My opinion is why bother with a modified USGI 1911A1 when you can get better commercial 1911 range pistols? It seems like a original configuration service pistol is the primary goal of most. Cut up and reworked sights on them defeat the USGI attraction. Although some might want modified range toys.

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Check out these videos. They both have good explanations on what possibly could be these pistols.
If so, these pistols could be highly collectible.

 

Range grade???

I have only heard of and seen examples of ''FIELD'' and ''RACK'' grades. But I've seen enough overlap in pistol condition and slide/frame pairing in the 2 grades to wonder just what their grading criteria is based on?

 

Straight from the CMP website.
Range Grade $1100. These are 1911 pistols for those that want a part of history and a shooter, not a collectable. These are 1911s that have been modified in some way, and may have some commercial parts. No two (2) pistols are alike, the modifications / parts could be any of the following: Night Sights, extended Beaver Tail, Rubber Grips, Barrels, Oversized Slide Release, Target Triggers, Adjustable Rear Sights, Tactical Match Hammer, Competition Grip Safety, Sight Rib, Slides, Checkered Front Strap, Ambidextrous Safety, Different Finishes. Some of the manufactures of these parts are: Bar-Sto, Wilson, Ed Brown, Pachmayer, Hogue, Caspian and Bomar.

 

There is a guy in AFCOM got one. Looks like those SF unit 1911 pictures that our members Shooter5 used to post here.
New off-the-shelf sights, grip, trigger maybe internals as needed.

CMP 1911 Third Round Opening 9/1 > 1911 Discussions > AR15.COM

CMP 1911 Third Round opens 9/1, closes 9/30. Info at CMP website. The process is a bit convoluted but it does work. One per lifetime, but not per household. I got in on the first round and was hap

www.ar15.com

 

My fiancé Just recieved this range grade from round 3 of the cmp.

 

My fiancé Just recieved this range grade from round 3 of the cmp.

View attachment 654543

Thanks for sharing it. I wonder what a FOIA would say?

 

check this one out

10th special forces 1911

Hey everyone, new guy here and also this is my first vintage 1911. 1945 Remington Rand frame, Israeli replacement slide and Kart NM barrel and bushing. Didn’t see any markings on the other modified parts. Shot it a few weeks ago about 20 yards and it had a very tight group roughly 5 inches (I’m...

www.1911forum.com

 

The description of Range Grade captures the truth of what we did in Special Operations. Operators had the option to enhance and alter 1911's as necessary. Even Caspian Frames were used and some of their slides. We even sent a slug of 1911 to Wilson Combat to rebuild .

If you get a "Range Grade" , no telling what will come out of that box but that is not a bad thing unless one is a 1911 purist.

Now there is a purist out there needing a heart attack so I'll provide that this morning, I took the entire Gold Cup 1911 except for the frame, to Viet Nam, once there, I obtained a issue Rem Rand 1911a1, chucked all its parts and put the Gold Cup parts upon that Rem Rand 1911a1 frame . I had a very reliable and sweet side arm which served me well. It was a back up to my rifle of course.

One of you might end up with that pistol , I left it in Viet Nam so it might have filtered back and be a Range Grade...might be the first ever such one too !

 

One of you might end up with that pistol , I left it in Viet Nam so it might have filtered back and be a Range Grade...might be the first ever such one too !

That. Would be. AWESOME! We will have to keep an eye out for it on the CMP website.

 

Not just SF units, but some combat units also had a bit of autonomy when it came to 1911s. Modifying weapons was normally forbidden, but when the M9 was standardized and parts for the 1911 were getting scarce in the 'normal'(?) military supply chain, some commands allowed COTS or Common Off The Shelf parts to be obtained and used by their armorers. Some even shipped pistols to the better known 1911 gunsmiths. The Marine Corps had been doing it for awhile as the pistol experts at Quantico spent most of their time on M9s.

 

In late 70's when as a rifle company commander with 2/327 Inf, 101st Airborne, the Armorer and I swapped parts and build out ten 1911's for our company pistol team in Division level competition. Parts was parts and a Colt barrel in a US&S slide on a Rem Rand frame (or any good frame) for example was entirely possible and when we built the pistols, proof tested for accuracy, then we cleaned up trigger pulls and we won that competition. Did I ask permission ...ask forgiveness is easier is my answer ! Parts was parts and we had 1911 in all manner of condition and manufacture including a few original 1911 never upgraded to 1911A1 configuration.

Such pistols described , if they survived the last 50 years would have been mix masters in the original batch of pistols CMP offered. Certainly not the condition nor enhanced state of modifications we did in Special Operations "Tier" units. Some of these range grades will be super accurate and finely tuned hot rods, really impressive shooters.

 

In late 70's when as a rifle company commander with 2/327 Inf, 101st Airborne, the Armorer and I swapped parts and build out ten 1911's for our company pistol team in Division level competition. Parts was parts and a Colt barrel in a US&S slide on a Rem Rand frame (or any good frame) for example was entirely possible and when we built the pistols, proof tested for accuracy, then we cleaned up trigger pulls and we won that competition. Did I ask permission ...ask forgiveness is easier is my answer ! Parts was parts and we had 1911 in all manner of condition and manufacture including a few original 1911 never upgraded to 1911A1 configuration.

Such pistols described , if they survived the last 50 years would have been mix masters in the original batch of pistols CMP offered. Certainly not the condition nor enhanced state of modifications we did in Special Operations "Tier" units. Some of these range grades will be super accurate and finely tuned hot rods, really impressive shooters.

Thanks for sharing: I find it fascinating to learn about all of the many and varied ways the 1911 was utilized in the post-WW2 era throughout the Cold War. Very interesting!

 

Suffice to say, I am guilty of Un Correcting 1911's while on active duty and some of you are plagued trying to Correct some 1911's that are mixed parts. Hold your thanks, I know you love the hunt and ponder the mysteries of how some pistols are a pile of parts but do remember, in the military ...PARTS IS PARTS. LOL ...good shooting all.

 

When I was on active duty, I didn't know the difference.

 

Does anyone know if all the CMP 1911s are from the Army, or are they from across the services? I ask because I would love to have the chance to get a MEU(SOC) 1911. I was in the 22nd MEU(SOC) in the early 90s.

 

ask for one!
70 pages of MEU(SOC) amazment The MEU(SOC) .45, ICQB, and M45 Close Quarters Combat Pistol - Updates to OP - Page 1 - AR15.COM

 

Does anyone know if all the CMP 1911s are from the Army

I only have experience with three from round 3 (mine and two buddys). All came to Anniston from Crane (Navy). Two traced to submarines and one to Seabees from 1970s. On the CMP forum, there seem to be a lot from Crane. That has little to do with where they might have been in the 40s, 50s except that all pistols produced in the 30s went to Navy (I think thats what coolgunsite showed).

 

I only have experience with three from round 3 (mine and two buddys). All came to Anniston from Crane (Navy). Two traced to submarines and one to Seabees from 1970s. On the CMP forum, there seem to be a lot from Crane. That has little to do with where they might have been in the 40s, 50s except that all pistols produced in the 30s went to Navy (I think thats what coolgunsite showed).

Thanks! That’s very helpful. In fact, I would love to get a Navy pistol. I was NROTC Marine Option and spent my Midshipman third class cruise on the USS Trenton in 1990. I was able to “qualify” on the 1911 as a member of the ship’s self defense force. A lot of people don’t know that the 1911 remained in service with the Navy after the Beretta M9 was issued. Those pistols had very few rounds put through them.