The rumors have been floating around for several weeks, but this is the first I have seen in the main stream media. I LOVE the 1911, but I am still not sure it would be my frist choice if I was living in the mud and sand…. Just glad that we are helping the American gun industry, and helping these young Marines by teaching them the joy of a proper trigger.
Sticking to their guns: Marines place $22.5M order for the Colt .45 M1911
“The M1911 Colt .45
The Colt .45 M1911 is making a big comeback, now that the U.S. Marines have placed a $22.5 million order for the Connecticut-made pistols.
It’s been called the greatest handgun ever made, and it has barely changed sine 1911, when the legendary John Browning designed it especially for the U.S. Military.
And now, the Colt .45 M1911 is making a big comeback, now that the U.S. Marines have placed a $22.5 million order for the Connecticut-made pistols.
The gun, which has been wielded on film by John Wayne and in real life by Sgt. Alvin York and Maj. Audie Murphy, was the standard-issue sidearm in the military for decades, until it was replaced by the Beretta M9 in 1985.”
“It just became an iconic part of military and American history.”
– Gerry Dinkel, CEO and president of Colt Defense
This was reported on the RimFireCentral forums on 7/22/12. See the veryolddog post in the Rimfire Community forum. One thing interesting about this Colt 1911: it has a skeletonzied hammer. As posted by JetGirl on 7/23/2012: The beavertail has a little notched out area that the curve of the skeletonized hammer fits into really snug…no room for pinching left… She shoots with guys with beefy hands that can get pinched with other 1911’s. Good to see made in the USA.
The hammer/beaver-tail setup on this Colt has actually been pretty common for a number of years. The two 1911s you see in our website and FB cover photos both have similar hammers and beaver-tail grip-safeties and have had them for the better part of 15 years. That wasn’t common for Colt’s at the time but, it is now. It does make a big difference if you’ve got big hands because the traditional grip-safety and spur hammer can bite the bejezzus out of your hand depending on your grip. I’ll probably never own another 1911 that doesn’t have the newer setup.
-GM