The latest Marine acquisition will be Colt 1911 firearms. One of the best designed firearms ever and one that truly does the job.
$22.5 million for 12,000 45s sounds a bit pricey at $1875 each. Anybody know what that is in 1911 dollars?
Paul in PA
$1,875 of 1911 dollars would be worth: $45,731.71 in 2012
$1,875 of 2012 dollars would be worth $76.88 in 1911
I qualified on one at Camp Pendleton, damn good pistol..Semper Fi...
Yep, had mind for over 20 years now and yet to find any hand gun to match it.
I purchased the Remington R1 version of the 1911 this past spring. They got it right back then and it has stood the test of time. I just returned home with 250 more .45 auto rounds, so nice to read this story.
The CMP is going to go nuts!
The Civilian Marksmanship Program has its rulebook written so that every 1911A1 pistol, caliber .45ACP must have exactly the same outward appearance as the issue firearm used by the U.S. military as standard issue. It can not have extra striations for racking the slide forward of the ejection chamber, it can not have lugs under the dust cover, no Beavertail grip, etc., etc.
The new updated model shown in the illustration has all of those features presently outlawed by the CMP as required for entry into "Leg" Pistol matches!
This is going to fluster some of the old fuddy-duddies in Conventional Bullseye Pistol competition! A "Distinguished" Pistol Championship will never be the same again! However, none of these changes will affect the pistol's inherent accuracy. It is still going to take a Master Pistolsmith to tune it to group 3 inches or better at 50 yards!
All that takes is an extra $1,200 to $1,500 to accomplish that AFTER you purchase the pistol ...
The 45 APC was developed because of the effect that the 38 Long Colt had in the Philippines. Physics are the same today as they were then and shifting to the 9MM was a political move using recoil and not effect as an excuse. You want short range weapons to stop the threat with one hit, that means that all the energy should be absorbed by the target, not to pass through at a high velocity. Have heard that some have dusted off the M-14 so they could have the advantage of a heavier .30 cal. bullet. Good move on the the Marines side, will it catch on with others?
jud
Does anyone know if these are legally available to the public?
You have a large choice of manufactures with improvements if you wast to purchase a 1911A1 and I believe one manufacture even makes the 1911. Meet the local requirements to purchase a handgun and have fun with your choice. For combat use or self defense 1911A1's, for the sake of reliability, are manufactured with a looser fit than those intended for target use only. You can bet that what the Marine Corps buy will work in the dust, mud, sand and snow with a minimum of fuss. Almost every one of the 1911A1's I used in the military were loose, but would go bang when asked and would shoot close enough to hit a man at the ranges the firearms was designed to be used.
jud
> $22.5 million for 12,000 45s sounds a bit pricey at $1875 each.
I'm told that $1875 a copy is a reasonable price for high quality models of this weapon. Lower quality knock offs are available for less.
MARSOC gets them; nobody else
MARSOC = Marine Special Operations Command
John Browning
A great firearms designer and builder.
B-)
While I am a fan of the Colt 1911, I think there are many better options for a much lower price. Retail for a nice Springfield XD 45 is around $600-$700. It would be a far superior weapon in combat, in my opinion.
If it ain't broke, Don't fix it.
Love the 1911, just sold my S&W Sigma .40 to buy a Springfield Range Officer. If you ever have any doubts about a 1911, pick one up and compare it hand to hand with whatever else you got. You'll be amazed.
My selling point was the trigger. My S&W had like a 7-9lb pull and felt like it had 1" of travel, the 1911 although I haven't measured it feels like 3-4lbs and as soon as it moves the hammer falls. I don't think I'll ever buy another polymer pistol.
If it ain't broke, Don't fix it.
Companies call it "improving", not "breaking".... just look at computer "improvements", oooppppss, windows "improvements", oooopppps, get the idea? :'(
