The grip safety features an extended beavertail. The MEU(SOC) pistol, ("Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable) (MEU(SOC))") officially designated the M45 MEUSOC,[5] is a magazine-fed, recoil-operated, single-action, semiautomatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. 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. By the time my gun came back from Wayne, years had passed since the original purchase date. Description: COLT USMC MARKED M45A1, Cerakote blue box edition, slide has the very rare USMC rollmark. I was an active duty Marine from 1992 to 1996, and at that time the standard issue. Handgun Hard Choices: Colt M1911 or S&W M1917? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. We had to shoot the .38 military special (which was horrible). I have a few 1911s I dont shoot, some have rails, some dont, but the spec rail of the Colt made fit difficult. Get your piece of American history before is gone. 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. Trying to see if the USMC needs to find a home. 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 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. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. Bill Marr 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. He somehow managed to convince me to shoot one of his reloads. ), the grip of the M45A1 CQBP is akin to that of a double-stack magazine pistol, and is definitely not made for small hands. Out of stock. How did the pistols get to market? The low number of malfunctions also proves the reliability of a handgun system that was built to save lives. In Oct. 2016 the U.S. Marine Corps announced Glock 19s would replace the .45 ACP-chambered Colt M45A1s carried by members . [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. Depends on what version of the USMC rollmark. It is a Fletch High Rise OWB Holster. This is the so called blue box Colt pistol, model 01070M45. 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. $ 6,900 This is very unique and very rare COLT 1911 USMC ROLLMARK U.S. MARINES M45A1 SEMPER FI FDE. 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. There is a production version or a custom shop version available. It was the kind of day that a gun guy can never forget. The only factory parts Ill typically use are the receiver and bolt assembly, everything else is upgraded. Get your piece of American history before is gone. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. Three versions ofM45A1were made. 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. And yet, it is still to completely abandon the battlefield, being a favourite of many special operation forces. It would be hard to improve on this trigger with any kind of upgrade. The pistols shipped in the original cardboard container with the contract-correct black Wilson Combat seven-round magazine. There is slight movement and a feel of roll through the break, but I wouldnt necessarily call it creep in a negative sense. Colt Custom Shop M45A1 (NO USMC MARKINGS) "EGA" serial number. Dave I use a Galco Model Number FL212. The coarse checkering on the multi-colored G10 panels does assist in anchoring the handgun, and the Marine pistol has an undercut trigger guard to allow a high hand hold. I was at my local gun shop when a Marine was picking up two that he had won. The Marine Colt pistol was designated the M45A1. In the first post, we field stripped the gun between shots to verify that it []. Brand new IonBond blue box can be had for less than $1500. Pelican Storm Case. Many of the issued pistols that came to market have the tells of service life: paint pen or spray paint stenciled rack numbers, holster wear, dings or gouges from rough use. SWC 1.49" Hornady 200-gr. pistols to be offered on the civilian market since the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) stopped handgun sales over 50 years ago. 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. Unlike the CQB pistol, this one does not have USMC roll marked on the slide, but it does have EGA (Eagle Globe and Anchor- the Marines symbol) as a serial number suffix. It is either a custom shop gun or an early production gun. The pistol wears bilateral thumb safeties, which have somewhat oversize, though low-profile, ledges designed to be easily disengaged while not interfering with the non-firing hands grasp. Fit and finish were OK, but the Marines use it, so that is worth the premium. Sold WALTHER PP REICHS JUSTICE MARKED VERY CRISP! Novak was contracted for rear sights, Wilson Combat provided extractors and mag release buttons, while King's Gun Works supplied ambidextrous thumb safeties. A large number of certified modern U.S. military handguns on the market is mostly unheard of. If the highest accuracy and best trigger is your goal, get a custom shop model. I was able to lay my hands on one of the decommissioned M45A1s to examine and evaluate it. That is quite a service legacy for any military firearm. As much as its dress may change, this is still John Moses Browning's old reliable battlehorse. 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. [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. 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 Colt M45A1 is the new USMC service pistol. Therefore, almost all of these pistols are marked M45A1 and only a small percentage have the USMC rollmark. Colt CR6940. Edit to add: there are some NRA guns in that serial range, see if anything is laser engraved on the gun itself. Comes with the original box, paperwork, and two magazines. Two Wilson Combat magazines. 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. Since 2017, Colt has been offering a commercial variant of the M45A1 CQBP with either a Decobond FDE or a two-tone finish over a stainless steel receiver and slide. [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. Apparently it wasnt staked right at the factory. Outside of the mentioned ambidextrous manual safety, the controls configuration is the same as on any other 1911 variant. 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. purchased pistol for combat use by its Special Operations units, including Force Recon. Colt also offers a custom shop civilian model to achieve higher accuracy; but the Marine issue model is the production grade pistol. Before word could even circulate in casual conversation, the pistols were snapped up at prices that were lower than comparable commercial Colts. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. About that time, the Custom Shop was downsized and no more of the Custom Shop M45A1s were made. 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 also has 3-dot tritium night sights, a 5-inch national match barrel, ambidextrous safety, picatinny rail, and a desert tan Cerakote finish.[19]. 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. 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. Match 1.60" Winchester 230-gr. THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. (LogOut/ The Marine Corps is aware of this yet opted for steel, so consequently the CQBP does not use any MIM parts. Under normal circumstances, yes too much by $400, assuming it is a M45A1 rollmark. 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. Quick view Add to Cart. Southeast Guns 2023. The instructor basically told us the Air Force felt the Army .45 was too much gun for us. The M45A1 has a dual recoil spring assembly which seems to dampen recoil somewhat. VERY RARE AND VERY COLLECTIBLE! Here are the features to watch out for. Dec 1, 2014 (Edited) It's kinda tricky, commercial sale frames were pulled right from the contract gun production line. MIM parts are widely accepted as the standard in the industry. I finally got my .45 10 years after I retired. The Colt M45A1 CQBP comes with a cold-hammer forged, polished stainless steel 5" National Match barrel and a NM bushing. The FDE Cerakote finish was average at best, but it still looked cool. Cold-hammer forged, polished stainless steel barrel A close-up of the rear portion of the gun with its hammer cocked. Scarcely mentioning the soon-be-collectible kept demand low, and availability proportionately high. First, there is the additional weight already mentioned. I overlooked the fact that it was a Colt and my awful past with Colt. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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.