Fox News reports that the U.S. Marines have placed a $22.5 million order with Colt Defense for sidearms. The pistol maker 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.” Gerry Dinkel, CEO and president of Colt Defense, couldn’t be happier. “To have the 1911 selected again for U. S. Forces 101 years after its initial introduction is just an incredible testament to the timeless design and effectiveness of the Colt 1911. This is truly a gratifying contract award.” Not to mention a real bummer for our pal Karl Lippard, who competed for the Marine Corps contract with a gun of his own design for which he claimed 1000-yard accuracy. I guess the fix was in. Or not.

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50 COMMENTS

  1. What a waste of taxpayer money. Could’ve just bought the NCOs a Glock 21 SF a piece and been done with it for far cheaper.

    • But they would have to make them in the U.S., no? As far as I know, Glock is made only in Austria, so they would have to build a factory here first. So the pistol wouldn’t be that cheap in the end. Feel free to correct me, I may be wrong here.

        • well, I know that they service the guns there and it’s a distribution center, but do they actually make anything there from scratch, either the frames or slides? I’ve never seen any “made in USA” markings on their pistols.

        • there is full production of certain models in the US, the rest are assembled from austrian parts. I’m not a big glock fan, so I’m not aware of the exact breakdown which model is or isn’t manufactured here.

      • Your right. However, I happen to know that they are massively expanding their assembly facility just outside of Atlanta. They import the parts from Austria and put them together there. I’m not sure if they plan on making the parts in the new facility or simply expand their assembly capabilities.

    • the 21SF would have performed admirably if they wanted a 45. The 19 and 22, used by “certain” units in USSOCOM, edifies Glock as a very formidable combat weapon.

      Needless to say, MEUSOC is immovably set on the 1911. Since they have outstanding armorer support, these weapons will be very reliable and effective (mitigating the disadvantage of the 1911 platform).

  2. Why are we giving our troops 1911s again?

    I mean, Mosin Nagants are a 101+ year old design and no one is pushing for them to come back to service anywhere…

    • Mosin-Nagants don’t need to come back…they never left! Just ask peasant fighters around the globe.

      • I wonder if we can sell the USMC some 1800$ mosin nagants. just need to add a rail and duracoat them in FDE.

    • If we’re gonna go that far, we should equip them with 1873 SAAs. Sure would be able to tell our boys from the injuns!

  3. Sorry, but “Close Quarter Battle Pistols” aren’t used at 1000 yards. Most people can’t reliably hit at that distance with a rifle. My understanding is that a lot of special forces personnel have continued to use the 1911 since the Beretta was introduced and the the thing just works. Hard to argue with that.

    • Revolvers “just work” too but we’re not using them. I’d actually prefer an 8 shot .357 mag to a 1911.

    • The 1911 is still used by MEUSOC and FBI HRT; it is still a effective and relevant combat handgun for a reason. Unlike big army, they have the specialized armorer support to keep such weapons running like a sewing machine.

      If you treat a 1911 like a Glock, then it will malfunction and have problems. If you treat it the way it was designed to be treated (with human labor i.e. armorer level maintenance and gunsmithing), it will be extremely reliable.

        • im not sure what you’re implying, but the HRT, like other federal law enforcement paramilitary organizations, have conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, albeit with a low level of attention by the press.

    • Yeah, no doubt! and I’m sure he has “witnesses” who will attess to the truthfulness of his claim. And his witnesses are all former Marines, which apparently makes them very credible.

  8. there goes my tax money… they couldn’t make do with their other toys from beretta or hk as a backup to their rifles?

  9. I take it that not a single one of the knowledgeable gun guys on this site has seen the “Future Military Weapons” page in CL’s website (http://karllippard.com/military/Future-Military.html). It is full of laughable science fiction. Pistols that shoot 400RPM, anti ICBM systems, “Close Quarters Battle Machine Pistols” and words like “top secret” and “classified”. Also the guy appears to have a business plan up to the year 2100 (the number is correct). Please visit the link and see for yourselves.

    • Of course they have. They’ve mocked him several times already. You apparently missed the sarcasm in the original post.

    • lol yea. Just search Karl Lippard in the search box in the upper right hand corner of this page. Plenty of lulz.

  10. Anyone who claims 1000 yard accuracy in a handgun needs to stop eating the funny mushrooms.

  12. My opinion as a twenty-plus year purchasing agent is that I would’ve disqualified Karl’s response to my RFQ/RFP rather quickly due to (among other things) his 1) not have the resources available to supply new product in a timely manner and 2) to support warranty and maintenance items for the duration of the contract period.

    Unless he’s got a lot more going on than his website and online information indicates…

  13. 1911’s are awesome. If you’re stuck with FMJ (damn Geneva convention) the .45 is the only way to go for CQB. A Glock 21 or 21SF has great bang for the buck, but isn’t made in the US. Rails are great for weapon lights – a military CQB necessity. I’d rather carry this than an M9.

    Personally, I also wish the US military would incorporate the 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel as well. At least the Marine Corps has picked up the MK 318 SOST 5.56 ammo…

  15. is this weapon replacing the m9 or being issued alongside the m9. the military,especially, should remember murphy.

  16. Bu-But all the fanboys on this site have told me that the 1911 platform is a useless, inferior piece of junk. Joe shmoe shooter who runs a training facility would rather use a ice cube tray for self defense than a 1911.

    101 years means that it is old, and nothing that old can be any good….

    /Good for Colt!

    • all the dumbasses claim the 1911 is inferior. Highly trained shooters, however, will laud the design as still relevant and effective.

      These same idiots bash the 1911 because they treat their springfield or kimber like their polymer handguns. I agree with larry vickers; if you are interested in owning a 1911, you need to attend a armorer’s course and get intimately familiar with your pistol.

      If you are not interested in this, buy a different design.

      • “Dumbass” is a little harsh… There are a lot of top experienced trainers in this country who recommend not to use a 1911 for self defense (and don’t carry one themselves). I’ve carried 1911’s, but it’s hard to argue with the “hands off” dependability of something like a Glock.

        Inferior design? I wouldn’t go that far. But in reality the design of the 1911 doesn’t provide many advantages over some of the polymer pistols, as long as the shooter can manage the difference in trigger. When you pair this with the improved reliability, especially in adverse conditions, of a polymer… It starts to make sense why some define the 1911 as an “inferior” design. Even though I disagree on the “inferior” part.

        That said… I have a love affair with 1911’s… But I put my life behind a Glock.

        • the dumbass part is pertaining to the plethora of internet “experts” and not the legitimate criticism of the design by true professionals. Youre absolutely correct though. I think the concealed carry also mostly applies to the compact and sub-compact 1911s rather than the full sized frame; in my experience, those short 1911s are a royal pain in the ass and generally unreliable.

          Larry Vickers, one of the most experienced individuals with the 1911, offers legitimate criticism of the design. He is definitely right that keeping a 1911 functioning flawlessly is a “pain in the ass”.

          I agree with you on polymers. That is why militaries have adopted them: minimal maintenance and the requirement of plugging in parts without gunsmithing.

          I own Colt 1911s but carry a Glock. My bag gun/thigh holster sidearm is a HK45. I know that those weapons will function more reliably in adverse conditions.

  17. It’s inconceivable to me that the military could turn down the world’s first One Million Yard pistol in favor of something obviously inferior.

      • Hell, I used to bullseye womprats back home in Beggar’s Canyon, and they’re not much bigger than 2 meters.

  18. Remember what every military doctrine around the world says the more bullets down range on target the better. The 1911 is obsolete because of low magazine capacity and the fact that it requires moderate maintenance.

    • For a unit intended to conduct special warfare operations in a amphibious setting, I also disagree with using 1911s. That is just my opinion though.

  20. Innumerable Germans, Japanese, North Korean, Chinese, Italian and Vietnamese will testify to reliabilty of 1911 — if they only survived. The M1911 was the most feared weapon by German troops in a WWI trench fight. My $750 Springfield has never jammed and the only FTF has been a magazine problem. I don’t anybody who maintains his 1911 who has any problems with reliabilty.

    • i think the Winchester pump-action “trench gun” was the most feared American small arm during WWI. It was highly effective in trench warfare and pissed off the Germans, who cried it was a inhumane weapon.

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