Sticking to their guns: Marines place $22.5M order for the Colt .45 M1911

[GAP]

Sticking to their guns: Marines place $22.5M order for the Colt .45 M1911
By Maegan Vazquez  July 28, 2012
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It’s been called the greatest handgun ever made, and it has barely changed sine 1911, when the legendary John Browning designed it especially for the U.S. Military.

And now, the Colt .45 M1911 is making a big comeback, now that the U.S. Marines have placed a $22.5 million order for the Connecticut-made pistols.

The gun, which has been wielded on film by John Wayne and in real life by Sgt. Alvin York and Maj. Audie Murphy, was the standard-issue sidearm in the military for decades, until it was replaced by the Beretta M9 in 1985

"It just became an iconic part of military and American history," Gerry Dinkel, CEO and president of Colt Defense, told FoxNews.com.

The gun, one of the most successful pistols ever used at Camp Perry's National Matches, a competition known to be the main world event in artillery sports, has barely changed since it's creation. Dinkel says that shows the gun's "elegant design" just can't be improved on. And firearms experts agree.

"You can’t beat a .45 cartridge," Jack Lewis, firearms director for Cowan's Auctions, told FoxNews.com. "Some things are hard to replace," he said.

Colt Defense, based in Hartford, Conn., will supply as many as 12,000 of the 200,000 U.S. Marines with semi-automatic, tan-colored M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistols, and they will include spare parts and logistical support. The gun has long been the weapon of choice for special operations agents, thanks to its reliability and the stopping power of its massive bullets.

"I'm really glad that they're keeping it in the American economy," Lewis, who used the gun while he was in the armed forces, said. "I was quite upset when they went to the Beretta," Lewis said.

Some reports suggest Marines are not happy with their main Beretta M9s for their lack of accuracy and stopping power. With M1911's now supplying Special Ops, growing interest may lead to a better solution.
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[Jarnhamar]

Nice.  Maybe we'll be next  ;D

 

[jollyjacktar]

My first pistol I owned was a 1911.  I absolutely loved shooting her, but not paying for the feeding of her.  :'(  Even 30 years ago, she was an expensive date.  That being said, however, she would be my # 1 choice of side arm to carry in any situation, bar none.  She was dependable, tough as John Wayne and I have no doubt that in a no duff situation anything she kissed would drop like a sack of potatoes.  Nothing I've carried gave me the piece of mind as .45 ACP would have.  If the Marines are going back to her once again, there must be a reason.  The one's I mentioned above no doubt form part of them.

 

[aesop081]

  If the Marines are going back to her once again,

Read on another site, which i cannot find again,  that this is not USMC-wide. This is limited to MARSOC.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Read on another site, which i cannot find again,  that this is not USMC-wide. This is limited to MARSOC.

Thanks.  It would not surprise me though, if it did go further in distribution down the road. 

 

[Colin Parkinson]

No doubt that US Army will then buy them because the US Marines have a new cool toy and realizing they are not in 9mm NATO standard and then keep them warehoused for 10 years and then destroy them.

 

[Ex-SHAD]

No doubt that US Army will then buy them because the US Marines have a new cool toy and realizing they are not in 9mm NATO standard and then keep them warehoused for 10 years and then destroy them.

Well you're close, however what will probably happen is that an article will appear in the Army Times that we're getting a new sidearm. There will be lots of meetings, articles on AKO, and briefings from Plt. Sgt's and eventually the 1st Sgt. will give speech on how we're going to be getting a new side arm....the hoopla will go on for about a year or so, and then in a document that no one reads, will come out stating that the cost outweighs all the positive reasons for adopting a new sidearm, and within a year the whole thing will be forgotten, only to be ignited again after the Army Times publishes something else equally crazy.

 

[Old Sweat]

Well you're close, however what will probably happen is that an article will appear in the Army Times that we're getting a new sidearm. There will be lots of meetings, articles on AKO, and briefings from Plt. Sgt's and eventually the 1st Sgt. will give speech on how we're going to be getting a new side arm....the hoopla will go on for about a year or so, and then in a document that no one reads, will come out stating that the cost outweighs all the positive reasons for adopting a new sidearm, and within a year the whole thing will be forgotten, only to be ignited again after the Army Times publishes something else equally crazy.

All armies go through these phases. Imagine the buzz millenia ago over the new, improved stone axe. And one of the reasons the M1911 came along was because firing a revolver on a horse peppered the steed's neck wih hot gases and bits of lead, causing flinching and faltering in close combat. The other reason, of course, was that a .45 bullet tended to convince the recipient to lie down and bleed.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Sure. I remember when we had to turn in our Mainz gladii for the Pompeii model. No end to the bitching on that one :

 

[MikeL]

Thanks.  It would not surprise me though, if it did go further in distribution down the road.

Similar pistols(1911 MEU(SOC)) have been in use with special Marine units(such as Force Recon) for awhile,  the .45s seem to just stay within those communities and everyone else keeps the M9.

 

[CombatDoc]

My first pistol I owned was a 1911.  I absolutely loved shooting her, but not paying for the feeding of her.  :'(  Even 30 years ago, she was an expensive date.  That being said, however, she would be my # 1 choice of side arm to carry in any situation, bar none.  She was dependable, tough as John Wayne and I have no doubt that in a no duff situation anything she kissed would drop like a sack of potatoes.  Nothing I've carried gave me the piece of mind as .45 ACP would have.  If the Marines are going back to her once again, there must be a reason.  The one's I mentioned above no doubt form part of them.

I agree that the 45 ACP round is an excellent round, but disagree that the 1911 is the best platform for the majority of military users (with apologies to Jeff Cooper).  If you're going to the 45ACP cartridge, then why not fire it out of something like a Glock 21 which is "soft shooting" and far more dependable than the majority of 1911's [/fireproof underwear on].  For selected users such as MARSOC, maybe a 45 makes sense, but for the non-expert user a 9mm is probably the better choice.

Now, before the Cooperites descend on me, let me add that I own several 1911's and enjoy shooting them.  But, if my life was on the line I'd be looking for a Glock/Sig etc in 9/40/45.  I simply find that most 1911's are too finicky and prone to malfunction under range condtions (stove pipe jams, FTF, FTE, etc), let alone on battlefield environments [/fireproof underwear off].

 

[Maxadia]

Sure. I remember when we had to turn in our Mainz gladii for the Pompeii model. No end to the bitching on that one :

LMAO. 

 

[jollyjacktar]

I agree that the 45 ACP round is an excellent round, but disagree that the 1911 is the best platform for the majority of military users (with apologies to Jeff Cooper).  If you're going to the 45ACP cartridge, then why not fire it out of something like a Glock 21 which is "soft shooting" and far more dependable than the majority of 1911's [/fireproof underwear on].  For selected users such as MARSOC, maybe a 45 makes sense, but for the non-expert user a 9mm is probably the better choice.

Now, before the Cooperites descend on me, let me add that I own several 1911's and enjoy shooting them.  But, if my life was on the line I'd be looking for a Glock/Sig etc in 9/40/45.  I simply find that most 1911's are too finicky and prone to malfunction under range condtions (stove pipe jams, FTF, FTE, etc), let alone on battlefield environments [/fireproof underwear off].

There are I am sure other systems out there that use the .45 cartridge, but I don't have any stick time on them so cannot compaire.  That is why I like the Colt.  I know it and trust it so for now I must go with what I know.  If you're a non-expert shooter, you might want to have the more surefire stopping power of the .45 instead of the 9mm.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I agree that the 45 ACP round is an excellent round, but disagree that the 1911 is the best platform for the majority of military users (with apologies to Jeff Cooper).  If you're going to the 45ACP cartridge, then why not fire it out of something like a Glock 21 which is "soft shooting" and far more dependable than the majority of 1911's [/fireproof underwear on].  For selected users such as MARSOC, maybe a 45 makes sense, but for the non-expert user a 9mm is probably the better choice.

Now, before the Cooperites descend on me, let me add that I own several 1911's and enjoy shooting them.  But, if my life was on the line I'd be looking for a Glock/Sig etc in 9/40/45.  I simply find that most 1911's are too finicky and prone to malfunction under range condtions (stove pipe jams, FTF, FTE, etc), let alone on battlefield environments [/fireproof underwear off].

You don't have to be a disciple of Jeff Cooper to prefer a 1911. I tune most of my guns. My Commander has a bunch of Wilson stuff in it now and has not had any FTF or FTE problems (didn't have in the beginning either). I've got a lot of 9's and a couple of .40's, but my Commander is the one that goes in my vest for competition. I see a lot of newer 'softer shooters', no matter the make, that get hung up if you stop paying attention and limp wrist it. That problem doesn't present itself with a 1911, at least that I've seen.

1911's are simple stupid and easily fixed with the most basic of tools even in austere conditions. No special Glock or Sig Armouers course needed. I've never found a 1911 to be any more finicky than anything else. Less so, in fact.

Nines are definitely cheaper to feed, but I reload and cast, so the difference to me is near non existant.

Nines are probably better for the beginner also. Not so intimidating.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The main reason the 1911 gets a bad rap is because of the "race guns". These things are super picky and you get the busy well off guy, buys a $5,000 race gun, buys cheap reloads or bulk ammo and does not chamber check it. Anything with a match chamber requires good ammo or previously checked ammo by dropping that ammo into the chamber. Also the link and pin will need replacing sooner than the other bits. Another issue with the design is it does not scale down easily, the officers frame and slide is not that reliable.

 

[jollyjacktar]

My girl never game me a lick of trouble.  She performed flawlessly without all the bells and whistles.