CMP 1911s... (are we closer?)

[HCM]

I'm with you: M9 was the right move. I'd say it's still the right move. Oh well...

So were the barrels just worn out on the 1911s you guys were issued? Is that why they were so inaccurate?

I just looked up the "MEU(SOC) 1911." So basically... it's a government issued "custom" 1911. That's pretty cool. I didn't know such a thing existed. Yeah... put me down for one of those.

There is a balancing act in 1911s between accuracy and reliability. The US GI 1911s all date to WWII though many have been arsenal rebuilt over the years. The GI Guns were all built with a bias towards reliability. Realistically rack grade guns with ball ammo were capable of 3-6” groups at 25 yards.

1911 accuracy involves more than just the barrel itself. The bushing, link and locking lugs are all involved along with the slide to frame fit. Serious student is spot on about the guns being worn out overall.

Re the Meusoc Guns - they were routinely shot out / shot loose in training and re built. My understanding is they needed two guns for each shooter to ensure they always had a working gun due to the PMCS / rebuild cycle.

There are very practical reasons they embraced the G19 as soon as they could under the auspices of SOCOM.

[Drang]

I was one of the people who uttered a loud "Huzzah!" when issued an M9. I could hit what I aimed at using the Beretta. Not so with a 1911, that had eleventy-billion rounds through it.

My experience was the opposite: Qualified Expert first try with a 1911 that probably had been in Korea since 1950, struggled to qualify Marksman at the very same range with an M9.

[Jeep]

My experience with GI .45s (mainly Ithaca's and Remington Rands--the Colts went to important people) is not that they were "shot out"--but that springs were never replaced. Hence, many had truly terrible triggers (a rusted mainspring and a 30 year old sear spring will do that), and some had feeding problems (who knew one had to changed recoil springs? Certainly our armorers appeared to have no idea).

But shot out? Not generally. They simply didn't get enough rounds through them for that. Most saw no more than 50 rounds per year, if that. Yes they tended to shake, rattle and role, but that is how they were built (or rebuilt in the 1950's). And yes the Parkerizing had partially or fully worn off many of them (and the bluing of the WWI Colts among them was pretty much gone), because they had gone in many holsters over many decades.

Almost all of them could have been rebuilt again. But the arsenals no longer had the skilled workers and rebuilding would have cost more than buying a new M9.

My guess is that some of the CMP rack-grade pistols will be almost shot out--ie slides almost to the cracking point (and perhaps some frames as well) but with an oil bath (for the hidden rust, all new springs, and perhaps a bunch of small parts, most of them probably could be turned into decent shooters. Though I suspect they will instead be held by aging vets and not shot much.

[TC215]

I bought a 1913-built Colt M1911 several years ago. It was in fair shape...I paid $1200 for it, and sold it a couple years later for $1200. It did not have all original parts, as it had been through the "re-arsenal" process between WW1 and WW2.

I would happily pay $1000 for another in decent shape, just to have a piece of history, and also because I remember my late grandfather talking about carrying his issued ".45" as a pilot in WW2.

[MattyD380]

Interesting stuff. Cool to hear the insights from you guys who actually used these things. Respect [fist bump]. As always is the case, the fog of history tends to obscure the reality.

CMP may refurb them to an extent? I recall looking at the Garands they were offering, a year or so ago... depending on what "Grade" you chose, many were heavily overhauled. Maybe that will be the case there.

In any case, if I could get my hands one as nice as the one in TC215's picture... I'd pay a grand.

[TQP]

I was in the USAR from 85-93. We got M9s somewhere toward the end of that period but I can't remember quite when.

Our 1911s were beat all to hell. The barrels were pretty much smoothbore. They had at one point been extensively dry fired with the firing pins and stops removed, or something-there was damage to the back end of the firing pin channel from ( presumably) the hammer hitting them. I seem to remember something being wrong with the extractor channels also, but what exactly I don't recall. I do remember that all the qualifiers shooting the same pistol ( we had 3? 4?) which I'm sure wasn't to ease the cleaning burden since the officers in question didn't have to clean them. All the maintenance was done by the 'gun nerds' in the unit. Note: the armorer was not one of those people.

I seem to recall pistol quals being done with a personally owned 1911 when we couldn't get any of the unit's to run well enough. It might have even been my auto-ord (!) beater that got used (Poor college student. ALL my pistols were beaters).

Based on my experience, I'm not terribly interested in one of the CMP guns. I am curious to see if any of the 'special' versions are included in this batch.

[SeriousStudent]

I am a bit curious. I was in the Marine Corps, and wondering if the very, very likely possibility is that Army pistols you gentlemen shot were better maintained.

Honestly, the guns we had were crap.