Curious about how it’s going for CMP on their new stab at selling GI surplus M1911s to the public?
Via CMP:
On Friday, June 6, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) hosted its first of three in-person sales events for its M1911 Pistol Program.
The event featured over 400 pistols in Service and Rack grades, along with other special categories to include consecutive serial number pairs, matching pistol and rifle serial number pairs, early production, and more. These rare sales opportunities were created to allow enthusiasts to not only purchase these timeless vintage pistols but to personally hold them and view their unique characteristics up close.
“The first in-person sales event at our M1911 armory in Anniston on 6 June was very successful, based on the overall organization of the event, the curated experience, and, of course, feedback from many satisfied customers,” said Jerry O’Keefe, CMP CEO and Board Chair.
Those who attended described their experiences on the CMP Forum, with comments such as:
“I was in the first group this morning at 8:00 and wasn’t sure how the sale would be handled. I have to give the CMP staff a double thumbs up. From the drive-in parking, the checking in process, the briefing on rules before entering, and the display of pistols was EXCELLENT. Armorers from the M1911 shop were available to answer any questions. It was smooth, and professionalism was shown by all employees. JOB WELL DONE!!! I would attend again if I weren’t maxed out on my limit. Good luck to everyone.” – PH68
“The experience was fantastic . . . I was in the second group, and the tables were full . . . There was plenty of inventory for whatever you were looking for . . . “ – mvigil2391
Two dates remain for in-person M1911 Sales, set at the annual National Matches at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio! Limited tickets are still available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis through CMP’s Competition Tracker system. (Free account required for ticket purchase: https://ct.thecmp.org/CampPerryM1911Sales.)
M1911 CP TIMES 2025 – 1
REMINDER: The lifetime purchase limit for M1911 pistols has been increased from 2 to 4. Don’t miss out on the chance to add to your vintage collection!
“We are very much looking forward to the next two M1911 in-person events upcoming at Camp Perry,” O’Keefe added. “While the experience will be different in terms of the venue, we are fully expecting to provide the same level of customer service and the same quantity, quality, and variety of M1911s to include all the special categories. I look forward to seeing you all there!”
As any follower of the blog will know, I’ve been reporting on the CMP 1911 program since 2015 and have been lucky enough to have participated in the program’s Second and Fourth rounds.
Well, everything seems to have been straightened out and CMP announced this week that it is proceeding full speed ahead, both with the long-delayed Round Four folks (moi included) as well as scrapping the random number generator lottery system altogether and moving to a first-come-first-served model.
This is likely because the legislation moving the guns from Anniston Army Depot across town to CMP’s warehouse covered “up to 10,000” pistols per year and, as Round Four covered the 2023 allotment and the 2024 guns likely didn’t get moved, plus the 2025 guns are probably on the way, the organization may have several truckloads of 1911s on hand.
The announcement:
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is excited to announce the immediate resumption of surplus U.S. Army M1911/M1911A1 pistol sales! These historic firearms, cherished for their role in U.S. military history, are now available to qualified US Citizen customers.
Key Details:
Pistol Availability:The CMP currently holds a substantial inventory of a variety of Pistol Grades, many ready to ship to consumers, and expects to fulfill a significant quantity of orders.
Free Shipping:Those purchasing a CMP M1911 pistol will receive free shipping and handling (a $25 value).
Updated Process: Given the quantity of on-hand pistols, we reorganized our sales fulfillment structure and our staff is ready to process orders in a timely manner without the use of the Random Generated Number (RGN) process, as in past M1911 sales. Additional detail on fulfillment information and sequencing follows below.
Fulfillment Information:
Round Four Orders Fulfilled First:The CMP will prioritize fulfilling existing orders from Round Four and will honor the pricing of those orders. Starting this week (Jan. 27, 2025), the CMP M1911 customer service representatives will contact Round Four individuals to confirm order details.
New Orders Now Accepted:Effective immediately, the CMP is accepting new applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Again, we do not anticipate having more “rounds” or using RGN numbers as in the past.
Purchasing Guidelines:
Limitations:A lifetime limit of two pistols per customer remains in effect. Customers who have not previously purchased a pistol may now submit an order for up to two pistols.
Upgrades for Round Four Customers:Existing Round Four applicants making their first purchase may also upgrade their order to include two pistols.
CMP 1911 staff will reach out to customers when their order is ready to process. At that time, customers will indicate the pistol grade and quantity with CMP 1911 staff.
The CMP encourages all interested individuals to submit their applications promptly. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own a piece of history!
Rec’d via CMP, lots of interesting news including the news that they have set aside some surplus ammo to sell in FY 24, some M1917 Enfields are coming up, some 5,000 M1 Garands have recently come in as returns from the Turkish military, and the full 10,000 M1911s from the Army have been received for the upcoming draw ( I just managed to get my packet in last week, so, yay!).
Without further, the presser:
By Gerald O’Keefe, CMP Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
A key role for any CEO is to communicate with customers – to have an open dialogue, get feedback and continue to foster organizational improvement based on a variety of inputs. I’ve met many of you at our events in AL, OH and around the country and I very much appreciate your support and your passion. As I complete my first year in this role, I thought it would be useful to reach out via this website to the literally hundreds of thousands of CMP customers and competitors to keep you better informed. The narrative that follows includes an update of CMP’s existing operations, planned projects, events and future endeavors. I plan to provide these updates going forward on semi-annual basis.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program has had a busy and successful FY23 thanks to our hardworking staff members, our many partnerships with prominent organizations in the field, and, of course, our dedicated supporters. Thank you to all of you as you participate and support CMP’s efforts to promote marksmanship and to be the Home of Marksmanship.
Fiscal Year 2023 Summary.
Sales. Our sales program remained strong. We received approximately 5,000 M1 Garands from the Government of Turkey, 10,000 surplus M1911s from the Army and a significant quantity of surplus ammunition from the Army. These assets on top of our existing inventory allowed for a full year of rifle and pistol sales both online and in our three physical stores. These assets are critical to our mission and business as the proceeds fund our many programs and also the general expenses to run the CMP.
Programs/Mission. Also, a strong year. Some highlights follow, but my ask here is for those of you who come to our matches to spread the word about the great experience and to get that word out especially to younger and junior competitors. At the CMP, we are working hard to further our mission of “promoting marksmanship” and are diligently working to get more competitors to our events. We appreciate your support – let’s work together to grow and sustain the sport.
National Matches. The CMP saw encouraging signs over the month-long event, with increases in participation in pistol, smallbore rifle and highpower events. We’d like to thank all those who made the trip out to Camp Perry this year as well as those sponsors and vendors who helped give our guests an overall rewarding experience. The 2023 First Shot Ceremony kicked off the month-long event – if you didn’t get a chance to attend, check out the video recap at https://youtu.be/DeXPZlnvkLs?si=TCPHDeJCLhP9Huyo. The National Matches are the CMP’s premier annual event and we’ll continue to resource them and improve them.
CMP Bianchi Cup. This past year, CMP conducted our first “CMP” Bianchi Cup action pistol championship in Hallsville MO. The competition was professionally conducted in a joint effort by CMP staff and the local Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club. We are very excited to continue the CMP Bianchi Cup – Mark your calendars for May 21-24, 2024.
Talladega Marksmanship Park. Our operations at the TMP continue to thrive. It is increasingly a destination venue and we are holding more competitions. We will continue to operate and sustain the Park as the premier shooting destination in the United States. This year we made several upgrades to the Park to include new, covered shotgun stands, more steel targets on the pistol range and we’ve begun work to add five new action pistol bays which when complete, will give us 20 bays.
Smallbore Electronic Targets. The addition of the Smallbore Electronic Targets has been a game changer for match officials and competitors alike. The 2023 National Smallbore Matches welcomed 246 individuals to Camp Perry in July, making it the largest Smallbore competition held in the United States this year. Five competitions have already been conducted on the new targets. The CMP will also host the first Dixie Double 3×20 Smallbore competition at the Talladega Marksmanship Park in November 2023.
JROTC Air Rifle Postal. Last year’s JROTC air rifle series of events and National Championship was extremely successful. This Fall’s JROTC Postal Competition is officially open for registration. This competition is open to all High School JROTC Programs at no cost to the schools or cadets. Over the next two months, the CMP will print and mail over 20,000 paper targets to thousands of students across the country. Each school will shoot the targets at their home range and return them to the CMP. The best teams and individuals from each JROTC service will be selected to attend the second stage of this competition series, the JROTC Service Championship.
Laser Shot Simulation Systems. The CMP continues to invest in technology. We feel this is critical to the future of the sport and also critical to attracting junior competitors. The CMP has acquired two laser shot simulation systems, which are now operational at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry. Many competitors from the National Matches and many of our air gun athletes were able to give the simulators a try, and the systems continue to be available to guests of the air range throughout the year. These systems are great for experienced and new competitors, hosting military marksmanship instruction, offer significant law enforcement applications and are also frankly, just a lot of fun. For FY24 we are considering adding more simulation systems to our facilities in Anniston and Talladega AL. Watch a short reel on the Laser Shot Simulator Systems at https://youtube.com/shorts/wV-o-Dyhkls?si=sBm-j_RdlpOw-xea.
Fiscal Year 2024. This next year will be another exciting one for the CMP. Some highlights:
Sales:
Surplus Rifles. We project a full year of sales for M1 Garands. In addition to the Garands we will be releasing a small quantity of M1917 rifles. You’ll see these on our website and in our stores. Also, effective October 1, 2023, the CMP’s new yearly limit on M1 Garands will be 6 per calendar year. If you have already purchased 6-8 M1 Garands in calendar year 2023, you will not be allowed to purchase more M1 Garands until January 2024. While a relatively minor change, the rationale here is to spread these amazing, historic and increasingly scarce guns to a larger number of customers. We’ll relook at this limit again next year.
Surplus Pistols. As mentioned earlier, the CMP received 10,000 surplus M1911 pistols at the beginning of the summer in 2023 and will continue selling through next year. Round 4 of the CMP 1911 Pistol Program is currently open for orders and we’ve upped the quantity that an individual can buy to two (per lifetime)! The yearly limit is one per calendar year until you’ve reached your lifetime limit. More information on these firearms and how to purchase them is available through our website: https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/1911-information/.
Surplus Ammo. As mentioned earlier we received a significant quantity in Jan 2023. We intentionally set aside some to sell in FY24. And as we did in FY23, we’ll reserve a subset of the ammunition for CMP competitors at an additional discount.
Stores. All three of our home stores will be open this year to include Anniston. Anniston re-opened in January 2023 and has seen all of our faithful customers back and so many new faces ready to support CMP.
Programs/Mission/Other Events. We will conduct the full suite of competitions in FY24 and hope to see you and any new competitors you can bring along! Please see the list of events at the bottom of this message or visit the CMP website for additional information.
Garand Collectors Association (GCA) Conference. This year’s GCA Conference will be held at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama from 6-8 October. We look forward to accommodating the GCA, which has always been a generous contributor to CMP programs, including the CMP Scholarship program.
CMP Premier Shooting Expo. The CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park will also be hosting the CMP’s Inaugural Premier Shooting Expo on Oct. 18 – a tradeshow for marksmanship and non-marksmanship vendors, spread across the 500 acres of the facility. The event is open to the public, with several hands-on opportunities and exclusive insights into the latest products available today. Visit https://thecmp.org/ranges/talladega-marksmanship-park/cmp-premier-shooting-expo/ to register or for more information on how to become a vendor.
New CMP Board Members. The CMP Board provides strategic guidance and oversight to the company. At our recent Board meeting in Boise ID, we added two new members: Mr. Fabian Lobera and Mr. Mark House. Both bring significant competencies to the board. Please visit https://thecmp.org/about/board/ to read their short bios. And speaking of the board meeting, while in Idaho the Board took some time to visit the Parma Rod and Gun Club for some recreational shooting and to gain insights from a well respected club and cadre. It was a great day – some pictures are included with this press release.
Advanced Maintenance Class (AMC). We are bringing this fan favorite back for FY24. The Custom Shop will be hosting 8 AMCs. Be on the lookout for the announcement coming soon. Our all-time favorite buddy class is back on the roster too!
CMP E-Store Update. The CMP E-Store is currently down for maintenance. A new look and upgrade are underway to improve your shopping experience – look for more details mid-October. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working hard to get this capability restored as soon as possible.
New CMP Coin. Below is the new CMP Coin. They highlight the four pillars of our mission (Safety, Competitions, Training and a Youth Focus) and also our “Home of Marksmanship” motto. While very different to include being a slightly bit larger than the previous coin they maintain the lineage of the “eagle” on the front side of the coin and have various representations of our CMP history. The new CMP Coin will be available on the E-Store along with various CMP Memorabilia items.
Closing Remarks. I’ve had a great first year in leading this top notch and professional organization. I’m honored to have this job and I look forward to many great things ahead. I want to thank you again for your commitment and passion to the CMP and to shooting sports. The CMP will continue to actively advance our mission to promote marksmanship with a focus on junior competitors and as always on safety. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our events and I know you’ll continue to let us know how we are doing. Your feedback is critical as we continue to improve and evolve as an organization. Feel free to share you feedback with me at info@thecmp.org.
As always, the CMP has several upcoming indoor air gun and outdoor rifle and pistol events to enjoy throughout the fall months. CMP’s facilities also host public events on a daily and weekly basis, so be sure to keep an eye on our social media pages and our website for all the latest news.
The CMP — The Home of Marksmanship!
CMP Upcoming Events:
We hope you will continue to help CMP fulfill its mission and help to grow the sport of marksmanship. We encourage you to introduce a friend to marksmanship or bring them along with you to a CMP event.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org
Starting in 2018, the Civilian Marksmanship Program kicked off a milsurp M1911 pistol program. This came as a result of a literal act of Congress signed by President Obama (not kidding) that allowed the CMP to begin processing some 100,000 vintage 1911s in the Army’s “attic”– the Anniston Army Depot.
The crux of the argument was that the Army was spending $2 per year, per gun to store and inventory these guns– the newest of which was made in 1945– that essentially no one outside of the Army’s museum system was still using.
The first 10,000 guns were transferred from the Army to CMP that year. Then another 10,000. Then another 10,000. Now, the non-profit government-chartered corporation that uses such sales to fund marksmanship activities across the country is opening the fourth round of guns.
The mail order process seems daunting but is fairly easy. The user simply fills out a packet including copies of proof of U.S. Citizenship, proof of membership in a CMP-affiliated club (groups like the Garand Collector’s Association count), and proof of participation in a marksmanship activity (a CCW counts). Once accepted, you get an random generated number (RGN), then you wait for the call, pay, and pick it up from your FFL. The current price range of the CMP 1911s runs from $1,100 to $1,250 in four different grades.
There is good news with CMP 1911 Round 4:
Beginning September 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023, the CMP will be accepting Round 4 M1911 Pistol orders. The CMP is increasing the lifetime purchase limit of 1911 pistols to two (2). The yearly limit is one per calendar year until you have met your lifetime limit. If you have never purchased a 1911 pistol from CMP, you may only purchase one at this time. If you have purchased a 1911 pistol in 2023, you CANNOT purchase a second 1911 at this time. If you previously purchased a 1911 through the RGN process or auction in 2018-2022, you are eligible to purchase a second 1911 pistol. You must submit a complete order packet. Incomplete orders will not be accepted. View details on the CMP 1911 Pistol Program on our website.
Also, the CMP has changed the number or rifles you can get.
Yearly Rifle Limit Decrease & Rifle Case Update:
Effective October 1, 2023, the CMP’s new yearly limit on M1 Garands will be 6 per calendar year. If you have already purchased 6-8 M1 Garands in calendar year 2023, you will not be allowed to purchase more M1 Garands until January 2024.
Due to supply issues and customer feedback, CMP will no longer offer a free rifle case with every rifle purchase. Customers will receive one free rifle case per calendar year with their first purchase of an M1 Garand in each calendar year. Rifles not shipped in a rifle case, will be shipped in a custom (made for specifically for CMP) corrugated cardboard box with convoluted foam. Rifle cases will be eligible for purchase when quantity permits. This does not apply to pistol orders. All CMP 1911 pistols will be shipped in a pistol case.
To comply with all firearm regulations, each rifle and pistol purchased from CMP will include a gun lock.
The M1911A1 has a Colt GI Military frame, SN 904594, of 1943 production with GHD inspector’s stamp (left) complete with a dummy mark (!) and ordnance wheel/US Property/M1911A1 US Army stamps on the right.
Rather than the original slide, it has a “hard” GI replacement slide with FSN (Federal Stock Number) #7790314 M (magnaflux inspection) TZ (IMI Israeli, who supplied such slides under contract to the U.S.) with a minty chrome-lined barrel marked with FSN #7791193 91. The plastic grips have “24” rack number.
A FOIA shows that it was still in circulation with a unit somewhere until 2010 when it was sent to AAD for a decade of storage prior to being sent to CMP
It had been set to accept packets postmarked in September but now it looks like the new cutoff date is October 31, 2022.
So if you haven’t gotten yours in yet and missed out on the first two rounds, now is your chance.
Background on the CMP M1911 Program
One of the biggest boondoggles has been the Army’s repeated attempt at getting rid of its M1911 .45 ACP pistols. With over 2 million made, the classic “Government Issue” pistol was the staple of American fighting men in both world wars as well as Korea and Vietnam. The Army, after trying and failing in the 1950s and 60s to replace the old warhorse with a more compact 9mm that held more ammunition, finally managed to pull it off in 1985 with the adoption of the M9 Beretta. By then, even the newest of the M1911s in stock had been manufactured and delivered in 1945, making them downright elderly. Nonetheless, the military still used the single-action .45 throughout the Cold War and into the Global War on Terror, as the gun remained much-loved by commando types– Special Forces A-teams were still carrying it in Afghanistan post-9/11.
However, even SOCOM eventually put the old M1911 out to pasture, replaced by easier-to-maintain Glocks and SIGs. This left the Army in 2016 with about 100,000 guns still left in storage at Anniston Army Depot, with a cost of about $1.5 million a year to keep clean and dry. This led to a push from the Congressman who represented the Anniston area to donate the guns to CMP for sale and, by 2018, Congress had approved the transfer at a rate of 10,000 pistols per year provided the organization carefully secured the guns (including building a $700,000 handgun vault) and meticulously managed how they were sold– more on the latter in a minute.
This led to a lottery system that the CMP has used since late 2018 to sell the M1911s portioned out to the organization by the Army. The process is simple, with the applicant filling out an eight-page packet similar to that for an M1 Garand and mailing it to their Anniston office.
Once approved, the CMP will email the applicant a number randomly assigned in the current year’s drawing and then the fun begins with about 800 or so pistols shipped out each month.
When the lucky applicant’s number comes up, they will get a call from a usually very chipper young woman with the CMP and be told what grades are available at the time, ranging from Rack grade ($1,050) to Field grade ($1,150) to Service grade ($1,250) of which all will be functional, historic guns. There is also a Range grade for $1,100 that has been modified– usually by Army unit armorers while in service– to contain a lot of commercial aftermarket parts. Like the Garands sold through CMP, the M1911s will typically have been rebuilt a time or two either by unit armorers or Army arsenals since 1945 and usually will have mix-matched parts, for instance with a Colt-marked slide, Ithaca barrel, and Remington frame.
During that call, you can ask for a particular manufacturer (Colt, Ithaca, etc.) and may get lucky, if they have it in stock. Then, after paying, it will arrive at your FFL in a matter of days, complete with a single magazine and a reprint of the Army field manual on the gun, often all inside a very nice CMP-branded Pelican case.
A few things to be aware of is that, unlike the M1 Garand program, CMP is required to ship the M1911s to an FFL, so the transaction is much like buying an out-of-state gun from Gunbroker, Armslist, or Guns.com in that respect. Further, as the packet is only entered after the CMP does a NICS background check on the buyer, at least two such checks are done. This is part of the extra scrutiny that the Army wanted CMP to agree to before sending over the pistols.
There have been two rounds of lotteries done thus far, with a bit over 20,000 guns sold, and CMP just recently completed the enrollment period for the third round at the end of September 2022. It is likely the fourth round will occur sometime in late 2023, so stay tuned for that.
Is the price that CMP sets a lot of money for an M1911? Not if you want a legit Army surplus gun it isn’t as such pieces often resell for twice that much. If you want just an inexpensive M1911 GI pistol to bang around at the range, you may be better off with an imported clone such as a Turkish-made Tisas or Philippine-made Rock Island, either of which can typically be had for around $450-$500 but don’t have any history attached.
The plan to transfer some of the Army’s stockpile of vintage M1911 pistols to the public via the Civilian Marksmanship Program has been met with a big response.
On Tuesday, the federally chartered non-profit corporation tasked with promoting firearms safety and practice announced that they had received and were processing 19,000 packets submitted for a chance to acquire one of the classic .45ACP handguns. That’s more than twice the number of guns in the CMP’s warehouse.
The government-chartered non-profit will begin accepting orders in a one-month window spanning between Sept. 4 and Oct. 4 only for the 8,000 vintage handguns they have in stock. Packets postmarked outside those dates will not be accepted.
The day after the window closes, all of the qualifying names will be fed into a Random Number Generator and CMP staffers will start making calls. A similar random draw was used in part to sell a small quantity of M1 Carbines the group put up for grabs in 2016.
The seven-page packet, split between forms and instructions, requires a signed copy of an FFL for where the gun will be shipped. Other requirements include showing proof that the individual is an adult U.S. citizen legally able to possess firearms. There is also a mandate to prove membership in a CMP-affiliated organization and, for those under 60, proof of marksmanship-related activity. The latter can be satisfied with items such as a copy of a concealed carry permit, military service records or proof of participation in a shooting competition.
