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Colt M45A1 CQBP

Colt M45A1 CQBP

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You’re probably wondering what I’m doing blowing through about 50,000 rounds for three posts. I recently concluded 25,000 rounds with an SIG M17 and 15,000 rounds through a SIG P365. Today we’re looking at what 15,000 rounds though a Colt M45A1 Marine Pistol looks like and what to expect when you put that much lead through a 1911.

The first thing that needs to be addressed; the M45A1 initially got a bad rap for reports of the slide cracking after only a few thousand rounds. This was, like so many of these situations, only seen in a small number of guns and corrected immediately. The pistol I have has had no such problems.

So let’s go over the negatives first because this will be the shortest part. The gun has a large grip circumference and a smooth front strap. That makes it hard to hold onto when I’m sweaty or hot. Likewise, in extreme cold. These are things that I would normally change, but I didn’t want to alter an original Colt.

The next criticism I have is also a plus for the gun in that it’s a full-steel, full-size pistol. This baby is heavy and it takes some getting used to on the hip. It is several ounces heavier than most 1911’s I have and with a Surefire X300U-A (the as-issued light for the USMC version) it’s something of a boat anchor.

Nevertheless, the weight helps accuracy and I’d say that if you do it right, it can be comfortably carried regularly. A good holster really helps in this department.

The next point involves the holsters themselves. I will be covering custom holsters like those from my friends at BlackPoint Tactical in an upcoming article and the reason I mention that is because you really need to look into a custom option for this gun.

There are many holsters available for rail-framed 1911’s, but this rail is lower and has some different dimensions than, say, a SIG 1911. The lights get positioned lower, leading to a situation where the gun and light won’t fit in a holster shared by other 1911’s.

I’ve been able to get away with using the same holsters for many of my 1911’s over the years, but you really do need a dedicated one for this gun. It’s very close to, but not the same as the rest. I have a military Safariland holster for it that’s the same one issued to the USMC, but it is not the light-bearing model.

At 15,000 rounds, the gun has seen primarily factory ammo, although it has also seen a goodly number of handloads in 200 and 230gr. During my time withe the M45A1 I haven’t had a single problem. It’s never jammed, failed to feed, or hung up on an odd bullet shape.

The gun ships with Wilson Combat magazines, so that tells you all you really need to know about the pistol’s reliability. I’ve only shot it with Wilson mags and I use them in all my 1911’s. The only minor magazine-related problem I’ve seen was that the release itself was very stiff when I first got the gun, but it has worn in just fine.

The pistol was never be all that tight fitting. Many 1911s out the are so tight that it can be a problem when the gun heats up or gets dirty. This is built as a fighting pistol and it has a an appropriate amount of rattle that you just have to live with. This doesn’t impact accuracy or reliability.

The finish is what Colt calls Decobond and it has held up pretty well given the amount of use. The earlier versions of this gun has a Cerakote finish which ran into some issues, and it was a slightly different shade as well.

The Decobond finish on my gun is bit textured and takes on a chalkiness when fired a great deal, especially at the muzzle. That’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it makes the pistol is a little more difficult to clean. It has smoothed out slightly with use, but hasn’t worn off on any of the corners or from the holster.

Now that we’ve covered reliability and wear, how about accuracy? The good news is that there is no news. The gun is just as accurate now as it was out of the box. It has routinely been able to put five shots into a 1.5-2-inch space at 25 meters, and I believe this is about as good as most good 1911s get. The National Match barrel definitely helps in this department.

The M45A1’s trigger pull has also smoothed out and become even better with time. I see this in many 1911 pistols including ones I’ve gunsmithed myself.

The pull is still on the stiff side at about 5 lbs, but it’s very crisp and is one of the nicest feeling triggers I’ve felt on a military pistol. I really enjoy it and it makes the gun feel great when shooting for accuracy, especially on paper.

After many thousands of rounds, my impression of the M45A1 is very positive. I like that Colt made a great and reliable product here and that it has continued to function with no issues over a large number of rounds.

I wish it was just a tad lighter and easier to carry, but I guess we all want something. I like this gun for what it is and the place in history it briefly occupied as an official USMC 1911 variant.

Where To Buy

Colt M45A1 CQBP
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40 COMMENTS

  1. How do you feel about the dual spring system? Do you think it extended the service life and made the recoil impulse softer?

    • good question, i wondered about that, too. I’ve had guns with dual springs and also a Colt Officer’s Series 80 lightweight (aluminum frame) with a captured spring and guide assembly. Never fired 15,000 rounds through them, though.

  2. I love this gun so much it’s in my official SHTF kit. I’ll buy another if I can ever find one.

  4. 15,000 rounds without a malfunction. That sounds like my experience with my two 1911’s. Sounds like crickets from the Glock crowd today…

    • That’s because it’s not worth mentioning to the glock crowd. They do it routinely, so it’s not noteworthy.

      • That is meant to be a joke, correct? Comparing a GLUNK to this gun is like comparing a Subaru to a Porsche. Get over the Glunks already. Over priced plastic junk. Now go ahead, let me hear it.

  5. A1, thought those had an arched main spring housing.
    Mine does, even says A1 on the slide, did I get ripped off? Probably.
    Damn it, oh well, it’ll work as a boat anchor.
    Duel purpose firegunms

  6. This has got to be a joke… 15,000 rounds and not A SINGLE BIT of holster wear? Good God, I hope TTAG regulars are smarter than this (evidence has shown otherwise, but hope springs eternal).

    • It doesn’t have holster wear likely b/c light bearing holsters almost always retain on the light – so that there are less places for the finish of the pistol to touch the interior of the holster and wear.

    • 15,000 rounds doesn’t mean I drew it cowboy style between every shot. Also, the USMC issue Safariland holster has a soft felt-like lining. For the extent it was carried it was with a light mounted and meanmeatball is right, and the exterior surfaces were not exposed to high friction wear. High round count doesn’t mean any gun has to look like pawn shop trash. Just buy good holsters and keep your stuff clean.

      I will cover this in a future article so don’t worry. I’ll be going over reasonable wear and tear in relation to this and other long term reviews.

      • mean meatball? uh…. you shouldn’t talk about yourself that way…. spoiled rotten sob…

    • I have SERIOUS reservations as to such claims of a high round count.
      It just doesnt look right. A Springfield LW Loaded Model, after about ten years and 20,000 rounds- not a lot for a good practice schedule- has little finish left and some serious wear on the slide- still funciton, with ten or twelve recoil springs replaced, and overall has the look of a well worn pistol. People who have never seen a high round count gun may not get it.

      • Are you retarded?……I know the answer but I’m curious whether you’ll lie about that or not…. just because you HAVE NO IDEA how to properly care for a pistol, doesn’t mean a pistol with 15k rounds has to look like crap…..I mean are you seriously THAT DUMB?

  7. So you’re the reason ammunition isn’t on shelves, LOL. What’s that up in the sky? Superman? A plane? No it’s a Blue Falcon.

  8. I like a good 1911, but to my eye that one is ugly. Looks spray painted and the grip looks like a Martha Stewart table cloth. I’d rattle can it black were it mine.

  9. So let’s assume you paid historic 9mm plinking prices in the neighborhood of 20 cents a round. That’s $11,000. I imagine you must have paid more than that given recent history.

    To each their own, but I’m in no hurry to match that. I’m perfectly happy to go through a box of 50 now and then without feeling like I’m missing out on something.

      • Oops, wrong copy and paste. My original calculation was how many seconds were spent firing and reloading, even if firing as fast as one can, which comes out to about 11,000 seconds. Which is over four hours.

  11. 15k rounds and no malfunctions? My Cajun Gun Works CZ P-01 and factory HK P-30. That’s cute. 🙄

  12. Blackhawk omnivore for the x300 is your holster solution if you’re not concealing the pistol.

  13. Your dislike of the smooth front strap was also mine on a Colt 1911 Series 80 I carried as a duty pistol. As it was a Department pistol, I couldn’t have 40 lpi checkering cut onto the frame.

    Solution: Skateboard Tape.

    Cut the tape where the side edges are long enough to fit under the stock panels. Cut the tape length long enough to suit your fingers. Degrease front strap stick on and re-install stocks.

    I now own this pistol and the tape has stayed in place since 1985. Zero bulk in grip size and it makes all the difference in the world in acquiring a positive, no-slip grip.

    Remove with a hair dryer or heat gun to bring back to original.

    • kind of ridiculous that a $1,500 pistol doesn’t have a checkered front strap in the first place.

      I mean, these are standard features on any $1,000 Sig, Kimber, or Dan Wesson.

      • It should also have the slide stop groove radiused to remove stress riser 90 degree angles. So my next question is…who actually makes the pistol for Colt? Ask their custom shop…

      • “kind of ridiculous that a $1,500 pistol doesn’t have a checkered front strap in the first place.”
        Turns out that the M45A1 isn’t a $1,500 pistol. I hit the link at the top of this article and found that Guns.com is offering it for $2,019.99. And I thought my SW1911 was pricy, when I bought it for $920 in 2010(!)

      • Brownells sells these two, but they only work with hard grip panels. Tried one on a Kimber 4″ with rubber grip panels, and it wouldn’t stay put. Put it on a Springfield EMP with wood grips and it works like a charm.

  14. Thanks for sharing this information. I really like your blog post very much. You have really shared an informative and interesting blog post with people.

  17. Hello. Not only do I have one of these fine pistols I carried one in the Marines. The gun is phenomenal. OK, it’s heavy. No kidding? It’s a 1911, steel, combat gun. Malfunction’s? Nope. It’s heavy..oh, we covered that. It ain’t plastic. Malfunctions? Oh, we covered that too. We have 4 Dan Wesson’s and they are malfunction machines. 15k rounds out your test gun with no malfunctions is impressive. 15 rounds out a Dan Wesson would be “alert the media”.
    Thanks for the review.

  20. Thanks for the review. I love when I see a review and they don’t even have a box down the pipe. It’s great knowing you actually spent the time and effort to really shoot the gun. I hear you on the weight. I carried an XD45 for years and 13+1 in addition to the hog leg is heavy. It may not be comfortable to carry all the time, but it is COMFORTING. I have a couple of 1911’s that I’ve used with regularity over the years. They definitely exude confidence.

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