I headed to the range again with my custom 1911, and while it looked great and shot well, reliability wasnt where it should have been. Glocks uses MIM parts and a polymer frame yet are widely considered to be among the most reliable and durable firearms ever created. $ 1,649.00. JHP handload 1.20" Wilson Combat 200-gr. 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. JavaScript is disabled. I brought it into the dealer. The Colt M45A1 is the new USMC service pistol. So, while it costs less than the custom shop version and doesnt have the USMC roll mark; it is more like the pistol the Marines bought, because it is off the production line and not hand fitted (I confirmed this). The third version was the Colt Custom Shop edition, also known as the Civilian version. 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. The Colt M45A1 is the new USMC service pistol. The Custom Shop price list indicates theyll checker the front strap at either 20 or 25 lpi for $260. I was an active duty Marine from 1992 to 1996, and at that time the standard issue. Which do you guys would think would be more desirable down the line.. 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 is a Fletch High Rise OWB Holster. 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. which was officially adopted in 1986. Representative five-shot group (25 yds. How did the pistols get to market? We are fortunate that they found their way onto the public market. 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? The Marines bought it and I had to have one. Description. These were going right to work, and they looked promising. A large batch, rumored to be nearly 1,000 pistols, hit the Gunbroker auction site (gunbroker.com) described as decommissioned USMC 1911 M45A1s. Pistol, Model of 1911 to the Marine Corps. News, Handguns, Semi-Auto Handguns. 0. 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. The M45A1 proved exceptionally stable and accurate at the range. [14] In 2010, requirements were once more issued for an off-the-shelf system to replace the custom-built pistols. The grip safety features an extended beavertail. It's a carry gun, not a collection piece. SWC 1.49" Hornady 200-gr. 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 . We decided to install Heine Ledge sights on our Series 80 Stainless Officers ACP. The used Glock 19 I bought in 1994, still shoots well. Scarcely mentioning the soon-be-collectible kept demand low, and availability proportionately high. Colt M45A1 USMC rollmark in the blue clam shellUltra rare version 01070M45, USMC Rollmark in Blue Box ( Not Pelican Box ) AboutPressCopyrightContact. Three versions ofM45A1were made. Copyright2016-2023 DigitoolmediaSrls VATNo. The Colt appeared to be unissued and had probably not been fired since leaving the factory. I have a few 1911s I dont shoot, some have rails, some dont, but the spec rail of the Colt made fit difficult. Colt M45A1 (O1070M45) Colt. Professional dedicated to training and equipping people to live safely in a dangerous world. 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. 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. A huge proponent of the system, he has been lecturing me about the benefits of the 1911 platform for nearly two decades. 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. ), the grip of the M45A1 CQBP is akin to that of a double-stack magazine pistol, and is definitely not made for small hands. 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. There were only 20 of these made and this one is the 17th of the series. Builders of 1911s like Rock Island, Springfield, Kimber and Colt use MIM parts extensively in order to produce a competitively priced product. He told me this happens all the time with Colts and sent it back for repair. Apparently it wasnt staked right at the factory. Fit and finish were OK, but the Marines use it, so that is worth the premium. 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. [18] 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. 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. Maybe they are worried theyll run out of hand grenades? [8], A Marine operator may shoot as many as 80,000 rounds from this pistol during a training-cycle and subsequent deployment. I personally wont sell either but if I did, Id keep the Custom Shop gun simply because its unfired. Then sold the entire lot to the company selling them on Gunbroker. 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. He keeps telling me that there has been at least one time his pistol worked the entire time, but I honestly dont have a recollection of this. 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 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. Rogers, Patrick A. 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. With the exception of the overtly poor, reloaded cartridge, the Colt M45A1 was 100% reliable and the front sight didnt fly off. I found a Don Hume 715 MC IWB holster that it fit-good enough. 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]. 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. 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. Support NRA American Rifleman DONATE. Pelican Storm Case. Comes with the original box, paperwork, and two magazines. VERY RARE AND VERY COLLECTIBLE! Under this point of view, the Colt M45A1 CQBP is definitely the 1911 of the 21st Century. My M45A1 has had hundreds of rounds put through it, both ball and JHP, and has not experienced any type of failure. The M45 serves on with a few specialized Marine Corps units and is expected to for a few more years when most think it will be replaced by a polymer-frame, striker-fired 9 mm, thus ending a long and historic run for the M1911 and its .45 ACP cartridge. I went through the boxes with the armorers, examining a few random Colts to get a sense of the pistols. The pistols are exceptional purely as shooters, and scarce and significant for several military and historic reasons. 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. 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. In Oct. 2016 the U.S. Marine Corps announced Glock 19s would replace the .45 ACP-chambered Colt M45A1s carried by members . That cartridge didnt cycle my gun either. Thats because at 40 oz., it is heavy. For the pure sake of being worth more money down the line, no question about it. Colt. Description: COLT USMC MARKED M45A1, Cerakote blue box edition, slide has the very rare USMC rollmark. Among those are the MEU(SOC) and the Force Recon the special operation forces of the United States Marine Corps whose sidearm ever since the year 1986 has been the M45 MEUSOC pistol, a custom-grade 1911 variant assembled and tuned by the USMC armorers at the Quantico base, in Virginia. 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. What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? All tests most notably those carried on by civilian and military experts in the U.S. with a wide variety of commercial and service-grade ammunition show an incredible and constant accuracy level, with an average group width of 10 cm at around 20 metres (4" groups at 25 yards). 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. 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. Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives. Comes with the original box, paperwork, and two magazines. By far, the most common of the USMC rollmarks is the Custom Shop Pelican cased version, and is very likely to be the one anyone encounters. 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. Reviews (0) After a rigorous selection process, the United States Marine Corps selected this Colt Rail Gun as their Close Quarters Battle Pistol (CQBP). 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. With the exception of the overtly poor, reloaded cartridge, the Colt M45A1 was 100% reliable and the front sight didn't fly off. 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. All rights reserved. Springfield and Colt have done a great job in making these MIM parts extremely strong, thus increasing the durability and reliability of MIM-equipped firearms. The Colt M45A1 CQBP semi-automatic pistol is the latest iteration of the .45 caliber 1911 pistol, as adopted in 2012 by the United States Marine Corps, The M45A1 was conceived for the USMC Special Operations Units. When I sat down to write this story, I did my best to research the quantities of each type of pistol made and to get an idea of what might be available. Sold WALTHER PPK RARE EAGLE F DURALUMINUM, Pre98 Antiques Military Firearms Collecting Outlook for 2020. The finish is a bit slick which is offset by the rather deep cocking serrations both front and rear on the slide. Minimum price for the offer must be greater than 0% of the Product. M45A1 - Colt custom shop vs Production version.which should I buy? Brand new IonBond blue box can be had for less than $1500. By clicking the "OK" button, you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. Get your piece of American history before is gone. Before word could even circulate in casual conversation, the pistols were snapped up at prices that were lower than comparable commercial Colts. Most of the time standing slow fire at 25 yds. Dec 1, 2014 (Edited) It's kinda tricky, commercial sale frames were pulled right from the contract gun production line. Novak was contracted for rear sights, Wilson Combat provided extractors and mag release buttons, while King's Gun Works supplied ambidextrous thumb safeties. Handguns, Reviews By clicking anywhere on the page, or scrolling down the content you can temporarily hide this banner. He told me the extractor and ammunition were bad. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. M45A1 MARINE PISTOL. I've been looking for holsters for mine. A source request was sent out to Springfield Armory and the Springfield Operator, based on the FBI's TRP pistol was built. of weight, with a very short 0.1"/2mm reset. The trigger is smooth even by series 80 standards and breaks cleanly at 5 lbs. 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. 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. In other cases on specific guns, the finish was not wearing as durably as expected. You will hear different stories, but the simplest is that the M45A1 was Colts first large-scale run of Cerakoted pistols. Following some stop-gap and interim solutions, in 2012 the United States Marine Corps adopted an upgraded variant of the Colt CCU Rail Gun for its special operations capable units aptly dubbed the M45A1 CQBP Close Quarters Battle Pistol. [8] Slides were ordered from Springfield Armory, with front sight pins, beavertail safeties and recoil spring guides from Ed Brown. Six right-handed grooves, 1 twist in 16", Novak LoMount or Trijicon high-visibility sights with Tritium dots, Machined stainless steel frame and slide THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. Cold-hammer forged, polished stainless steel barrel The revised parts list included barrels, bushings, link pins, sear springs, ejectors, firing pin stops, mainspring housings and mainsprings, all from Nowlin Manufacturing. It must have been a special single shot model. The low number of malfunctions also proves the reliability of a handgun system that was built to save lives. Nonetheless, the Marines had been eagerly waiting for the new .45s, and they were going directly into operational use, so there was little patience for a learning curve, and many of the Marines demanded a change. 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. Each time I handle the M45A1, though, I silently bemoan Colts decision to leave the frontstrap untextured, particularly in a .45 that is often fired while wearing gloves. 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. I recently came across a passage from Jeff Cooper written in 1961 that read, the big pistol [1911] has been with us for half a century, and as yet no better sidearmfor serious combat workhas been devised. It is a testament to the enduring nature of the M1911 that a full 50 years later the Corps was issuing the latest version of the design in the M45A1. Now before you could even buy one you had to sign up for the Gunbroker Gold program. Dave I use a Galco Model Number FL212. There is slight movement and a feel of roll through the break, but I wouldnt necessarily call it creep in a negative sense. 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. Particularly for specialized 1911 collectors, a pistol with the history and background of the Colt M45A1 CQBP is a must-have. in the shooters hands was the measure of the pistols accuracy. Get your piece of American history before is gone. The earliest production samples had isolated instances where the application of the tan coating was suspected by the end users to be causing reliability issues. [9][11] Tritium Novak LoMount sights replaced the originals which were made in-house by the Marines.[9][11]. The Marine Colt pistol was designated the M45A1. It was largely (maybe entirely) unannounced and seemed odd, or even suspect, but there was a factory letter from Colt to guarantee authenticity. The slide is correctly roll marked with the USMC marking that has been factory stuck with an X to signify it as being decommissioned from the U.S.M.C. Those should be Novak LoMount sights, according to the official technical specs, but some M45A1 CQBP samples ours included are issued with Trijicon sights. Lost your password? 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. Colt M45A1 Custom Shop (O1070CQB) $2,149.95 Colt Out of stock Quick view Out of stock Colt Government Model With Rail - (O1980RG) $1,154.95 Colt Quick view Add to Cart COLT LE6920 $1,349.95 Sale Out of stock Quick view Out of stock Colt Government Model Stainless With Rail - (O1070RG) $1,198.00 $1,079.95 $1,198.00 THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. [1][2][7][11], The trigger-pull weight is specified at between 4.5 and 5.0 pounds-force (20 and 22 newtons). An identical version coming off the same assembly line was sold to the civilian market. 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