Tag Archives: m1911a1

CMP just reset their 1911 program for the better

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While CMP may be circling the drain when it comes to M1903s and M1 Garands, it looks like they have 1911s stacked deep, having recently finished out their Round 4 lottery fulfillment.

Related: I got mine and it turned out to be a RIA National Match (see above photo)!

Moving forward, the good news is that you don’t have to go through the drawn-out (it took me 16 months to get my Round 4 gun) process and can just jump right into the process. Further, you can now get four guns rather than two, and they plan on having three events where you can go and pick out your gun from a lot of 400 that they brought!

The presser:

With the completion of Round 4, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is excited to announce we have begun the processing of new orders for our surplus U.S. Army 1911 Pistol Program!

Through a partnership with the Army, the CMP offers these genuine, military-issued and field-tested M1911A1 pistols to consumers. A true piece of American history, these are the perfect addition for competitors and enthusiasts alike to enhance their firearm collection.

CMP staff members have already received over 4,000 new orders and will continue accepting more, utilizing an updated ordering process.

Who can order during the new round?

Anyone – even if you have just received a 1911 from Round 4, all those who fill out an application will be eligible to purchase during this upcoming round. We’re also excited to share that the Department of the Army has increased the lifetime limit from two to four pistols per person. Orders will be processed in the order they are received.

What’s new?

The CMP has introduced a new eStore payment method for 1911 pistols to better serve our customers.

Why the change?

The change addresses the difficulty we face reaching customers during the day while they are at work and the challenge customers experience trying to reconnect with our sales team once we’ve moved on to assist others. This new method allows customers to complete their purchases at their own convenience, anytime, without the constraints of business hours. Additionally, it significantly speeds up the overall purchasing process, ensuring a smoother and more efficient experience for everyone.

How does it work?

  • When the CMP 1911 sales team reviews a customer’s order packet, they will identify and note any discrepancies.
  • An email from 1911orderstatus@thecmp.org will then be sent to the customer detailing the specific information required to complete the packet. This process puts control back into the hands of the customer, allowing them to quickly address any issues and return the corrected order packet without unnecessary delays.
  • Once all required documentation and attributes have been satisfied, the customer will receive another email containing a secure link and a unique code. This will grant them access to the CMP eStore, where they can conveniently purchase their pistol by selecting the desired grade and quantity.
  • The entire transaction is conducted through a safe and secure purchasing process, offering customers the flexibility of 24/7 access to complete their orders at their own convenience.

NEW STOREFRONT FOR IN-PERSON 1911 SALES!

Entry to each 1911 sales day will be available to individuals that have purchased tickets (open to those registered for either Talladega D-Day or the National Matches, respectively), with a maximum of 20 customers per 50-minute time slot. The sale will feature approximately 400 pistols – organized and displayed by grade (Service, Field, and Rack) as well as by specialty categories that include select items normally reserved for auction.

Along with online ordering, individuals may now purchase CMP’s 1911 Pistols at one of three in-person sales events at our CMP Store locations! These one-day events will be held during the upcoming Talladega D-Day event at Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama and during the National Matches at Camp Perry in Ohio.

Dates include:

  • Friday, June 6 – Anniston, Alabama (CMP South Store)
  • Tuesday, July 15 – Camp Perry, Ohio (CMP North Store)
  • Saturday, August 2 – Camp Perry, Ohio (CMP North Store)

Ticket sales for our upcoming in-person events will go live within the next week. Be sure to check your email for an announcement with exact dates and registration details. Not on our Sales email list? Click here to sign up and stay informed!

Upcoming CMP Auction Highlight: 1911s

Keep an eye out for a select few 1911s that will be featured on the CMP Auction site in the coming weeks. A few “specialty categories” will be highlighted for our Auction page. Visit https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/guns-on-auction/ for more details and to view current auction items.

See more on the CMP’s 1911 Program, including how to purchase, on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/1911-information/. Specific questions may also be sent via email to cmp1911@thecmp.org.

Lucked into a RIA NM 1911

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Well, as you may remember from my previous posts, I wound up in Round 4 of the CMP 1911’s program. After sending in my packet in the summer of 2023, I pulled Random Generated Number (RGN) 46295 in the lottery on 10 October 2023.

Then, I waited.

And waited.

Finally, on 25 February 2025, I got the magic call and was told all four grades were available. As I already have a pretty neat Service Grade that I lucked into during Round 2, I went “Range Grade” which typically have aftermarket parts installed and were usually either A) late-use guns issued out to SF units in the 1990s and early 2000s, or B) guns used by the military marksmanship teams in target completion.

Requesting a Colt (if possible), my gun shipped the next day and I recently managed to break free and swing by my local FFL to pick it up.

And here we are:

Delving into it piece by piece, the frame is that of a Colt Military Model M1911A1, SN# 824784, which was made in 1942.

CMP Forums books notes: It shipped to Springfield between September 18 and October 22, 1942 probably destined for Europe with the Army. For example, SN 823189 went from Colt to Springfield on 10/02/42 and from Springfield to the NY Port of Embarkation on 10/13/42. The very closest SN is 824446 was with the 6th Army on 07/09/46.

The rest of the gun quickly points to that fact that it was subsequently selected for upgrade to a National Match competition-grade pistol in 1968 at Rock Island Arsenal (RIA and NM marked on right side of frame) with a Colt NM 7791435 marked slide including 1/8” .358 high front sight, a Colt NM 7791414 marked barrel, NM7267718 barrel bushing, large U.S. marked Kensight rear sight, aluminum trigger, milled front strap, straight mainspring housing, checkered thumb safety, and black checkered grips. The right side is marked: Colts PT. F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, Conn. U.S.A. Lightly scratched into the rear of right slide is “WC.”

It was likely issued out to a division, post, regional, Army, state, or other-level Marksmanship Training Unit post-1968 until finding its way to Anniston Army Depot and the CMP. It has a UID label (an animal only introduced in 2005) on the dust cover, a clue that, along with the more modern grips, may mean that it was still in use with a team until very recently.

I have a FOIA request for its history and will update you guys with what I find out.

New CMP 1911s?

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The CMP has been in the Army surplus M1911 business for the past half-decade, drawing up to 10,000 each year since 2018 from a dwindling supply of 100,000 mostly World War II-era guns long-stored at the Anniston Army Depot. However, everyone realizes these guns are in short supply – leading to a lottery system by CMP to sell them to the public with prices starting at $1,050 for even a very well-worn pistol – and eventually, the Depot will run dry. 

With that in mind, in a partnership announced at the SHOT Show, the organization and SDS have teamed up with Tisas to produce a special CMP M1911A1 model for sale to the public to help fund its national youth-focused marksmanship efforts. 

The production of a new-manufactured M1911 for the CMP is big news. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The .45 ACP Government model, according to SDS, will be “a museum-grade reproduction of a mid-war M1911A1 as it was issued during the Second World War.” This will include “United States Property” markings, a Type E hammer, and reproduction WWII-style brown plastic grips – although an extra set of walnut double diamond checkered grips will be included with each gun. 

In a nod to the special status with the marksmanship organization, they will be “CMP” marked. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The slide, frame, and small parts will be Manganese Phosphate finished, and there will be no MIM parts used in the manufacturing process. Like most Tisas 1911s, it will have Series 70 internals. 

Sure, they are made in Turkey, but Tisas makes a hell of a 1911.

The cost, sold through the CMP, will be $479. 

Warship Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021: The Story of an Unsinkable Carrierman, and his .45

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Here at LSOZI, we take off every Wednesday for a look at the old steam/diesel navies of the 1833-1954 time period and will profile a different ship each week. These ships have a life, a tale all their own, which sometimes takes them to the strangest places.- Christopher Eger

Warship Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021: The Story of an Unsinkable Carrierman and his .45

With this month marking the Navy’s 246th Birthday, the 79th anniversary of the loss of USS Hornet (CV-8) at the Battle of Santa Cruz (a ship commissioned 80 years ago today), and the 77th anniversary of the loss of USS Princeton (CVL-22) in the Philippine Sea, I’m breaking from our typical Warship Wednesday format to bring you the story of a Colt Government model in the Navy’s archives and the resilient young officer who carried it.

The below pistol itself at first glance would seem to be an otherwise ordinary M1911A1 Colt Military, martial marked “US Army” and “United States Property” along with the correct inspector’s marks. The serial number, No.732591, falls within Colt’s circa 1941 production range.

Accession #: NHHC 1968-141 (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)

We often say, “if only a gun could talk,” but in this case, the voyage through history that the above .45ACP took is well-documented.

Also joining the fleet in 1941 was Ensign Victor Antoine Moitoret, a Californian who was admitted to the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1937 and graduated with the Class of ’41.

Moitoret’s first ship was the brand-new aircraft carrier USS Hornet, which he joined three months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that ushered America into World War II.

Moitoret served as an assistant navigator on Hornet during the flattop’s secret mission to carry the Doolittle Raiders to bomb Tokyo in 1942— possibly best remembered among today’s youth as the third act of Jerry Bruckheimer’s 2001 film “Pearl Harbor”– and was also aboard the carrier for the massive naval victory at Midway (where Hornet was something of a mystery).

Flanked by torpedo boat escorts, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet arrives at Pearl Harbor after the Doolittle Raid on Japan, 30 April 1942, just five weeks before the Battle of Midway. (Photo: U.S. National Archives 80-G-16865)

When Hornet was irreparably damaged by enemy torpedo and dive bombers during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942, Moitoret was armed with the above pistol while serving as the carrier’s Officer of the Deck on the bridge. The young officer still had it buckled around his waist when he was pulled out of the ocean more than two hours after Hornet went to the bottom in 17,500 feet of water off the Solomon Islands, carrying 140 sailors with her.

Moitoret’s pistol belt, consisting of an M1936 Belt, M1918 Magazine Pocket, and russet leather M1916 Holster. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)

Two years later, Moitoret, with his relic of the lost Hornet still with him, was a lieutenant aboard the new light carrier USS Princeton, fighting to liberate the Japanese-occupied Philippines.

USS Princeton (CVL-23) steaming at 20 knots off Seattle, Washington, 3 January 1944. Moitoret was a plankowner of the new flattop, which had originally been laid down as the Cleveland-class light cruiser Tallahassee (CL-61) (Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Historical Center. Catalog #: NH 95651)

In October 1944– almost two years to the day that Hornet was lost– Moitoret was on the bridge of Princeton when the ship was hit by a Japanese bomb and was wounded by shrapnel from the resulting explosion.

According to his Silver Star citation for that day, Moitoret “remained on board for a period of seven hours, fighting fires, maintaining communication with other ships in the area, preserving confidential publications and obtaining all available lengths of fire hose for use where most needed.”

Leaving his second sinking aircraft carrier, Moitoret reportedly kissed the hull of Princeton before boarding a whaleboat, one of the last men off the stricken ship.

After the war, he remained in the Navy through the Korean and Vietnam wars, retiring in 1972 at the rank of Captain. On 30 May 1999, while aged 80, he delivered the Memorial Day Address to the assembled cadets at Annapolis, continuing to serve as a proud link in the long blue line up to the very end.

Moitoret died in 2005 and is buried at Fort Bayard National Cemetery in New Mexico, next to his wife, Rowena, and son, Alan.

His well-traveled sidearm and pistol belt are in the collection of the NHHC, held in the Headquarters Artifact Collection. 

As noted by the Navy,

“The central theme of this year’s 246th Navy Birthday and Heritage week is ‘Resilient and Ready,’ which speaks to the Navy’s history of being able to shake off disaster, such as the loss of a ship or a global pandemic, and still maintain force lethality and preparedness. It allows the messaging to showcase readiness, capabilities, capacity, and of course the Sailor—all while celebrating our glorious victories at sea and honoring our shipmates who stand and have stood the watch.”

Happy Birthday, Navy, and a slow hand salute to Capt. Moitoret.

Back to our regular Warship Wednesday format next week.

***
 
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They are possibly one of the best sources of naval study, images, and fellowship you can find. http://www.warship.org/membership.htm 
 
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Black Ice, with a few chips

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For the past several months, one of the handguns I have been testing and evaluating is the Rapide (Black Ice) M1911A1 model from Kimber in 10mm Auto.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful gun– it should be at $1,500 smackers– and it is loaded with standard features that John Browning would have never imagined.

I mean just look at it.

But I did have some issues.

While reliable (I ran over 600 rounds of Sig ammo through it with zero hiccups) Kimber says the gun needs a break-in period of about that much, which I think is a big ask for a pistol that costs this much and is in such a pricy caliber. Also, the super busy G10 grips and finish show a lot more wear after what I consider basic use than a bargain bin polymer-framed striker-fired 9mm that costs 1/5th as much.

Still, it’s pretty, even after some wear and tear.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Could the days of pretty ponies be back?

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Colt long used a deep rich charcoal blue or “fire blue” on highly polished slides and frames going back to the early 1900s while their famed Royal Blue finish peaked on the company’s Python model .357 revolvers in the late 20th Century, the company moved away from it in most models about two decades ago, leaving the famed “Prancing Pony” short on show horses.

Well, In the latest installment of getting back to its roots, Colt announced this week that a high polish Royal Blue finish is making a come back on at least one handgun model.

Nice

More in my column at Guns.com.

The Far-Reaching UN Forces in Korea and the Things they Carried

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With this month being the 70th anniversary of the rush by the Free World to help keep the fledgling Republic of Korea from forced incorporation by its Communist neighbor to the North, it should be pointed out that the UN forces that mustered to liberate Seoul and keep it so carried an interesting array of arms. Gathered ultimately from 21 countries you had a lot of WWII-era repeats such as No. 3 and No. 4 Enfields carried by Commonwealth troops as well as M1 Garands/Carbines toted by American and a host of Uncle Sam-supplied countries.

But there were most assuredly some oddball infantry weapons that were used as well.

One historical curiosity was the initial contingent supplied by the Royal Thai Army, who left for Korea in October 1950 wearing French Adrian-style “sun” helmets and armed with 8x52mm Type 66 Siamese Mausers that were actually versions of the bolt-action Japanese Type 38 Arisaka built before WWII at Japan’s Koishikawa arsenal.

Note their French-style helmets, U.S.-marked M36 packs, and Japanese Showa-period rifles. Ultimately, more than 10,000 Thai troops would serve in the Korean War alongside U.S. forces, fighting notably at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. (Photo: UN News Archives)

More in my column at Guns.com. 

Traction on Black Ice

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I’ve been tackling Kimber’s latest take on the modern M1911A1, their Rapide (Black Ice) series, in 10mm Auto. Early signs show that it delivers as advertised, at least across the first 500 rounds anyway.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

Getting a feel from some Black Ice

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Since about mid-March, I have been working on a T&E on Kimber’s newest take on the M1911A1 platform– the Rapide (Black Ice). With a name familiar in Europe commonly used for a fast express train– and a popular Aston Martin model– the Rapide is billed by Kimber as a 1911 platform built for speed and is both competition and range ready.

The pistol is feature-rich including stepped cocking serrations, slide lightening cuts, a DLC coated barrel for extreme durability, extended magwell, and new V-Cut match-grade trigger. It also comes with Tru-Glo TFX Pro Day/Night sights and G10 grips. A 70-series gun with a 4.9-pound trigger pull on average, the variant I have been working with is a 10mm Auto, and I have to say, it is fetching.

The folder, btw, is a Case Gunstock in Curly Maple, which I think pairs well with the big Kimber. A blend of old and new.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

One of these things is not like the other

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IF you know what these are, we can be friends.

Just kidding, we are always friends. With that being cleared up, note all the little differences between these “GI .45s”

To check your knowledge: On the left is a Union Switch & Signal company-produced M1911A1 from 1943, made for the U.S. Army in Swissvale, Pennsylvania. On the right, a Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk-made M/1914 from 1925, made for the Royal Norwegian Army in Oslo.

Don’t let the slide markings fool you, both are in .45ACP, and both likely saw service in WWII.

I recently got to handle a few of each in our vault and put together a little article on these more uncommon Government Issue .45s. Check it out in my column at Guns.com 

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