CMP 1911 spoon
 

Since this is the first time since 1968 the feds. allowed the sell of US military surplus handguns to civilians I thought it would be neat to get one.
I put in and my son and my wife did to. My wife is the only one who got one.

She got a 1944 produced, Remington Rand with matching frame and slide. I admit I was a little disappointed when I opened the case and saw a refinished , rebuilt firearm, but it was done by the military for reissuing and they did a good job.
This thing shoots well, almost hold black at 25 yards on a standard NRA target. functions flawlessly with ball and wad. and the fixed sights are almost on!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561388119.jpg

I shot my only two perfect scores on a 25 yard range with a Remington Rand.

that's a good looking 45, refinished or not.


(not that there are many bad looking 1911/45's out there, except for some khyber pass handhammered ones or fancy race frame guns that is)

Got a link on how to apply to get one??

1911 Information - Civilian Marksmanship Program

I agree!
All our 1911's are match weapons and I wanted a bone stock as issued one.
When I test shot this I was not holding much tighter with my NRA Hardball gun I used as a bench mark than this stock 1911. The match gun has adjustable sights so is better in that regard but the trigger on this CMP gun was just as nice and the fixed sights were very close.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561393317.jpg

Knurled trigger, hammer, and thumb safety.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561393407.jpg

What was the final cost on the CMP 1911? I really didn't need another spoon, so I skipped the lottery.

They have three different grades with the associated cost difference, $850, $950, $1050.
We got the $1050 grade and that with the FFL fee of $40, it came to a grand total of $1090
Then they have a auction for the really rare birds. So really 4 grades.
I am with you on the need part, but if I used need to justify my spoons I would have to get rid of the vast majority of them.

They have a CMP store in Anniston, AL. Have been there twice. I have a CMP M1 Garand also completely refurbished. It’s essentially a new M1. They offer various grades of firearms. Check out their website for details.

Here’s the CMP M1:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561398465.jpg

Very nice. That's how I like my 1911's. Something that can bounce off the dashboard and out the window on a gravel road without breaking your heart. Rough and tumble, without all of the modern bells and whistles.

You can not buy a 1911 at the CMP store.
The CMP uses a lottery system to sell the 1911's..
For every 1911 they released there were three people who put in for one.
Only one will be sold per SS #.
CMP only took lottery applications for a few months last year.
I think they will do it again this fall.

It used to be that one had to actually compete in a CMP match to qualify to purchase any CMP guns. My club actually has several Garands that one can borrow for use in our matches, just to meet that requirement. Has that changed?

For $1050, I can get a REALLY nice, brand new 1911, in Stainless. I bought a Service Grade M1 from CMP many years ago. I could kick myself for not getting an M1917 Enfield when they still had them!

Yes...you have to belong to a CMP affiliated gun club, but that’s it. My son was in the GA Tech shooting club so that got us in.

When I visited their store last year, all they had were M1’s. There were rumors about incoming 1911’s at the time but none yet available. Congrats to your wife. Great score. Now you have to be even nicer to her.

That's awesome, Mike. Very cool rifle. I'm going to have to get me one someday. As you guys might know by now, I'm not much of a semi-auto anything kind of a guy, but these CMP guns do strike a chord. In the meantime, here is as close as I've come, both from Springfield Armory. I've since given the 1911 to my youngest son, as our traditional 21st birthday present:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561399003.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561399003.JPG

Very nice!

Every time we take the Garand to the range, the sound of that 8 round clip springing out of the receiver when the 8th round is fired always brings a “damn, that’s cool” from my son.

That is correct for rifles.
CMP has never sold a pistol till this year. It took a act of congress to do it and they use a lottery system and limit one per SS# besides the regular CMP rules for rifle purchases.
DCM sold pistils up until 1968.

People say the same thing about Porsches " $300.000.00 for a 57 Speedster!! I can buy a new Porsche turbo for less"SmileWavy

Thanks, my wife was thrilled.
She carries a S&W air weight so this is a safe queen, plinker.

ugh , jonesing for one now.
Jealous bout you guys can buy one off your gubmint, where my gubmint just wants to make it difficult for me to get or keep one ..

I had a Dan Wesson PM7/45, AR, M1A (80ies vintage) and 1903A3 but sold the lot in 2017 cause i was fed up with crappy shooting ranges and mentality in Belgium, and the drag of having to go shoot just to get a stamp on my license for the minimum amount of shoots a year required to keep my stuff... and the ever present threat of loosing license and having to selll things off when everybody knows you are selling under pressure.

Yeah, but the Speedster is actually worth $300K.

I say the same thing when other guys are shooting theirs at our range.

Only to some one who wants a old slow car with no AC and has a lot of money to burn.
Another car comparison would be a guy who wants a hunting jeep, he would look at a restored WWII jeep for 50k as a waste of money when he can buy a new Rubicon for that much.
All depends on what you want.
The upper left is a NM Colt the one on the right is a Caspian Frame and slide wad gun
The one below the NM is a Springfield Armory 'Operator'
The CMP gun is worth more than any of those others, by far.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561407323.jpg

Nice collection, ficke. You are right - that CMP gun is worth more than any of the others, even if the others cost more.

Here is my current example, and my only full sized 1911. It's a little more farkled out than my old Springfield, but still more towards the "rugged simplicity" end of the spectrum. The thing that makes it "worth more" than any of my previous examples, to me anyway, is that it says "Colt" on it. Doesn't matter in the least to most, with many today even going so far as to say it might even devalue it for them. Oh well.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561408476.JPG

I've had my Colt Combat Commander for 4 decades now....just might keep it...

$280 ;)

Four decades ago, Colt still knew how to build guns. They lost that skill in the intervening years. They have only just recently reacquired it. The older ones are definitely keepers.

Jeff, nice Colt. I am not much of a collector. I shot the two match 1911's professionally. The Operator
is a good carry gun, heavy, so only for field use.
But this CMP is a pretty rare bird and has way more desirability to people who value history and who pay for they rarity of it. So resale wise that is worth more. I also think it is cool to hold something that was made and used during WWII. I spent so much time shooting hot rod 1911's it is really fun to shoot a stock one.

The problem with old handgun designs is they required skilled hand fitting, think cylinder timing on revolvers. Same thing with 1911's., they needed hand fitting.
Now with the accuracy of the machining getting so good we can fake it and get close with out the hand fitting. But nothing really beats what a skilled gunsmith can do.
Triple lock Smith... ohh la la Never have I felt a production weapon so nice.
This CMP gun was refurbished in 78 and was hand fitted very nicely, better than new I would be willing to bet.

Yes, definitely - the hand fitting of quality older guns has to be seen and felt to be appreciated. Modern investment casting and CNC machining has all but eliminated the need for it on mass produced firearms, with tolerances of mating parts held so tightly. It is really amazing what they can do with no hand fitting whatsoever.

It is, however, even more amazing what they did with careful hand fitting. The feel is so completely different. Certainly of a different age. We can still get that today, from our better custom 'smiths, but whoo boy do we pay dearly for it, where is used to be simply expected when purchasing a quality firearm.

Of course if we look at relative cost vs. incomes, guys were paying half a year's wages for those quality firearms. They were a real investment, and one not taken lightly. Like buying a car today. But, then again, when one really needed one, really used one (as opposed to modern day "hobby" guns), that made a difference in what one was willing to spend. And in one's expectations as to what one was buying. Different times indeed.