MEU(SOC) pistol redux
One of the coolest things I came across at the NRA Show in Atlanta last month was this bad boy from the Military Armament Corporation (MAC).
Compare it to the 800~ MEU(SOC) pistols made by the Marine armorers at the Precision Weapons Section, MCBQ around 2001 that took vintage M1911A1 frames and upgraded them to a more modern combat handgun with a mix of Springfield Armory, Ed Brown, and Wilson Combat slides and internals, capped off with Pachy grips. The program had run earlier variants on the same theme in smaller numbers, going back to 1985.
The SN (2431001) denotes the frame as a circa 1945 Remington Rand. Everything else is commercial.
The Marines kept using the in-house built MEU(SOC) guns in Force Recon, Provost, and SRT units well into 2013, when they were replaced by the purpose-built all-new Colt M45 Marine Close Quarters Battle Pistol, which in turn was only retired in 2023.
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Maritime Raid Force Marines and Sailors conduct live fire exercises with M1911 MEUSOC .45 caliber pistols aboard the USS San Antonio (LPD 17), at sea, April 11, 2013. Note the Novak sights. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)
MSRP on the MAC MEUSOC.45 is expected to be in the $700 range.