistol. All rights reserved. The finish on the pistol is a brown Decobond designed to hold up through hard use. Category: PISTOLS. [1][2][7][11], The trigger-pull weight is specified at between 4.5 and 5.0 pounds-force (20 and 22 newtons). The frame comes with a machined MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny accessory rail, and also sports highly textured G10 panels that make the grip basically slip-proof, if a bit wide: with a circumference of about 7" (that's almost 18 cm! One thing that makes this particularpistolso much more than a normal Colt Rail Gunor similarly railed 1911 is the absence of MIM (or Metal Injection Molding) parts anywhere in the gun. I was at my local gun shop when a Marine was picking up two that he had won. The only thing I would change about it would be to checker the front strap. It's a carry gun, not a collection piece. Smith & Wessons Americas Guardians Program. It was largely (maybe entirely) unannounced and seemed odd, or even suspect, but there was a factory letter from Colt to guarantee authenticity. [13] This is the same pistol used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT and Hostage Rescue Teams; however, it had previously been rejected for adoption as the ICQB. used but great shape. [14] In 2010, requirements were once more issued for an off-the-shelf system to replace the custom-built pistols. A large batch, rumored to be nearly 1,000 pistols, hit the Gunbroker auction site (gunbroker.com) described as decommissioned USMC 1911 M45A1s. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association. ) It . 4. Sold WALTHER PP REICHS JUSTICE MARKED VERY CRISP! Marine Corps HQ demanded that Colt stop using the USMC rollmark, so all subsequent pistols were marked M45A1. Outside of the mentioned ambidextrous manual safety, the controls configuration is the same as on any other 1911 variant. MSRP comes in at $1,699. ), the grip of the M45A1 CQBP is akin to that of a double-stack magazine pistol, and is definitely not made for small hands. Under the new contract, Colt was to deliver 4,000 samples initially and up to 12,000 samples in following years. NEW IN THE COLT ISSUED BLUE BOX EXACTLY AS WAS SHIPPED TO THE USMC. Dual Recoil spring system reduces felt . I have a local company that can make a kydex holster but I dont like kydex. A round indexed in the chambering position on feeding ramp of the M45A1, The M45A1 skips the mainstream Cerakote finish for a more resistant IonBond Decobond coating. What started off as sending my officers ACP off for new Lo-Mount sights, turned into over two thousand dollars worth of work. VERY RARE AND VERY COLLECTIBLE! We ended the session shooting the old FBI pistol qualification course on a counter shaded QIT-99 (you can see the course of fire here). Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Sweet! Barrel length is 5 inches, dual recoil springs reduce perceived recoil and magazine capacity is seven rounds. Was it hand held of benched? $ 1,649.00. Two bigthings happened to me when I turned 18, I joined the Marines and I bought my first pistol (in the state I live in, you used to be able to obtain a handgun license at the age of 18). All three versions have serial numbers ending in the EGA serial suffix (for the Corps iconic eagle, globe and anchor insignia), the U.S. markings, and the small set of numbers and CQBP denoting the official description of Close Quarters Battle Pistol.. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Originally the Colt Custom Shop pistols had the Marine USMC roll marks on the slide, but the United States Marine Corps filed a cease & desist letter with Colt Manufacturing regarding the use of USMC on pistols not actually going to the Marines. The Picatinny rail on the bottom of the frame is a full-size Mil Standard 1913 rail which holds accessories nice and tight as compared to its competitors with smaller lower rails. It also has 3-dot tritium night sights, a 5-inch national match barrel, ambidextrous safety, picatinny rail, and a desert tan Cerakote finish.[19]. Add to cart. Colt has not published the quantities of the EGA suffix pistols that were issued, at least not in any list Ive been able to find. The civilian M45A1 is not currently in the Colt catalog, but theres a good chance it will be offered again as Colt tends to rotate model numbers in and out of production from time to time. Maintaining the simple recoil assembly, 5-inch barrel (though using a stainless steel match grade barrel), and internal extractor, the ICQB is not much different from Browning's original design. Handgun Hard Choices: Colt M1911 or S&W M1917? All M45A1s are currently marked COLT***M45A1 and have a darker, flat dark earth Ion Bond type finish referred to by Colt as Decobond. THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. Out of stock. He told me the extractor and ammunition were bad. Remember me, IN 95% ORIGNAL CONDITION, ALL MATCHING WITH AN EXCELLENT BORE, WE HAVE A NICE SOLID MAUSER C96 BROOMHANDLE IN 9MM, IN 97% VERY CRISP ORIGINAL CONDITION, WE HAVE A VERY RARE AND SIGNIFICANT LUGER. Model O1070CQB is the Custom Shop version with tuned trigger and oversized fitted barrel, green Pelican case, Otis cleaning kit, test target, and two Wilson 7-round magazines. Any assistance is much appreciated. Passionate Caretakers of Our Historic Military Firearms and Americas Wartime Heritage. What do you get for spending the extra money for a custom shop version? I found a Don Hume 715 MC IWB holster that it fit-good enough. Despite a host of refinements and enhancements, the new models method of operation and construction remain essentially unchanged from those of the John Browning-designed original. If the highest accuracy and best trigger is your goal, get a custom shop model. They were certainly the genuine article, with the exception that Colt had marked through the large USMC on the slide with a laser-etched X to signify the decommissioning. Colt M45A1 CQB Marine Pistol. The Colt M45A1 CQBP pistol is based on the tried and true Series 80 platform: it comes with a single-action trigger, a skeletonized enhanced hammer, an automatic firing pin safety, an ambidextrous frame-mounted manual safety, and an improved and crisp trigger pull about two kilos or just under 6 lbs. The Colt M45A1 CQBP comes with a cold-hammer forged, polished stainless steel 5" National Match barrel and a NM bushing. A close-up of the rear portion of the gun with its hammer cocked. Colt's crown jewel is sold at a little less than 3000 in Europe; and while the current MSRP in the United States is set at $1,699.00, the suggested retail price for the early models was way above the $2,000 threshold. [8], A Marine operator may shoot as many as 80,000 rounds from this pistol during a training-cycle and subsequent deployment. They were certainly the genuine article, with the exception that Colt had marked through the large USMC on the slide with a laser-etched X to signify the decommissioning. Get your piece of American history before is gone. This handgun has never been fired! Hes only had one run away gun and a hand full of hammer follow situations Ive witnessed- normally they dont function well enough to get that worn (keep in mind this is over the course of decades, during which time he has owned scores of 1911 pistols). The mentioned non-captive, dual recoil spring solves cycling issues that 1911-type pistols usually experience due to spring strengths; a widened and flared ejection window and a polished and coated feeding ramp also address two other key design issues that are known to cause malfunctions on the 1911 pistol platform. As of March 2019, Force Recon, and other units still use the M45A1 and some units have the Glock 19 or Beretta M9A1 as an alternative. Even more so considering these guns were largely expected to be the last government-issue M1911s and, further, models specific to Marine Raiders and Force Reconnaissance. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. all 1911 type pistols still used by its special operation units would be replaced by the Glock 19, eyeing the Glock 19 as the next standard service pistol, Extrema Ratio 25 years: Misericordia Desert, IWA OutdoorClassics 2023: highlights on a revolutionary edition, Chiappa Firearms M6 X-Caliber: the survival rifle coming from the sky, Safety recall for Smith & Wesson M&P-9 and M&P-380 Shield EZ pistols, Kel-Tec KSG410, the small-caliber bull-pup pump shotgun. THIS IS 1913 DATED DWM MADE, In 97% original unmessed with condition, we have an early war high polish Czech made CZ27 pistol. Stack upon stack of crisp-cornered cardboard boxes weighed down a work bench in the armory of what is now called the Marine Raider Training Center. The first contract, as published on July 20, 2012, bound Colt to deliver 4,000 samples initially, and up to 12,000 samples in the following years; the contract was said to be worth $22.5 million to Colt. The one with the intact usmc is a custom is not the same gun as the the decoms. We are fortunate that they found their way onto the public market. I couldnt say no and bought the gun (Id buy a broken toaster with USMC stamped on it). How about that? The front slide serrations are perfectly placed and have a noticeably deep depth and width, so much so that you can easily feel them while wearing gloves. Colt also offers a custom shop civilian model to achieve higher accuracy; but the Marine issue model is the production grade pistol. Marine Corps Systems Command announced February 17, 2005, that it was going to purchase 150 Springfield Armory Professional Model pistols for use as MEU(SOC) pistols. I've been looking for holsters for mine. He somehow managed to convince me to shoot one of his reloads. In a corridor of the Pentagon there is a larger-than-life mural showing a circa-1915 Maj. Smedley Butler leading his men in the recapture of Fort Rivier during the Banana Warsthe newly issued M1911 in hand as he and his Marines engaged the Caco rebels in hand-to-hand combat. The Colt M45A1 is just as reliable as a perfectly tuned competition-grade custom 1911, except this comes with that level of reliability right out of the factory and rightfully so. Professional dedicated to training and equipping people to live safely in a dangerous world. By the time my gun came back from Wayne, years had passed since the original purchase date. I overlooked that the fit for a gun, that cost me $1,600 plus tax ($1,748 total), was similar to a $800 gun. Lost your password? The company made its humble start in 1963in Gussago, Italywhen Giuseppe Pietta made a commitment to produce guns as authentic and true-to-original as possible. The Marine Corps objected to Colt doing that so they had to change the rollmark on commercial pistols to "M45A1" instead. A variant of the M1911, it has been the standard-issue side arm for the Force Recon Element of the United States Marine Corps' Marine Expeditionary Units since 1985. [9][11] Tritium Novak LoMount sights replaced the originals which were made in-house by the Marines.[9][11]. The pistols with no front strap checkering are production line guns. I fired representative groups from a rest with several loads rather than the full five-group protocol typically used in product reviews in order to minimize the rounds and wear on the Colt. THIS IS A VERY ARE PISTOL, THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND SELDOM COME UP FOR SALE. Other features include Novak. The Colt gobbled up a wide variety of bullet profiles, cycling smoothly and without hesitation, while grouping each in a cluster that fit within the space the front sight covered at any given distance. A source request was sent out to Springfield Armory and the Springfield Operator, based on the FBI's TRP pistol was built. The M45A1 has the traditional military lanyard loop in the flat, serrated mainspring housing. With the exception of the overtly poor, reloaded cartridge, the Colt M45A1 was 100% reliable and the front sight didnt fly off. The first version is one that went to the military, stamped USMC on the slide and delivered in a cardboard box with two Wilson 7-round magazines. The Marines bought it and I had to have one. MIM parts are widely accepted as the standard in the industry. When the change was specified, a substantial number of the early pistols were recalled back to Colt, and it disposed of them, leading to the market frenzy. this isnt your cheapie m45a1 model. The M45A1 serves still today, but it will almost certainly be the final chapter in the U.S. military service life of the M1911. Should you buy one? The current M45A1 does not have a USMC rollmark on the slide for either Military or Civilian sales. On July 20, 2012, the Colt 1911 Rail Gun was selected and won a contract to initially deliver 4,000 pistols for MARSOC and Force Recon. I was able to lay my hands on one of the decommissioned M45A1s to examine and evaluate it, one author for American Rifleman wrote two years ago. [9][10] There are frames in the USMC inventory that have had as many as 500,000 rounds fired through them. pistols to be offered on the civilian market since the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) stopped handgun sales over 50 years ago. When this holster is brand new it will be a "snug" fit. Whether or not Colt had the time to honor the contract, is unknown: on September 30, 2016, the United States Marine Corps announced that all 1911 type pistols still used by its special operation units would be replaced by the Glock 19 and it seemingly included the new Colt M45A1 CQBP. which was officially adopted in 1986. Desert tan Decobond finish, $1,699.00 (MSRP U.S.A.) [11], Discovering that the Los Angeles Police Department was pleased with their special Kimber-made M1911 pistols, a single source request was issued to Kimber Manufacturing for a similarly built pistol, despite the imminent release of their TLE/RLII models. 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Under normal circumstances, yes too much by $400, assuming it is a M45A1 rollmark. Description. Colt M45A1 USMC rollmark in the blue clam shellUltra rare version 01070M45, USMC Rollmark in Blue Box ( Not Pelican Box ) AboutPressCopyrightContact. There were only 20 of these made and this one is the 17th of the series. In 2016, USMC command stated that MARSOC had replaced the M45A1 with the Glock 19, largely from a logistic standpoint, not from a performance and reliability standpoint, as a result of other SOCOM branches using the Glock 19. Not bad- but not great. I scored a 92-20X. Those should be Novak LoMount sights, according to the official technical specs, but some M45A1 CQBP samples ours included are issued with Trijicon sights. The Marine Colt pistol was designated the M45A1. That cartridge didnt cycle my gun either. The instructors had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the pistols, the first new military-issue Colt M1911s since 1945. NEW IN THE BOX, WE HAVE A COLT USMC CLOSE QUARTERS BATTLE PISTOL M45A1. The decision had been anticipated in February 2015, when the USMC first officially authorized its special operation units to carry Glock pistols in lieu of the 1911, at the operator's will. In recent months, the auction houses have listed a few with the prices for the pristine unissued handguns estimated around $7,000. for most service pistols. It is a Fletch High Rise OWB Holster. This Colt Government Model M45A1 is a Colt Custom Shop Model introduced in 2012 as the civilian version of the United States Marine Corps Close Quarters Battle Pistol . [9] The frame is inspected and reused if it is still within military specifications. Wayne is one of the premier pistol smiths in the country. This handgun has never been fired! The thumb safeties are ambidextrous and slightly larger than the original 1911 thumb safeties. Six months later, I was home on leave and my gun was back from Colt. When Remington offered a [], 1911 Rear sight installation (Novak style cut) Aftermarket sights are a common upgrade on 1911 pistols. how much do partners at small law firms make, zlaner warzone loadout,