While rumors flew throughout 2018 about the potential sale of surplus military 1911 pistols to civilians, it wasn’t until May 2018 when the
Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) announced the process. One had to complete a detailed application package and submit it to the CMP between September 4 and October 4. Once the application had been verified by CMP, it was assigned a random number, which told you where on the wait list you stood for the chance to purchase one of the 8000 pistols that would be sold. I got my application in on time and received 2630 as my number. I figured it would be May or June before my number came up, but I got a phone call in late January from CMP and I gave them my credit card number to complete my purchase. My pistol was then shipped to a local Federal Firearm License holder (
J &E Guns in Bellefonte) to process transferring the pistol to me. I picked my 1911 A1 today. It came in a CMP plastic travel case with all the documentation, a clip, an open chamber indicator, and a pistol lock. Based on the frame serial number my pistol was manufactured in 1943. It has a Colt frame and slide. It has a deep grey parkerized finish and wooden grips. There are some minor dings and scratches but it is in great shape. I have never fired a 1911 so it will be interesting to see how a .45 caliper compares to the .38 pistols we had to qualify on in the Air Force. Fun times.
