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. [14] In 2010, requirements were once more issued for an off-the-shelf system to replace the custom-built pistols. 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. [2], The pistol's components are hand-fitted and are not interchangeable. We have put a few rounds through the Decomm & it shoots and handles great. Collectors and shooters reacted predictably, and the Colts began to flip over on Gunbroker at two-week intervals, each time gaining several hundred dollars in asking price. THIS IS A VERY ARE PISTOL, THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND SELDOM COME UP FOR SALE. I was on a short leave when I brought it home. [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. The SIG Sauer M18: A Marines Take On The New Military Sidearm | An Official Journal Of The NRA, 150 Years Of The Colt Single Action Army | An Official Journal Of The NRA, #SundayGunday: Colt King Cobra Target .22 LR | An Official Journal Of The NRA, #SundayGunday: Colt Anaconda 4" | An Official Journal Of The NRA, New For 2023: Harrington & Richardson Retro AR-15s, The Model Of 1903 Springfield: A Collector's Perspective, The Keefe Report: True Velocity's Leap | An Official Journal Of The NRA, The Keefe Report: On The Range With An American Hero | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Trust But Verify: Function-Checking Your Guns | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Remington Returns: The Revival Of An Ammunition Giant | An Official Journal Of The NRA, WATCH: 2022 National Sporting Clays Championship | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, WATCH: Colt Python Revolver History | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, I Have This Old Gun: Maynard Carbine | An Official Journal Of The NRA, I Have This Old Gun: Winchester Model 12 Riot Gun | An Official Journal Of The NRA, I Have This Old Gun: Remington Model 51 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Armed Citizen protected by Smith & Wesson, The Armed Citizen March 3, 2023 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, NRA Women | The Armed Citizen March 3, 2023, BEAR Arms: Making The Switch From Gun Owner to Armed Citizen | An Official Journal Of The NRA, NRA Women | The Armed Citizen February 17, 2023, X-Vision Optics Launches Thermal Impact Scope | An Official Journal Of The NRA, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum | Veronica Kosich Receives NRA-Sponsored Diana Award at SCI Convention, Henry Supports Fallen Firefighters Foundation | An Official Journal Of The NRA, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum | Freedom Hunters: Giving Back to Americas Veterans through Hunting and the Great Outdoors, Hardware: SIG Sauer P320-XTEN | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Rifleman Review: Smith & Wesson M&P12 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Review: Ruger 10/22 Compact | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Rifleman Review: Taurus G3X | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Video Review: Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP in 10mm Auto | NRA Family, Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP In 10 mm Auto, Video Review: KelTec P15 Semi-Auto Pistol | NRA Family, Video Review: Savage Stance Pistol | NRA Family, Preview: Leupold 2-10X 30 mm Mark 5HD Riflescope | An Official Journal Of The NRA, NRA Women | New for 2022: 20-Gauge Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus, Preview: Springfield Armory 1911 DS Double-Stack 9 mm Pistol Lineup | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. How about that? Cycling the pistols revealed the fit to be smooth but clearly tighter than a typical commercial M1911. 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). 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. 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. 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. Those should be Novak LoMount sights, according to the official technical specs, but some M45A1 CQBP samples ours included are issued with Trijicon sights. it is in the cerakote finish with "USMC" rollmark, complete with original 2 mags. Colt M45A1 (O1070M45) Colt. It would be hard to improve on this trigger with any kind of upgrade. Here are the features to watch out for. It's a carry gun, not a collection piece. I have other Colt 1911s with smooth front straps, so I guess its just not something thats in Colts playbook for their stock pistols. The M45A1 has a dual recoil spring assembly which seems to dampen recoil somewhat. I am very interested in the pricey but very cool looking new Colt 1911 M45A1 Marine Close Quarters Battle Pistol. The trigger was eminently usable and a good match for a combat pistol intended for highly trained special operations forces. in the shooters hands was the measure of the pistols accuracy. Copyright2016-2023 DigitoolmediaSrls VATNo. These decommissioned Colts will continue to be a hot item among both shooters and collectors for the foreseeable future. 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. The dual springs have a noticeable slap-back during firing, and the flared and lowered ejection port help to eject spent shells out and to the right of thepistoland not back into your face. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. Based on the classic 1911, which has served the United States since 1911, the M45A1 CQBP continues the tradition of having John Brownings classic pistol filling the holsters of our nations finest weapons.The jacket worn is a Tru-Spec 24/7 softshell available on Amazon or at Gander Mountain.PLEASE SUPPORT MAC ON PATREON: http://www.patreon.com/militaryarms-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-Please watch: \"BCM Mk12 with AEM5 Silencer and some cool winter rigging!\" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf1bGpc0aHo-~-~~-~~~-~~-~- GUNSweek.com is a new online platform dedicated to the diffusion of technical knowledge in the gun world. 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. Add to cart. Now before you could even buy one you had to sign up for the Gunbroker Gold program. When it was first launched, the Colt M45A1 was described as "a highly enhanced version of an already excellent combat weapon" by William F. Keys a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Marine Corps who was also Colt's President and CEO back then. Tradition: The Colt M45A1 Marine Corps Pistol :: Guns.com 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. I have it in quotes for a reason, it kinda looked like a 45 ACP cartridge, only it was bent and weird looking. Minimum price for the offer must be greater than 0% of the Product. 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.. M45A1 - Colt custom shop vs Production version.which should I buy? The prices seemed to stabilize in the mid-$3,000s, and then the pistols largely stopped moving, presumably occupying prized places in safes across the country. About that time, the Custom Shop was downsized and no more of the Custom Shop M45A1s were made. [12] The Colt M45A1 is the new USMC service pistol. 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. The Marine Colt pistol was designated the M45A1. Novak was contracted for rear sights, Wilson Combat provided extractors and mag release buttons, while King's Gun Works supplied ambidextrous thumb safeties. I can clearly recall the day that I met up with our Close Quarters Battle instructors to try out the new M45A1s for the first time. This pistol utilizes the Series 80 fire control system which means it has an internal firing pin safety. These decommissioned Colts will continue to be a hot item among both shooters and collectors for the foreseeable future. Quick view Out of stock. It was largely (maybe entirely) unannounced and seemed odd, or even suspect, but there was a factory letter from Colt to guarantee authenticity. Description: COLT USMC MARKED M45A1, Cerakote blue box edition, slide has the very rare USMC rollmark. 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. The venerable Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol a design that's now well over 100 years old has long been replaced in its role as the official sidearm for the United States Armed Forces, so much indeed that its substitute is on its way to replacement itself. of weight, with a very short 0.1"/2mm reset. 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. 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 earliest production samples had isolated instances where the application of the tan coating was suspected by the end users to be causing reliability issues. Every piece of steel in theM45A1is machined to specific tolerances and tested to the specifications put forth by the United States Marine Corps. JavaScript is disabled. 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. In the first post, we field stripped the gun between shots to verify that it []. June 4, 2015 Allrightsreserved. ) Black Hills 200-gr. Years later, my father-in-law bought it from me for about 40% of what I paid for it, to this day I consider it an act of mercy. Smith & Wessons Americas Guardians Program. If youre interested in a unique, firearm with a military history at around $1600, go for it. JavaScript is disabled. He somehow managed to convince me to shoot one of his reloads. Not bad- but not great. Thats because at 40 oz., it is heavy. It is assigned NATO Stock Number 1005-01-370-7353. I have a few 1911s I dont shoot, some have rails, some dont, but the spec rail of the Colt made fit difficult. A case of 230 grain Winchester ball, and a few cardboard targets and I was ready. Each knotted tight groups that would do a custom pistol proud, averaging 1.48" for five separate loads. 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 Colt M45A1 Custom Shop (O1070CQB) - Clyde Armory Inc. I finally got my .45 10 years after I retired. 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 cleared the pistol, engaged the safety, and couldnt take it off safe. 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). THESE PISTOLS WERE BUILT FOR THE USMC BY NOVAK FOR COLT, AND THERE WERE NOT MANY MADE. (LogOut/ Over the years Ive built quite a few custom rifles on Remington 700 actions. The coarse checkering on the multi-colored G10 panels assists in anchoring the handgun, as does an undercut trigger guard which allows a high hand hold. The decommissioned pistols and the custom shop pistols all appear to be in the hands of collectors. Out of stock. All M45A1s are currently marked COLT***M45A1 and have a darker, flat dark earth Ion Bond type finish referred to by Colt as Decobond. Particularly for specialized 1911 collectors, a pistol with the history and background of the Colt M45A1 CQBP is a must-have. of weight, with a very short 0.1"/2mm reset. What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? My M45A1 has had hundreds of rounds put through it, both ball and JHP, and has not experienced any type of failure. A close-up of the rear portion of the gun with its hammer cocked. Colt M45A1 CQB Marine Pistol. I couldnt say no and bought the gun (Id buy a broken toaster with USMC stamped on it). Sticky for all Colt USMC CQB/ M45 FACTUAL information I have a DECOMM and an unfired NIB Pelican case Custom Shop USMC. Then sold the entire lot to the company selling them on Gunbroker. Most of the time standing slow fire at 25 yds. Decommisioned M45A1 - AR15.COM For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Beyond the tan color, forward slide serrations and the section of M1913 Picatinny accessory rail immediately standout and separate the pistol from the typical service M1911. Comes with the original box, paperwork, and two magazines. In recent months, the auction houses have listed a few with the prices for the pristine unissued handguns estimated around $7,000. I personally wont sell either but if I did, Id keep the Custom Shop gun simply because its unfired. purchased pistol for combat use by its Special Operations units, including Force Recon. 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. The one-of-a-kind markings are all there. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Quantico began exhaustive testing on other finishes to specify a modification to the contract. [8] Slides were ordered from Springfield Armory, with front sight pins, beavertail safeties and recoil spring guides from Ed Brown. [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. My only experience with a military .45 was at AFROTC summer training. FMJ 1.65". I didnt think much on it at the time, but as we received those first tan Colts and issued them out to our Raiders it was just a few months more than 100 years since Colt had delivered its initial shipment of the U.S. Colt Custom Shop M45A1,O1070M45 CQBP Marine USMC Marked 1911 45ACP NIB I headed to the range with my 1911, a case of Winchester 230 grain ball and a couple hundred rounds of Cor-Bon 185 grain JHP (the gun rags of that day told you to shoot 200 rounds of your defensive load of choice). Maybe they are worried theyll run out of hand grenades? Shooting two handed, strong side only and weak side only it functioned flawlessly. Colt's Manufacturing Company - firearms, handguns, pistols, rifles, revolvers.