The Colt Marine Pistol

	Although the M1911A1 in .45 ACP was superseded in 1985 by the M9 as the official sidearm of the U.S. military, the U.S. Marine Corps has adopted an updated version of the gun—the M45 CQB, or, in its civilian version, the Marine—for some special operations troops. By Wiley Clapp (RSS) December 19, 2013

The battered old chest held 43 pistols in individual slots, with seven empty spaces. Made from some of the strongest oak that ever grew in this fair land, the chest had a new coat of paint. Not surprisingly, it was green, with the freshly painted blue tactical markings of a company of Marines. That old chest, used for decades, was typical for its time and place. Every rifle company had one to hold its allotment of pistols to arm those Marines in the company assigned to carry them. Mostly, they were the guys who manned crew-served weapons, grenadiers, senior NCOs and officers. In the summer of 1964, the pistol was the U.S. M1911A1 .45 ACP semi-automatic. Now, pretty much everybody knows that the .45 Auto was the nation’s choice for fightin’ iron from 1911 on.
A decision was made to adopt a new 9 mm Luger service pistol in 1985, and I have never met a true handgun man who was happy about that. Back when it was the Browning-designed gun, we were content with the armament. As for me, I drew an M1911A1 pistol from the old chest the first time my new company went to the field and turned it in when we came back. But one day in the summer of ’65, I drew it from the box, slipped it into my holster and left it there for more than a year in Vietnam. A year like that tumultuous one tends to grow a bond between man and tool.
I do not mean to say that I was in any way different from hundreds of other Marines of my generation. When we went to war, the .45 was part of our gear; that is no longer true.

I understand the need for upgrading our equipment, but there was nothing wrong with the M1911 in the first place. That’s why so many of our troops—the ones closest to the pointy end of the spear—have been finding one means or another to lay hands on a .45 when they actually deploy to Southwest Asia. That unusual situation is no longer necessary. Colt’s Mfg. Co. now produces a special version of the M1911 pistol for the United States Marine Corps. And a smaller number of the special guns will be available for sale on the commercial market.
That constitutes good news, but there is some that is bad. Not all Marines will be getting the new version of the old pistol. The Corps asked for bids to provide somewhat more than 4,000 pistols to arm certain units of the Fleet Marine Force. Basically, the guns will go to Marines whose duties might require them to engage enemies at close range. In current military jargon, this is “Close Quarters Battle.” Many readers are going to be unfamiliar with the USMC unit abbreviations, so let’s take a moment to sort them out. MARSOC stands for Marine Special Operations Command, a fairly small unit of deeply trained Marines who work directly for the Dept. of Defense and theatre commanders. MEUSOC stands for Marine Expeditionary Unit Special Operations Capable. Built around an infantry battalion, reinforced with smaller special units (tanks, artillery, recon), a MEUSOC exists for a couple of years. It is then relieved from deployment by another infantry battalion that has run through the special training cycle that gives it the MEUSOC designation. Because of some additional training, such units are deemed capable of conducting special high-risk operations. Certain reconnaissance units—Division and Force—may also get the gun. It will not be issued to every operational unit of the Marine Corps.
Like everything else in today’s complex military establishment, the new gun has a designation. It is the M45A1 Close Quarters Battle Pistol (CQBP). Several makers submitted their versions of the gun, which were built to specifications developed by the Marine Corps. It was Colt’s Mfg. Co. that won the right to build 4,036 pistols and spare parts. Interestingly, the contract is written to be extendable in both numbers and time. There may turn out to be as many as 12,000 M45 pistols.
At the heart of the matter is a very nice version of the Colt Rail Gun. Many of the features found in this new .45 Auto are things developed by tactical shooters and police SWAT team members.

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http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/review-colt-marine-pistol