Sticking to their guns: Marines place $22.5M order for the Colt .45 M1911.
From FOX News:
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. . .
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. . .
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.
14 comments:
Since we're finally FIXING things that never needed fixing in the first place, let's bring back the M-14s(or FALs) and really watch the M-4 crowd's heads go Linda Blair.
Waaaaa. They're too "heavy".
I own three WELL USED M1911A1s that saw service in WWII, two are Colts, the other one Remington-Rand. They are so loose you can shake the pistol and the slide rattles on each one, and there is barely any finish. So I'm sure they have "been there and done that". And they still fire reliably. A testament to their design and quality.
I have a Colt .45 and a 9mm Beretta. The Marines would have been further ahead to purchase adjustable sights for the Beretta and better ammo with more punch. Both are readily available. Both Corbon and Sellier @ Bellot make ammo in the 518 foot pounds of energy range. No need for a double tap. If the Marines believe that the fixed sight on a 1911 will improve accuracy over a Beretta, they are mistaken.
Glad to see the Corps has "caught up" with those of us who never left
There are a lot better .45 caliber handguns available than the 1911. They lack capacity and reliability. The newer polymer frame guns hold more cartridges, are more reliable with different kinds of ammunition.
It should be noted these are not our grandpa's 1911A1s. These are Colt 1911 CQB models with modern features and fitting.
Jim22 - sort of agree - it is called COTS in military jargon (Common Off The Shelf). At around 1800 bucks per copy on this contract, I suspect that they could have saved a buck or 2 by using that system rather than redesigning a perfectly adequate weapon, JMB got it right the first time. And polymers are not necessarily 'better' for a military sidearm.
Maddawg - I've shot some of those rattly .45s (and they were 19llA1s vice the original 1911) and yes they do fire reliably, only problem is they are terribly inaccurate....
Colt is the least reliable 1911 currently on the market.
Colt is the least reliable 1911 on the market.
Read up on the problems the test guns had.
The Marines are not getting the classic old M1911A1 again.
They're getting the Colt Rail Gun, with a tan finish.
Something like 40% of the sample/test guns were unserviceable by the end of testing, yet they were still selected.
Frankly, there are better guns for large organizations in this day and age.
I love my 1911, but it's an individual enthusiast's weapon anymore, not a mass-issue sidearm.
Same for the M-14. Aside from penetrating hard cover, it does nothing that the M-4 doesn't do just as well if not better. And hard cover (or intermediate distance, like 400-600m) is where you use your machineguns anyway. Far more effective than rifles out there.
Personally, its time all services went back to what worked, and what worked well. Just my .02
Taz, FL
The US military has made the move from a .45 caliber bullet to a .35 caliber bullet several times since at least the 1840's. They keep relearning the same things. Regardless of what theorists suggest SHOULD happen, people who actually have to use the damn things KNOW that, one you solve the problems asociated with "getting lead on target", a fat slow bullet stops a fight better than a small fast one.
Every time this issue comes up the number crunchers proclaim the superiority of the 9x19 based on foot pounds of energy completely ignoring the role the size of the round plays.
More importantly they act as if the mountains of empirical data collected on the subject for more than a century that disproves their beliefs does not exist. If they are even aware of the data to begin with.
Then the big mag/plastic pistol people chime in. Having spent the last several years correcting the reliability deficiencies of these pistols for the owners. Reality does not match up with your Dogma!
But this takes the cake "The Marines would have been further ahead to purchase adjustable sights for the Beretta".
I have yet to come across adjustable pistol sights that stand up to something as tame as a serious multi day pistol competition without needing serious armorer or gunsmith level maintenance.
But I actually am a professional gunsmith so what do I know?
After asking and looking -- the ParaOrdinance P14-45 series. JB's design with more then the original 7+1 number of rounds. And some models in the series at a good price.
B Woodman
III-PER
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