An Update on the CMP 1911s

[Watchdog]

For those who are interested, in October the Civilian Marksmanship Program released a brief update on the status of the vintage 1911s that will one day be released for sale. From the CMP website, it reads as follows:

10/15/16 An update on the 1911s…

The CMP is NOT authorized to receive or disburse the 1911s at this point. We have not yet received the approval required from the Secretary of the Army by the legislation.

Thank you,
Mark Johnson
Chief Operating Officer

So I guess those of us who hope to purchase one have an even longer wait than we anticipated.

Oh, well...

[Faulkner]

I wonder how many 1911's the CMP has stockpiled at this time?

[Richard Simmons]

According to the announcement they haven't received any yet. As I understand it the CMP can receive up to 10,000 pistols per year but the Army doesn't have to release that many. There is a provision for 100,000 1911's but I don't know if there are really that many or not?

[JK-linux]

Maybe a dumb question but, is the availability or unavailability of these (at this point in the process) controlled mainly by the legislature, or by the executive branch? My memory is fuzzy, but I recall a lot of moaning earlier this year about these 1911's likely never getting released because the current president and a then presumed likely president would be unlikely to finalize release of them or drag their feet indefinitely. That may or may not still be the case, but if intentional feet dragging or obstruction were not an issue now, wouldn't it seem more likely these be released than before?

(not a political post, just discussing)

[Richard Simmons]

It has to due with the CMP's charter as I recall. Something about being able to sell rifles, ammo, parts, etc., but not handguns. Thought they were redoing things to make it "firearms" or some other term.

[H Richard]

I understand they will be priced at "Full Market Value". Has anyone heard the price ranges yet?

[Richard Simmons]

I've seen the figure $1,000 and up thrown around but no way to confirm that. I'm sure you can get a better shooting, better looking 1911 for way less than these will sell for but if you're looking to own a piece of history then price kind of falls by the wayside to an extent. At least for me.

You never really own a gun like these. You're more a steward of history. Not the history of the firearm specifically but of the men and the moments that made that history. You buy them, you enjoy them, you care for them then you past them on to another to do the same.

[31FordA]

If they are limited to 10,000 per year I would expect many of them to be disposed of by auction. The last time they had M-1 Carbines they auctioned the best of them. Based on how fast the carbines were gobbled up I would think 10,000 1911's would sell in the space of a few days. The pistols will probably be priced based on grade (collector, service, rack etc) and manufacturer. A Union Switch & Signal will sell for more (way more) than a Remington Rand for example.

I would like to get one, mostly for the historical value. They won't be cheap, but I wouldn't expect them to be unreasonable. It won't be like the good old days my dad told me about when you could get a 1911 from the NRA for $25, but it's better than nothing. I'll take the best grade of Ithaca they have. Given the coming change in management I am more optimistic that we will get a chance to buy those 1911's.

[jpage]

Come on Trump !!!!!

[clang444]

Unless someone somewhere has been hording some pristine examples, I wouldn't get too excited about these guns, even if they are released for sale by the CMP.

I was in one of the last units to be issued 1911s when my combat engineer battalion converted from wheeled to mechanized in 1985. The infantry was getting their new Bradleys and Berettas and we were getting reconditioned M113s and 1911s for the drivers and squad leaders. Every one of the 1911s we received looked like if had been refinished multiple times and were mix-masters of parts. They were pretty loose guns and shot like it too. They did go bang every time though.

The motorpool guys guy got an M88 recovery vehicle and M3 grease guns. Very basic, but fun to shoot.