It is $50/year and gives you access supposedly to some good deals. Each knotted tight groups that would do a custom pistol proud, averaging 1.48" for five separate loads. An MEU(SOC) 1911 pistol, built by PWS at Quantico, Virginia. Quick view Add to Cart. 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Models mustered out of the Marine Corps are scarce today and fetch lofty prices, but factory-fresh models with nearly identical features are still available from Colt. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. sidearm was the Beretta M9 (92FS) chambered in 9mm Luger. I ran a series of 6-dot and 5-circle drills with my Colt M45A1. 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. Trying to see if the USMC needs to find a home. We decided to install Heine Ledge sights on our Series 80 Stainless Officers ACP. Was it hand held of benched? Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. The solid, medium-long trigger broke at 4 lbs., 4 ozs., of pressure after a short bit of take-up to release the hammer. Based on the classic 1911, which has served the United States since 1911, the M45A1 CQBP continues the tradition of having John Brownings. At any given time, one or two may show up on Gunbroker.com with prices that would only appeal to collectors. (camp). From what I can remember, this included a barrel, bushing system, bar dot night sights, memory groove beavertail safety and Birdsong Black-T finish. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. I am considering having the dealer I bought it from send it back to have Colt correct the finish so it actually covers the entire frame and slide, but Im worried they may go out of business or bankrupt before I get it back. 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). Having read quite a bit of gun rags (this was the in mid 1990s during the pre internet days), I knew I needed a 1911 chambered in a mans cartridge, 45 ACP. This is important in a gun meant to endure nearly as many rounds in the weeks-long Marine Raider training regimen as the original M1911 was intended to see throughout its entire service life. I was able to lay my hands on one of the decommissioned M45A1s to examine and evaluate it. Note the X through the USMC marking. The triggers were uniformly pretty good. If one looks closely at the trigger guard, Colt has the V-shaped proofmark that was present on earlier government handguns, such as the 1909 USMC revolver. This handgun has never been fired! The M45A1 has a dual recoil spring assembly which seems to dampen recoil somewhat. 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. Particularly for specialized 1911 collectors, a pistol with the history and background of the Colt M45A1 CQBP is a must-have. 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. One feature is the dual recoil spring system that spreads out the recoil force of the .45 ACP round by lowering the peak force of the recoil pulse. The action incorporates the Series 80 mechanism that blocks the firing pin until the trigger is pulled. Thats because at 40 oz., it is heavy. Colt AR15A4. Does anyone know? Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! It . M45A1 MARINE PISTOL. [9][11] Tritium Novak LoMount sights replaced the originals which were made in-house by the Marines.[9][11]. The M45A1 features durable Decobond brown coating and an M1913-spec Picatinny rail for mounting lights . Colt M45A1 CQB Marine Pistol. This added weight, in addition to the dual spring slap back, provide for noticeably less recoil. 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. [16] The Marine Corps issued the M45A1 to Force Reconnaissance companies, MARSOC and Special Reaction Teams from the Provost Marshals Office. How about that? Before word could even circulate in casual conversation, the pistols were snapped up at prices that were lower than comparable commercial Colts. An online platform dedicated to information about guns and shooting activities, as well as technical and cultural knowledge, for a better understanding and responsible approach to the gun world and its rules. THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. I scored a 92-20X. 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. (2003)"Marines New SOCOM Pistol", Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable), "Some MEU's Still Carry Proven M1911 .45's", "10--Parts for M-45, MEUSOC Pistol - Federal Business Opportunities: Opportunities", "Strong Men Armed: The Marine Corps 1st Force Reconnaissance Company Part III Section 2", "MEU 1911 .45: the Legend Lives in the Hands of Today's Marines", "SNOTE - 10 - MEU(SOC) 45 caliber pistols - 17-Feb-05 - FBO#1179", "SRCSGT - 10 - MEUSOC .45 PISTOL - 09-Nov-08 - FBO#2540", "Corps considers 2 guns for new MARSOC .45", "Colt Defense LLC Announces Award of Marine Corps M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistol (CQBP) Contract", Why the Marines adopted the M45 Colt 1911, "Reconnaissance Marines train with Close-Quarters Battle Pistol", M45A1: A New Colt .45 for the 21st Century, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MEU(SOC)_pistol&oldid=1136083215, Trained Weapons Training Battalion armorers, This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 17:30. Colt decided to employ a National Match barrel in theM45A1instead of their normal barrel option. These decommissioned Colts will continue to be a hot item among both shooters and collectors for the foreseeable future. Minimum price for the offer must be greater than 0% of the Product. [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. In the hand, that level of precision translated to straightforward hits on tough and distant targets. At more than 100 years old, theres undeniable attraction to the John Moses Browning design, even brand new ones with elegant upgrades that enhance performance without compromising his vision. The one with the intact usmc is a custom is not the same gun as the the decoms. The third entry from Karl Lippard Designs, a Colorado Springs-based arms maker, was called the Close Quarter Battle Pistol: an M1911A1-style pistol, built using S7 tool steel and a large number of proprietary components including accessory rail, grip safety, and sights. Genuine Marine Corps M45A1 Coltsused by Marine Raiders and Force Reconnaissancewere decommissioned and became available on the civilian market complete with their original packaging and letters of authenticity. ) Black Hills 200-gr. [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. Since he edits this website, Ill pretend that I was there when one of them worked flawlessly. First, there is the additional weight already mentioned. Sweet! The decommissioned pistols and the custom shop pistols all appear to be in the hands of collectors. 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. 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. I overlooked that fact that whoever coated it, missed some spots. What do you get for spending the extra money for a custom shop version? USMC O1070M45 regular production, blue box - unknown how many released, probably less than the pelican cased version. I have a DECOMM and an unfired NIB Pelican case Custom Shop USMC. The Colt incorporates a slightly beveled magazine well to facilitate reloads. The pistols with no front strap checkering are production line guns. It is bug enough - yet snug enough to retain the M45A1 and other railed 5" 1911s. Buy 2013 Colt Government CQBP .45 ACP Desert Sand *ULTRA RARE USMC ROLLMARK* : GunBroker is the largest seller of Semi Auto Pistols Pistols Guns & Firearms All: 967208438. . Many small parts, including the hammer and trigger, are manufactured out of aluminum, but both the slide and frame are machined in solid stainless steel and Decobond-finished in desert tan color. The Marines bought it and I had to have one. A forum community dedicated to all 1911 firearm owners and enthusiasts. 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.. Is it just a collector mentality To have the USMC? The M45A1 features durable Decobond brown coating and an M1913-spec Picatinny rail for mounting lights, lasers, and other accessories. You will hear different stories, but the simplest is that the M45A1 was Colts first large-scale run of Cerakoted pistols. EU Gun Ban: a new Call to Action from Firearms United! In Oct. 2016 the U.S. Marine Corps announced Glock 19s would replace the .45 ACP-chambered Colt M45A1s carried by members . The Civilian Model M45A1 Ships in a Colt Blue Plastic Box 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 Custom Shop price list indicates theyll checker the front strap at either 20 or 25 lpi for $260. I dont know that any pistols, the old Quantico M45s or the new Colts, were ever truly benched or grouped. This makes for an incredibly well-constructedpistol. It is a Fletch High Rise OWB Holster. I have it in quotes for a reason, it kinda looked like a 45 ACP cartridge, only it was bent and weird looking. I know what you are thinking, why carry a gun that holds twice as many rounds, weighs less, is more compact, more reliable and costs a third as much- I must be nuts? THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. I've picked up used cerakote M45A1 rollmark guns for $1200. Due to wear and tear of the MEU(SOC) pistols and increasing numbers of Marine personnel in Force Recon and MARSOC, the U.S. Marines are looking commercially for replacements. CCS M45A1 is really a good deal @ $2k price point (MSRP). Colt. Colt Custom Shop M45A1 (NO USMC MARKINGS) "EGA" serial number. 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. I found a Don Hume 715 MC IWB holster that it fit-good enough. 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. Shooting two handed, strong side only and weak side only it functioned flawlessly. I was at my local gun shop when a Marine was picking up two that he had won. which was officially adopted in 1986. [6][7], In 2002, an article in American Handgunner stated that "Marine armorers from the Precision Weapons Section, MCBQ" are making 789 MEU (SOC) 1911's. Category: PISTOLS. Examples of both are usually exorbitantly-priced and something only a former Marine or hardcore collector of USGI 1911s would want to pursue. I bought a used Generation 2 Glock 19 to shoot the rest of the time I was home, before heading back to my duty station in MCAGCC, 29 Palms, CA, a few thousand miles away. This particular sample earned every bit of the National Match stamping on the barrel hood. My buddy brought his daughters Remington R1 1911 to test out. 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. The rollmark changed around 006700EGA as far as I can tell. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. SOLD COLT M45A1 USMC CQB PISTOL WITH RARE USMC MARKED SLIDE NIB $ 3,795.00 Out of stock Add to wishlist SKU: Item #: 07/16/2015-3 Category: Pre98 Classic Sold Description NEW IN THE BOX, WE HAVE A COLT USMC CLOSE QUARTERS BATTLE PISTOL M45A1. He switched over to a Dan Wesson 9mm 1911 with gamer sights on it. Colt inspected the M45A1s and issued a letter of authenticity with them and x out the USMC to show they had been demilled. More importantly, this feature was intended to decrease the battering the pistol takes on recoil. As the time went by and the adoption of the M9 pistol depleted the stock of spare parts, making the old M45 MEUSOC pistols unserviceable, a replacement had to be found. 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. It was largely (maybe entirely) unannounced and seemed odd, or even suspect, but there was a factory letter from Colt to guarantee authenticity. The letter also confirms the features including Desert Tan Cerakote finish, under barrel accessory rail, National Match grade barrel, forward and rear cocking serrations on the slide, long solid aluminum trigger, extended ambidextrous thumb safety, extended beavertail grip safety, flat serrated mainspring housing with a lanyard loop, Novak 3-dot night sights, and desert camouflage G10 composite grips. My friend, a 1911 aficionado accompanied me to the range. 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 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. You must enable JavaScript to remove this banner. [12] By clicking anywhere on the page, or scrolling down the content you can temporarily hide this banner. Nearly 20 years to the day that I first brought my original Colt 1911 to the range, I prepared to head out with my new M45A1. Two Wilson Combat magazines. 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. 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. 0. 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. in the shooters hands was the measure of the pistols accuracy. The instructors had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the pistols, the first new military-issue Colt M1911s since 1945. Cold-hammer forged, polished stainless steel barrel Colt also offers a custom shop civilian model to achieve higher accuracy; but the Marine issue model is the production grade pistol. After a rigorous selection process, the United States Marine Corps selected this Colt Rail Gun as their Close Quarters Battle Pistol (CQBP). All rights reserved. And yet, it is still to completely abandon the battlefield, being a favourite of many special operation forces. 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. Sold WALTHER PP REICHS JUSTICE MARKED VERY CRISP! FMJ 1.65". This is very unique and very rare COLT 1911 USMC ROLLMARK U.S. MARINES M45A1 SEMPER FI FDE. And despite the price, the M45A1 CQB is definitely going to become a must-have for dedicated collectors and die-hard aficionados of John Moses Browning's quintessential workhorse on this side of the Big Pond. AS THIS IS A MODERN PEOPLE KILLING GUN, WE WILL NEED YOU TO PROVIDE AN FFL FOR TRANSFER. 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). 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. Depends on what version of the USMC rollmark. 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. I finally got my .45 10 years after I retired. The current M45A1 does not have a USMC rollmark on the slide for either Military or Civilian sales. Fit and finish were OK, but the Marines use it, so that is worth the premium. The finish on the pistol is a brown Decobond designed to hold up through hard use. Cycling the pistols revealed the fit to be smooth but clearly tighter than a typical commercial M1911. XTP 1.47" Nosler 185-gr. 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. Change). $ 1,649.00. It is big enough - yet snug enough to retain the M45A1 and other railed 5" 1911s. The firearm felt like it had close tolerances, with everything locking up firmly, but without that hand-fitted exactness one can feel in a custom M1911. I've been looking for holsters for mine. Therefore, almost all of these pistols are marked M45A1 and only a small percentage have the USMC rollmark. The pistols shipped in the original cardboard container with the contract-correct black Wilson Combat seven-round magazine. Out of stock. Wayne is one of the premier pistol smiths in the country. Dec 1, 2014 (Edited) It's kinda tricky, commercial sale frames were pulled right from the contract gun production line. Dual Recoil spring system reduces felt . 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. Quantico began exhaustive testing on other finishes to specify a modification to the contract. 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. The revised parts list included barrels, bushings, link pins, sear springs, ejectors, firing pin stops, mainspring housings and mainsprings, all from Nowlin Manufacturing. This handgun has never been fired! What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? 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. The pistol is, IN 92% ORIGINAL CONDITON WHICH IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF IN A RUSSIAN WW2 TOKAREV, WE HAVE A 1942 PRODUCTION TOKAREV, IN 98% ORIGINAL CONDITION, WE HAVE A VERY CRISP EXAMPLE OF A RJ MARKED WALTHER PP. Despite the planned purchase of the commercial pistols, Marine Corps Systems Command has continued to solicit parts to build additional MEU(SOC) pistols. Colt released these original Marine Corps pistols to the public. My only experience with a military .45 was at AFROTC summer training. A close-up of the rear portion of the gun with its hammer cocked. This sample proved that sentiment. As much as its dress may change, this is still John Moses Browning's old reliable battlehorse. Most of the time standing slow fire at 25 yds. All content Copyright 1998-2018 Rifleshooter.com, FTC disclosure: some links on this site are monetized, Sig Sauer MCX Virtus PCP Air Rifle Review- Initial Impressions, Project Guns- Gunsmithing articles and posts, 1911 Rear Sight Installation (Novak style cut), Quick rifle bedding tip: Easy removal of bedding material from pillars, Tactical Shotgun Build: Back Boring a Barrel and Lengthening a Forcing Cone to Increase Performance, Back when Sears sold a Mauser: The J.C. Higgins Model 51, Short and Loud: The 16 inch 308 Win Precision Rifle, 224 VALKYRIE- Effect of barrel length on velocity, Bipod rail installation (Atlas bipod adapter). 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. 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. What started off as sending my officers ACP off for new Lo-Mount sights, turned into over two thousand dollars worth of work. It will fit though. 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. Six months later, I was home on leave and my gun was back from Colt. I overlooked the fact that it was a Colt and my awful past with Colt. Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, Colt M45A1: A Modernized M1911 For The Marines. The M45A1 CQBP could very well be the 1911 for the 21st Century battles, but deep at heart it's still the same gun engineered by John Moses Browning over one century ago. Corporal Gravenese demonstrates the power of the pistol as shown as above. Solid aluminum grip and hammer View all posts by David Freeman. Fast forward twenty years and Im at the same dealer, picking up some transfers and he shows me a Colt M45A1. The used Glock 19 I bought in 1994, still shoots well. 3. The .45s had a number of features that jumped right out: the light rails, the aggressively checkered G10 stockswhich replaced the Pachmayrs we had used for so longtritium vials in the Novak sights, and unique markings on the frames and slides. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. The contract was said to be worth $22.5M to Colt. Rogers, Patrick A. My old unit carried them on special operations missions around the world for a couple of years and then completed the en masse switch to the Glock 19 that had been occurring gradually even before the Colts adoption. Fans of the 1911 expressed their disgust as nearly 4,000 of the handguns were de-commissioned. 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. It actually protected the Colt M45A1 on the way too and from the range. 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. This is the so called blue box Colt pistol, model 01070M45. 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. [15] The pistol was redesignated the M45A1 Close Quarter Battle Pistol (CQBP) and up to 12,000 will be delivered. I was on a short leave when I brought it home. And if you are looking for a 1911 derivative that can reasonably be called "the best 1911 on the market" at least when it comes to non-luxury, field-ready variants then look no further. The pistols are exceptional purely as shooters, and scarce and significant for several military and historic reasons. The M45A1 CQBP pistol is issued with Wilson black metal single-stack magazines, holding 7+1 rounds.