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. Under normal circumstances, yes too much by $400, assuming it is a M45A1 rollmark. 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). If you would like to make an offer for this gun please send an email to [email protected]. Manufacturer: Colt Model: M45A1 Marine Government Width: 1.25" Height: 5.5" Accessories: Manual, Lock Action: Single Barrel Finish: Polished Barrel Length: 5" Barrel Twist: 1:16 Barrel Type: Match Caliber: 45 ACP Capacity: 7 # of Magazines: 1 Frame Color: FDE Frame Finish: Decobond Frame Material: Steel Front Sight: Novak Night Sight Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review. Since he edits this website, Ill pretend that I was there when one of them worked flawlessly. It is assigned NATO Stock Number 1005-01-370-7353. My friend, a 1911 aficionado accompanied me to the range. MIM parts are widely accepted as the standard in the industry. There is slight movement and a feel of roll through the break, but I wouldnt necessarily call it creep in a negative sense. I believe there was also a run of grey M45s with front strap checkering that were not CS guns.. And for those concerned, I've found that a good set of G10 grips are sufficiently inherently grippy to significantly mitigate against the need for front strap checkering on a 1911 (although it certainly doesn't hurt). The M45A1 ships with Wilson Combat 47 7 round magazines, and is a production grade weapon, rolling off the same line as the commercial M45A1 with identical markings and parts. I was on a short leave when I brought it home. June 4, 2015 Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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GUNSweek.com is a new online platform dedicated to the diffusion of technical knowledge in the gun world. Im thinking having that done would make my pistol less valuable as a collector item, plus its not a gun Ill shoot very often so my front strap will remain smooth. I figured I needed some professional intervention so I sent the pistol off to Wayne Novak. [2], In 2012, the Marine Corps awarded Colt a contract for up to 12,000 M45A1 pistols with an initial order of 4036 pistols. The M45A1 serves still today, but it will almost certainly be the final chapter in the U.S. military service life of the M1911. [1][2][7][11], The trigger-pull weight is specified at between 4.5 and 5.0 pounds-force (20 and 22 newtons). When this holster is brand new it will be a "snug" fit. [9][11] Tritium Novak LoMount sights replaced the originals which were made in-house by the Marines.[9][11]. How big of a ragged hole is the group at 25 yards? Get your piece of American history before is gone. (LogOut/ These pistols are the first U.S.G.I. Springfield Armory entered a variant of the full-sized Loaded MC Operator M1911A1 pistol with a military-standard 1913 rail, tritium night sights and finished with a two-tone black slide with an olive-drab green frame. The triggers were uniformly pretty good. The only difference between this one and the one sold to the Marines was the USMC roll mark which did not exist on the civilian model which was delivered in a blue plastic Colt case. I scored a 92-20X. As much as its dress may change, this is still John Moses Browning's old reliable battlehorse. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. It turns out the rear stake of the safety plunger tube broke off causing the safety lock detent to move over the bottom edge of the factory safety. Southeast Guns 2023. To make an offer please complete the form below: Minimum price for the offer must be greater than or equal to $0. which was officially adopted in 1986. I was able to put five of eight shots onto my 3"-wide truth teller steel targeta task that is normally a tough slog at 25 yds. Head to the range this week with American Rifleman staff as they discuss a trim little repeater from Savage Arms that comes chambered for the .22 WMR cartridge. Most of the time standing slow fire at 25 yds. $ 1,649.00. And yet, it is still to completely abandon the battlefield, being a favourite of many special operation forces. There is 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. The inboard side of the handgun has a rather large COLT***USMC marking that struck me at the time of issue as gaudy and a blatant attempt by Colt to mark the government-contract pistols in such a way as to facilitate marketing the look-alike commercial version. This year, H&R announced an expansion of its AR-15 lineup, bringing additional "retro" models to the market, including a 9 mm Luger-chambered Colt SMG clone, an M16A2-styled rifle and the carbine-size 723. JavaScript is disabled. This is very unique and very rare COLT 1911 USMC ROLLMARK U.S. MARINES M45A1 SEMPER FI FDE. I overlooked the fact that it was a Colt and my awful past with Colt. We are fortunate that they found their way onto the public market.. Colt offered a modified version of their O1980RG (Rail Gun) pistol, which is derived from their existing XSE line of 1911-style pistols with a desert sand-colored surface treatment and Novak night sights. 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. This sample proved that sentiment. Trying to see if the USMC needs to find a home. 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. It is big enough - yet snug enough to retain the M45A1 and other railed 5" 1911s. The Custom Shop price list indicates theyll checker the front strap at either 20 or 25 lpi for $260. M45A1 MARINE PISTOL. Colt. [2] The last four digits of the weapon's serial number are stamped on the top of the barrel, on the right-side of slide assembly, inside of the beavertail grip safety, on each side of the ambidextrous thumb safety, and on the inside face of the mainspring housing group. Three versions ofM45A1were made. The only thing I would change about it would be to checker the front strap. I was at my local gun shop when a Marine was picking up two that he had won. Does anyone know? A large batch, rumored to be nearly 1,000 pistols, hit the Gunbroker auction site (gunbroker.com) described as decommissioned USMC 1911 M45A1s. My pistol is the commercial, non-custom shop version and I wouldnt own it had I not been a gun shop owner who could buy wholesale when these became available. In Oct. 2016 the U.S. Marine Corps announced Glock 19s would replace the .45 ACP-chambered Colt M45A1s carried by members of its Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operations Capable (MEUSOC) teams. [9] However, it is more common for a Marine to return the pistol to the PWS at Quantico for a rebuild after 10,000 rounds have been fired. You may have read our first reviewhere, or our second here. I have it in quotes for a reason, it kinda looked like a 45 ACP cartridge, only it was bent and weird looking. The "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903," better-known as the M1903 Springfield, has become one of the most popular U.S. military small arms to collect. The gun ran like a top. I was looking at the first shipment from that contract, and my Marines would be the first to be issued the .45s. [16] The Colt design is considered an upgrade of the previous pistol, not an entirely new design. In July 2012, the United States Marine Corps System Command announced that Colt Defense LLC of Hartford, Connecticut, was the winner of the new CQBP pistol contract. Copyright2016-2023 DigitoolmediaSrls VATNo. This particular sample disproved decades worth of gun magazine lore about a combat-grade .45 needing to be loose for reliability and thus incompatible with custom-level accuracy. It was the kind of day that a gun guy can never forget. [10], The final units as issued to MCSOCOM Det-1 are the Kimber ICQBs with SureFire Integrated Military Pistol Light (IMPL), Dawson Precision rail, Gemtech TRL Tactical Retention Lanyards based upon the jury-rigged telephone cord versions, modified Safariland 6004 holsters, Simonich G-10 Gunner Grips manufactured by Simonich Knives and Strider Knives replaced the original Pachmayr rubber grips, and Wilson Combat's '47D' 8-round magazines. The Colt incorporates a slightly beveled magazine well to facilitate reloads. Particularly for specialized 1911 collectors, a pistol with the history and background of the Colt M45A1 CQBP is a must-have. I personally wont sell either but if I did, Id keep the Custom Shop gun simply because its unfired. A slight bevel at the magazine well enhances reload speed and the thumb safety is ambidextrous. AFTER THE MILITARY RUN COLT STARTED TO PRODUCE THESE FOR THE COMMERICIAL MARKET WITH THE USMC LOGO AND JUST A THOUSAND OR SO WERE MADE WHEN THE MARINE CORPS ASKED THEM TO STOP USING THE USMC ROLL MARK. The Marine Corps is aware of this yet opted for steel, so consequently the CQBP does not use any MIM parts. All rights reserved. You will hear different stories, but the simplest is that the M45A1 was Colts first large-scale run of Cerakoted pistols. pistols to be offered on the civilian market since the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) stopped handgun sales over 50 years ago. The Colt M45A1 is the new USMC service pistol. Category: PISTOLS. They feature Novak three-dot night sights, M1913-spec Picatinny rail and Decabond brown coating with nicely matching Desert Tan G10 grips. Examples of both are usually exorbitantly-priced and something only a former Marine or hardcore collector of USGI 1911s would want to pursue. Reviews (0) After a rigorous selection process, the United States Marine Corps selected this Colt Rail Gun as their Close Quarters Battle Pistol (CQBP). The M45A1 pistol is 21,6 cm / 8.5" long overall and weighs 1,7 kilograms / 40 oz. The USMC is about double the price and if I understand correctly, its a production gun from Colt whereas the civilian version goes through the custom shop - is that correct? THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. View all posts by David Freeman. External enhanced hammer, automatic firing pin safety, Ambidextrous frame-mounted manual safety, extended beavertail grip safety, 127 mm / 5" National Match barrel The solid, medium-long trigger broke at 4 lbs., 4 ozs., of pressure after a short bit of take-up to release the hammer. The pistols are exceptional purely as shooters, and scarce and significant for several military and historic reasons. How did the pistols get to market? The M45A1 features durable Decobond brown coating and an M1913-spec Picatinny rail for mounting lights, lasers, and other accessories. What do you get for spending the extra money for a custom shop version? Hello - I am looking at 2 Colts - one is the Colt M45A1 (custom shop w/ green pelican case) and the other is the Colt M45A1 with the USMC roll marks. Colt AR15A4. The only other USMC-marked pistols on the market are the real ones that had been returned to Colt and then re-sold to the civilian market. [18] The M45A1 has a dual recoil spring assembly which seems to dampen recoil somewhat. However, the group all remarked that the pistols certainly seemed to be accurate using the government-issue hardball ammunition. Add to cart. In addition to the desert tan color, the forward slide serrations and the section of M1913 Picatinny accessory rail immediately stand out and separate the pistol from the typical service M1911. Those should be Novak LoMount sights, according to the official technical specs, but some M45A1 CQBP samples ours included are issued with Trijicon sights. First, there is the additional weight already mentioned. [8], A Marine operator may shoot as many as 80,000 rounds from this pistol during a training-cycle and subsequent deployment. 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. Each knotted tight groups that would do a custom pistol proud, averaging 1.48" for five separate loads. He told me the extractor and ammunition were bad. We are fortunate that they found their way onto the public market. Solid aluminum grip and hammer Apparently it wasnt staked right at the factory. 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.. While not as corrosion resistant, it is far more durable of a finish. While most will instantly recognize that the Officers sized guns arent known for reliability, I didnt know it at the time. VERY RARE AND VERY COLLECTIBLE! I still like my M45A1 (not the Custom Shop or USMC Issue gun) with it's matching knife by Ohio Knife Maker, Mickey Yurco: Dave I use a Galco Model Number FL212. Edit to add: there are some NRA guns in that serial range, see if anything is laser engraved on the gun itself. Scarcely mentioning the soon-be-collectible kept demand low, and availability proportionately high. The USMC-marked pistol is from one of the early runs when Colt was using the same rollmark that they applied to the actual USMC guns. Manufactured by Colt and available for commercial and professional sales alike, the M45A1 CQBP has been available to civilian shooters in the United States for quite some time; nowit is available to European gun enthusiasts as well. 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] The frame is inspected and reused if it is still within military specifications. Under this point of view, the Colt M45A1 CQBP is definitely the 1911 of the 21st Century. I believe there was also a run of grey M45s with front strap checkering that were not CS guns. This full-size lower rail adds some of the noticeable heft to the gun,but that heft seems to balance out thepistolso that the gundoesnt feel nose heavy. (camp).